JERRY WOLKOWITZ staff Catherine Wisniewski, of North Brunswick, gets some advice from John Cunnell about the chocolate his company offers during “The Allure of Chocolate” event.
EAST BRUNSWICK — It was a great night for chocoholics.
Roughly 40 women and two men who all suffer from the common addiction came to the township’s historic district Sunday evening for a unique program titled "The Allure of Chocolate."
They filled their plates with amaretto truffles, dark chocolate, and chocolate-covered pretzels; they dipped red ripe strawberries into urns of melted cocoa; and they sampled the latest wave in chocolate — a Mexican bar with ancho and chipotle.
"Everybody loves chocolate," said Jean Michaels of East Brunswick, as she bit into a morsel of a dark chocolate raspberry bar. "Personally, I prefer milk chocolate. I like the smooth and finer chocolates. Do I have a favorite? … Probably Dove."
JERRY WOLKOWITZ staff Kathie Waite, a member of the Historic Village of Old Bridge Community Group, makes some chocolate biscotti during Sunday’s event.
During the $20 per plate event, sponsored by the Historic Village of Old Bridge Community Group and held at the East Brunswick Museum, Maple Street, the group heard from John Cunnell, president of Birnn Chocolates, a 70-year-old Highland Park-based wholesale confectioners company.
Cunnell revealed chocolate processing methods, including how to cultivate a low-carb chocolate bar. He also spoke of the health benefits of chocolate and the rich history of the cocoa bean.
Since time beyond reckoning, the ancient Aztecs and the Mayans were growing and eating chocolate. However, Christopher Columbus was the first to bring chocolate to European civilization.
"Columbus unleashed a whole century. The cocoa bean went from being an unknown to being a very important commodity," said a surprisingly slim Cunnell, who became a chocolateer after marrying heiress to the chocolate throne Andrea Birnn.
Aside from acting as an antioxidant that releases pain-relieving neurotransmitters in the brain, recent studies have proved that chocolate can stabilize blood pressure, prevent blood platelets from clumping, and increase vessel flexibility, Cunnell said.
Because the event was held just days before Lent, a Christian observance of 40 days that, for some, may mean sacrificing sweet things, Susan Luczu, the Historic Village of Old Bridge’s recording secretary and a self-proclaimed chocoholic, said it was an ideal time for chocolate lovers to indulge.
"We weren’t in time for Valentine’s Day, so we thought it would be good to hold this program before Lent and before Easter," Luczu said.
Yet, according to Cunnell, giving up chocolate for Lent is not a common practice.
"Not many people give up chocolate for Lent. Many people give up wine or swearing, which ultimately makes them eat more chocolate," he said.