Tucson's Chocoholics Are In For A Super-Rich Experience. By Rebecca Cook FOR CHOCOLATE ADDICTS like myself, there is yearly relief for our obsession. On Sunday, March 3, the ballroom doors open to the 13th annual A Taste of Chocolate at the Quality Hotel & Suites (formerly the Ramada Inn) and you don't even need to find the golden ticket to take the tour. Tickets are readily available in advance or at the door; and proceeds from the event, which features the chocolate creations of some of Tucson's finest chefs, benefit Arizona Right to Choose. Admittance to A Taste of Chocolate guarantees an all-you-can-eat feeding frenzy around a multitude of chocolate treats. Categories for the event this year include--and yes, it's my sacred duty to list them all--cakes and tortes, cheesecakes, cookies, brownies, mousses, meringues, pot de creme and fondues, pies and tarts, breads and pastries, petits fours and confections, moles and non-dessert sauces, beverages and frozen delicacies. Pardon me while I take a moment to swoon.... Professional and amateur entries are judged separately by a team of experienced chocolatiers (a profession ranking well above Supreme Court Justice in the "most-trusted" category, by the way) who pay particular attention to composition and presentation. The result, according to event co-organizer Carol Price, is that the chocolate looks as gorgeous as it is luscious. Excuse me, won't you? I've got to go feed my habit... Where were we? Oh--people may enter the event with as many items as they'd like, the only stipulation being that enough "tastes" must be provided for a minimum of 400 people. That's gotta be one impressive pan of brownies. Once inside the door, people are welcome to sample as many goodies as they can reasonably hold. Price's description of the resulting eating extravaganza is reminiscent of a Fellini film: "It looks like gluttony for sure, like something out of Roman times," says Price. "People just heap their plates." In my book, though, Heaven must have a similar hangout. Price, who confesses to coming down on the gotta-have-it side of the chocolate issue, says this event constitutes the only time all year long that she needs to abstain from chocolate for a few days afterward. Fresh fruit and bread will be offered between tastings to help clear the palate. In addition, coffee, milk and water will be available to wash everything down. Having never been to the event, I was desperate to find some chocolate to sample to give me a good idea of what people could expect. Thanks to Jeff Glomski at Presido Grill, my purely professional dilemma was solved. This year chef Glomski will be entering a chocolate caramel custard, which at present is also one of Presidio's dessert selections. Restaurants such as Café Terra Cotta, Trio and the Landmark Café will also be represented with their own entries. If Glomski's superb chocolate creation is any indication, patrons of the event are in for some serious tongue-blasting pleasure. Dark, rich, creamy and bursting with cocoa flavor, the custard appeared in the shape of a heart atop a pool of caramel sauce. Sliced, fresh strawberries graced the side of the dish. As lovely as it was delicious, Glomski's custard was a tantalizing promise of pleasures to come. So, mark your calendar and begin fasting now. Chocolate this good and plentiful requires serious training. A Taste of Chocolate runs from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 3, in the ballroom at the Quality Hotel & Suites, 475 N. Granada Ave. Cost for the event is $12 per person for advance tickets, $15 at the door. Ticket outlets include Yikes! Toy Store, The Blue Willow, Landmark Café, Antigone books, Bentley's, KXCI, Cuppucinos, Café Terra Cotta and the Chocolate Iguana.

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