Saturday, June 21, 2025
Prepare for a day coated in all things chocolate.
Over 90 vendors soon set up shop at Hostra University’s David Mack Sports & Exhibition Center. The unique foodie experience returns, May 4, with sweet and savory tastes all in one place.
“We call ourselves the official home of chocolate, food, and fun,” Marvin Baum, the Chocolate Expo’s founder, says. “We’re using chocolate as a platform, not only to support small local businesses, but also to do good for the community.”
It all began in 2006, after Baum realized there was a strong desire to bring food vendors and communities together. Since 2012, the chocoholic’s delight has been sweetening Long Island and has grown to be the confectionery hot spot it is today.
“Long Island has always been a special spot for me. It helped us go to the next level in terms of what we could offer the public in terms of an experience,” Baum says.
From chocolate classics like bonbons, fudge and chocolate-dipped treats to interesting twists such as chocolate-covered bacon, there are no shortage of desserts to indulge in. For more savory pairings, baked goods, specialty foods, wine, and cheeses are also tempting; there’s something to satisfy everyone’s palate.
Visitors can check out the Long Island confectioners represented, including Bellmore’s Chocolate Works, a chocolaterie selling chocolate-covered pretzels, platters, and more.
“Last year was our first year at the Expo. We had a great experience,” Nimisha Patel, who owns the store with her husband, Raj, reports.“People always buy chocolate, and we get to be creative and decorate with different designs.”
Other local favorites include Chez Hedwidge, an artisan gluten-free bakery, based in Valley Stream; Massapequa’s Swizzled Desserts, a purveyor of small batch alchohol-infused ice creams and sorbets; and Sunflower Bakeshop, a Kosher bakery in West Hempstead that caters to customers with food and dietary restrictions, offering a wide range of gluten-free and vegan options.
This year, the choice of treats is more enticing than ever.
“There are a limited number of chocolate shops on Long Island. We’re bringing vendors from other states and countries, so we can bring unique things that people from Long Island have not seen elsewhere before,” Baum says.
Be sure to sample the diverse offerings that include the trendy Dubai chocolate (Omniya), rich artisanal chocolates from Paris (Chocolaknin), and luxury Swiss assortments (Canonica).
The binge-worthy experiences don’t stop with chocolate. Guests can meet up with this years’ special guests — everyone’s favorite 1970s TV family, “The Brady Bunch.”
“There’s a strong nostalgic quality to connecting with the original show. This is a chance to get together, to connect without a television screen, in a much more informal kind of way,” says Barry Williams, who fans will know as the eldest Brady child, Greg Brady.
Williams is ready to answer all your eager-to-know questions about the show — along with his castmates Christopher Knight (Peter Brady), Mike Lookinland (Bobby Brady), and Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady) — during the morning panel discussion. He’s also bringing some “Tikis” that fans may recognize from the iconic Hawaii episode.
“I see happen quite often is a fan will approach us, they might be middle-aged, and in front of my eyes they will turn into the giggling teenager that they were when they were watching the show,” he notes.
Balloon artist Robbie Furman adds to the magic, creating a life-sized ‘Brady Bunch’ — made entirely out of balloons!
For more family-sized fun, young visitors can drop by the Kidz Zone for face painting, balloon twisting and chocolate smashing. You may even catch a glimpse of a Stormtrooper — don’t forget to respond “May the Fourth be with you!”
At the end of the day, kids can enjoy a balloon popping party. “We let the kids pop them with safe little picks at the end of the event, which we’ve never done on Long Island before,” Baum says.
Whether you’re familiar with the Expo or a curious newcomer, it’s always a delectable outing.
“We have a relationship with people on Long Island, and they look forward to it every year. I recently saw a Facebook post [about the Expo] saying ‘My friend and I had a magical day that we will never forget,’” Baum says.
“This is why we do what we do with the Chocolate Expo, for our guests have a magical time.”
