A bunch of chocolatiers in ITC Gardenia put their heads together and thought about how they could help grant the most cherished wishes of children suffering from life-threatening medical conditions. The result: a giant Fabelle chocolate weighing 72kg.
The delicious milk chocolate allows one to experience the joy of sharing. Walk into the hotel, break the chocolate bar with a hammer and have the chunks, savoring the rich flavors. You can make your experience sweeter by lending a helping hand to Make A Wish Foundation, which is committed to fulfilling the wishes of children with critical illnesses. The donations can be as little as Rs 72.
The mammoth chocolate is unique in many ways: Made of 72 ingredients, it commemorates India's 72nd independence day. Making those massive chocolate bars was not an easy task, says Tanvi Chandawarkar, a Fabelle Master Chocolatier at ITC Gardenia. ''It was the first time we were tempering such large amounts of chocolate, and all of us were worried as to how it would turn out on the final day. It took us a week to create these bars. We are so happy that they have come out well,'' she smiles. ''The ingredients used include different types of biscuits and cereals, hazelnut, pistachio, walnut, sunflower, pumpkin, chia and flax seeds and chocolate chips,” says Chandawarkar.
I take a bite of the chocolate. It seems to fulfil most of the quality parameters set by the industry—it has a lovely shine and a snap when you break it. These are all a result of tempering, says Chandawarkar. ''The bars were tempered by hand. In fact, the entire thing has been handcrafted. We haven't used any machines at all,'' adds the 25-year-old from Pune.
Each block of chocolate weighing about 4kg was made separately and then assembled together. ''The blocks were molded using rectangular stainless steel pans. We melted the chocolate, tempered it and then added all the ingredients,'' says Chandawarkar. The blocks were set using a rectangular wooden mold. ''We poured additional 15kg of chocolate into the bottom of the mold. When it was semi-set, we placed the blocks on it. The chocolate on the mold holds the bars in place,'' she says.
The giant chocolate has been replicated in ITC Gardenia's Fabelle boutiques in six cities in the country. It will be on display till August 19.