Living Arts Students Make Artful Chocolate with Bon Bon Bon
Youth artists from Living Art's Out-0f-School Arts programs visited Bon Bon Bon's beautiful new location in Hamtramck on Friday, April 6th, 2018 to create the chocolates that will be given to our VIPs during our annual fundraiser, An Evening For Living Arts. Many of the participants were artists in our teen visual art open studio, The SPOT, which focuses on exposing teen artists to a variety of art forms and professional artists, experimenting with materials, developing their own artistic voice, and deciding the direction they want to take with their own projects. The Bon Bon Bon workshop was a perfect fit because it allowed our students to put their skills to work exploring a new art form. And what art form is more fun than chocolate?!
"The Bon Bon Bon workshop was one of the most amazing things I've tried. I liked mixing the different types of chocolate and toppings, then decorating the bon bons and trying them afterwards. There were so many different combinations you could choose from. It made me think about ways I could turn it into a career and it's definitely something on my bucket list to try again." - Dearya Williams
The Bon Bon Bon instructors expertly described the different flavor profiles of the chocolates and fillings and what combinations paired better together based on the flavors. In addition to the flavors, there was an visual element to their creations in the how the final product looked. The toppings ranged from dried strawberry dust, purple sugar, dried cherries, saltine crackers, nuts, and even chocolate pearls. The artists had two hours to sample and experiment with a wide variety of chocolates, fillings, and toppings to get the perfect decorations for their eyes and perfect fillings for their taste buds. We hope the VIPs enjoy the treats made with love by our young artists. Thanks Bon Bon Bon!
About the author: Zack Bissell is our Out-of-School Arts Program Manager. Zack grew up in Frankfort, MI, a small beach town up north near Traverse City, which makes him a true beach bum at heart. He has a BA in Arts and Humanities with a minor in Spanish and a specialization in Latin American and Caribbean studies from Michigan State University, where he graduated with high honors. Music, travelling, culinary arts, and languages are some of his biggest passions, taking him to many countries around the globe. Besides English, Zack also speaks Spanish and Portuguese, and can understand basic Korean. Since graduating from MSU, he completed a year of service with AmeriCorps in Albuquerque, New Mexico working in HIV prevention and education, followed by 7-months of teaching English in Korean public elementary schools.
