Complimenting her chocolate, cupcake-charm necklace, Lisa Ramelow themed her wardrobe with a frosting-pink blouse and cocoa-brown boots in celebration of Belmont Shore’s eleventh annual chocolate festival.
Twenty businesses invited the Long Beach populous to purchase pink ticket-vouchers to “spend” on self-indulgent samples along Second Street on Saturday.
As the owner of La Strada Italian restaurant in Belmont Shore, Lisa Ramelow advised all of her pink-and-brown-clad staff to follow suit as they passed out mousses and gelatos to eager street-side customers.
“I’m definitely a chocolate lover,” Ramelow said. “I’ve eaten so much chocolate today. I’m so full!”
La Strada has been in business for 21 years and has participated in the chocolate festival consecutively since its inception to the community in 2004. Ramelow said she is also a member of the Belmont Shore Business Association and that she likes planning events with the community in mind.
“It’s just something to bring all the neighbors together and celebrate what a beautiful community we have and what a great location we are in,” Ramelow said. “It’s just wonderful.”
Chocolate festival virgin and Belmont Shore newbie, a novelty ice cream shop called Creamistry experienced a boost in new customers and spectators observing its scientific chocolaty goodness.
“A lot of people are always looking for something to do on the weekends,” Creamistry owner and manager Nagla Ameerally said. “People always want to participate and go where the action is.”
Ameerally said that business is not as booming due to weather shifts, but that the weekend’s festivities helped bolster interest.
“People are coming in for the first time and trying our ice cream and loving it,” Ameerally said. “We love being here in Belmont Shore, so any time there’s anything going on, we want to be a part of it.”
Long Beach local Smeeta Maharaj said she loves that Belmont Shore offers weekend community events.
“[The festival is] something cool, something nice to do on a Saturday,” Maharaj said. “I like that you get a chance to taste what’s on Second St. without fully committing.”
Getting involved in a low-commitment relationship with the eateries of Belmont Shore reignited with other ticket-holding sweet treat eaters as well.
“People get to sample things they’ve never done before,” chocolate connoisseur and Carson resident Daniel Wade said. “It’s good because you don’t end up sitting down at a restaurant and saying ‘it doesn’t look like I’m going back here again.’”
Ariana Berridge, a Long Beach local, said she was very impressed with the Belmont Shore event planners, repurposing the festival as a cacao-constructed date with Wade.
“This event is one of [the city’s] jewels. [Whoever created the event] has the right idea for the community,” Berridge said. “I think other cities could learn from Long Beach.”