[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="A savoring delight for all" ids="152291,152292,152293,152294"] By Badea Abu Al-Naja Saudi Gazette A chocolate carnival began at Hejaz Mall in Makkah at the middle of Ramadan. Running until the end of the holy month, the carnival offers chocolate products made by passionate young men and women who proved to be creative at what they do. Most of them faced difficulties learning how to make chocolate but their efforts paid off at the end of the day. Naif Al-Shareef, a pharmacist by profession, loves to prepare sweets at home during his free time. Al-Shareef's love for chocolate made him quit his job as pharmacist seven years ago. He stayed at home and focused on preparing different types of sweets and chocolates until he felt he perfected it. After spending two years improving his sweet-making skills, he joined Master Chef (Arabic version) and was picked among top 11 chefs. He made New York Cheesecake. The program made him popular and he started preparing sweets from home for weddings and parties in Makkah. His brother convinced him a year ago to open a confectionery business. Today, his business "CrownCake", located at Al-Sharyeh neighborhood, is well-known in Makkah. Al-Shareef imports Belgian chocolate and uses it for various dishes. He and his brother are planning to start a small chocolate factory and they are working on it. Al-Shareef decides the type of chocolate mixes and flavors for preparing different chocolate recipes at his confectionery. Sara Jad and her husband Zaini Mal both are crazy about chocolate flavors. They opened a chocolate store seven years ago and called it "Chocolate Hall". They imported Belgian chocolate from Beirut and even contracted a factory there to prepare chocolate flavors based on fillings chosen by Jad and her husband. "Today we have more than 150 different fillings with different tastes, all have been selected by my husband and me. We have special fillings for Ramadan, Eid, weddings and other occasions. We sell chocolate in serviettes wrapped with different colors. Most people love our products and the way they look," she said. They are planning to start a small factory in Makkah where they can make chocolate fillings themselves. They described the carnival as a good opportunity to showcase the creative skills of young men and women of Makkah. Rasha Sindi, the head of the committee organizing the carnival, said this is the first such carnival to take place in Makkah with the participation of different productive families. Miscellaneous activities are offered including heater shows for children on the sidelines of the event.
