Ever wonder what nearly 2,000 pounds of chocolate looks like?
Well, it's pretty much like you would imagine: a land of giant colorful eggs and sweet toadstools.
At least that's how Four Seasons Hotel Miami's pastry chef Keith Wallace envisions it.
See also: Easter Brunch in Miami
The chef has just finished his Wonka-like masterpiece, An Easter Wonderland, inspired by a little girl named Alice and her adventures. Wallace tells Short Order: "Alice in Wonderland always sparks my imagination with all of the bright colors and exotic scenes. The forest scene in the movie inspires me the most. Miami itself is an exotic location, with the mix of cultures and vibrant nightlife it's so popular for. For the chocolate showpiece, I wanted to incorporate both Miami's bright and colorful backdrop and tropical setting; therefore, I used plenty of reds and oranges and also included a few tropical fronds made of white chocolate."
The display took Wallace and his team more than 20 hours to complete over a three-week period and uses 1,700 pounds of chocolate to make the forest of 30 eggs and various white chocolate mushrooms. The chef created the molds for the eggs and individually airbrushed every piece.
This edible masterpiece is on display in the Four Seasons Hotel Miami's lobby -- just in time to make your Easter basket look woefully inadequate. Seriously, it's something to see before the chef takes it down to recycle the confections. "After every chocolate showpiece, I break it down, melt the chocolate, and reuse it to create future chocolate displays."
The chocolate fantasy, of course, was created as part of the hotel's Easter celebrations, which culminate with Edge Steak & Bar's holiday brunch, where chef Aaron Brooks will go all out with a whole roast pork prepared caja china-style; roast leg of Aussie lamb with mint chimichurri; and a whole roast tomahawk rib eye. Of course, Chef Wallace will present a display of colorful pastries (which you can, and should, eat).
Easter brunch is served Sunday, April 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and costs $99 for adults and $32 for children 5 to 12 years old. Tax and gratuity are not included, and reservations are recommended.
In addition, kids can show up at 10:30 a.m. with a basket and participate in an egg hunt at Palm Grove, located on the pool terrace.
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