Updated: April 10, 2016 at 3:42 p.m.

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Jerome Dineen.

Craving chocolate? So were the 300 festival-goers that attended the inaugural D.C. Chocolate Festival at the Westin near Thomas Circle Saturday. Thirty local, domestic and international chocolate vendors showcased a diverse sampling of high-quality artisanal chocolate across the hotel’s ballroom floor.

The Chocolate House, a chocolate boutique in Adams Morgan, organized and funded the event along with help from Valrhona, a French chocolate manufacturer. Amedei, an Italian chocolate company, paid for the gift bags guests received when they arrived.

Marisol Slater, who owns the Chocolate House and the primary organizer of the festival, said she hopes the festival continues in the years to come.

“There’s more momentum in D.C., so it’s the perfect time to build partnerships with vendors,” Slater said.

Slater added that one reason she organized this event was to give attendees an opportunity to learn the history of chocolate from the people most intimately associated with it: the chocolatiers.

“Because we know most of these vendors, we can tell people a story about where the chocolate came from,” Slater said.

Vendors vied for attention from attendees with samples of their chocolates, which ranged from simple dark chocolate bars to elegantly crafted confections. Although some vendors hailed from the District, others flew over from as far as Ecuador or France.

Charm School Chocolates, a Baltimore-based chocolate company whose chocolates are all dairy-free, soy-free and vegan, included samples of coconut white chocolate made from cocoa beans sourced from small-output farmers in Belize.

Charm School Chocolates head chef Joshua Rosen said coconut is a great substitute for milk and “gives us a beautiful snap with a wonderful shine.”

“We really try to hit hard with flavor while also being plant-based,” Rosen said.

Chefs from Artisan Confections, a chocolate shop based in Fairfax, Va., presented a collection of delectable salted caramel and ginger-hazelnut treats, each enrobed with a decorative couverture and filled with creamy fudge.

Other vendors were more traditional in their approaches. The chefs at Cacao Prieto, a Brooklyn “bean to bar” chocolate manufacturer and whiskey distillery, stuck to dark chocolate tempered with cocoa butter and other ingredients sourced solely from sustainable plantations in the Dominican Republic.

While festival-goers may have gotten a few samples, the chocolates were pricey. Most bars of chocolate ranged from $8 to $12, and many vendors only offered pre-packaged boxes ranging from $20 to $45.

Along with offering free samples, the vendors taught chocolate-making classes.

Adam Kavalier, a head chocolatier at the District’s own Undone Chocolates with a doctorate in plant ecology, taught a class on science and chocolate. He said chocolate consumption has many health benefits like reducing blood pressure, improving vascular health and increasing cerebral blood flow.

This post was updated to reflect the following correction:
The Hatchet incorrectly reported that Charm School Chocolates is from San Francisco. The chocolate company is based in Baltimore.