Shovel your 2009 winter worries away and come celebrate Mardi Gras at The Brown Hotel’s 5th Annual Hot Chocolate Celebration. The event will occur in the elegantly decorated Brown Hotel lobby on Tuesday, February 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. Guests will be treated to a variety of gourmet hot chocolate and hors d’oeuvres created by The Brown Hotel’s executive chef Laurent Géroli and his culinary team. The cost of each cup of hot chocolate is $5 and includes a set of Mardi Gras beads. All of the proceeds will directly benefit The Home of the Innocents and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).  

This year’s selection of chocolate refreshments includes a twist on a classic, a taste of white vanilla and a dark chocolate treat. The sweet specialties of the evening are Caramel Milk Chocolate, featuring the smooth creamy flavor of caramel with the familiarity of milk chocolate; the White Vanilla and Honey Bourbon, sweet vanilla taste with and accent of honey bourbon; and Dark Chocolate Raspberry, a rich dark chocolate base highlighted with the taste of raspberry. Guests will be able to balance the sweet treats with savory delights, as complimentary tastes of the legendary Hot Brown will be available along with other hors d’oeuvres.

The Home of the Innocents was founded in 1880 to meet the needs of young underprivileged children. Over the years, the Home has grown and expanded to meet the changing needs of children in crisis. For more information, visit www.homeoftheinnocents.org.  CASA is a private, non-profit organization that trains and supports volunteer advocates who are appointed by the Jefferson County Family Courts to work on behalf of abused and neglected children. Every year in our community more than 2,000 innocent children appear before a family court judge. The Jefferson County CASA Project, founded in 1985, was the first one in Kentucky and is one of more than 900 CASA projects in 50 states nationwide.The Brown Hotel, located at Fourth and Broadway, has been a Louisville tradition for more than 85 years. For reservations or more information, call 502-583-1234 or visit The Brown’s website at www.brownhotel.com.