Chocolate creations from around New Orleans will go head-to-head Saturday night at Schoen Mansion on Canal Street, where guests sip champagne and cast votes for the city's best bite in a contest built around a far more serious cause. The party, called Death by Chocolate...NOT Breast Cancer, doubles as a fundraiser for the Tulane Cancer Center, with tastings starting at 6:30 p.m.
As reported by WGNO, attendees will taste chocolates from around town, sip champagne, and vote for the best confections of the night. Among the chefs bringing dishes is Enjoli Monique of Shuga Whisk Pastries, who will serve a triple chocolate cake dubbed Cake My Breath Away. This marks the seventh year the event has brought sweet and savory chocolate creations before both attendees and designated culinary judges, who hand out People's Choice and Judges' Choice honors, according to Jacob Schoen & Son.
Tickets for Saturday's gathering range from $60 in advance, or $75 at the door, for general admission beginning at 6:30 p.m., up to $100 in advance or $125 at the door for VIP admission, which grants early entry at 5:30 p.m. to meet participating chefs and honorees, per Zeffy's event listing. The evening also formally recognizes local breast cancer survivors designated by the host organization as “Sweet Survivors,” who are honored publicly during the program, according to Tulane University School of Medicine.
A Historic Mid-City Backdrop
The setting itself carries its own New Orleans history. Schoen Mansion at 3827 Canal Street has housed Jacob Schoen & Son Funeral Home since 1936, a family-owned business whose roots trace back to an 1874 yellow fever outbreak in the city, according to Where Y'at Magazine. The business reportedly began as a carriage and blacksmith operation before evolving into the funeral home that still occupies the Mid-City property today.
The nonprofit behind the fundraiser, Krewe de Pink, was established as a Louisiana corporation in 2015 after originating in 2011 as New Orleans Friends of the BCRF, according to Krewe de Pink. The group has raised over $301,000 for breast cancer research at Tulane Cancer Center over the years, the organization's accomplishments page states.
Why the Fundraising Push Matters in Louisiana
The stakes behind the chocolate and champagne are grounded in public health data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mortality figures from 2024 show Louisiana recorded an age-adjusted female breast cancer mortality rate of 19.8 per 100,000 women, totaling 611 deaths, placing the state above the national average rate of 18.7 per 100,000, according to KFF State Health Facts. Louisiana is also among a minority of states where female breast cancer incidence is higher among Black women than white women, alongside significant racial disparities in mortality, per data from the American Cancer Society published in 2024.
Donations raised through Krewe de Pink directly support laboratories at Tulane University School of Medicine, including research teams led by Dr. Bridgette Collins-Burow and Dr. Matthew Burow working on novel breast cancer therapeutics, according to Tulane's medical school. The Louisiana Cancer Prevention and Control Programs separately coordinate statewide outreach targeting uninsured and underinsured women, offering free mammography screenings and patient navigation aimed at improving early detection rates, since late-stage diagnoses contribute significantly to the state's elevated mortality figures.
Other Krewe de Pink Events
Death by Chocolate is one of Krewe de Pink's events. The group also hosts a Pink Bra Run/Walk/Ride.
WGNO's Bill Wood, a Good Morning New Orleans features reporter, covered the event ahead of Saturday's party. The exact lineup of participating chefs for this year's competition beyond Shuga Whisk Pastries was not detailed in available event materials.
