It's important to start with a well-balanced design so it won't collapse. Dark chocolate has more strength, because "white and milk chocolate have a lot of milk powders in them that weaken the chocolate," Lammers said. "You don't want to make a large structure out of white chocolate."

Lammers spent some time demonstrating the concept of "tempering," a process that crystallizes the cocoa-butter chocolate. Tempering gives chocolate a glossy finish and strength.

To temper it, he melted the chocolate and then poured two-thirds of it onto a cool marble surface. He kept this chocolate moving by stirring it continually with a spatula and scraper until it started to thicken. This thickened chocolate was then poured back into the reserved one-third and stirred until it formed an even mixture.

He also made what he calls "chocolate Play-doh" by processing chunks of white chocolate in a food processor for about 30 seconds. "The friction of the blades and heat will melt some of the chocolate," he said.

The result is chocolate that can be molded like clay. He rolled it into a long rope, then twirled it around a wooden dowel to make it spiral-shaped. This clay-like chocolate is fine for smaller parts of the sculpture, "But you can't build the centerpiece on it, because it's not tempered and it's not as strong," he said.

To assemble the pieces, Lammers first scored the areas to be joined together with a knife. For "glue," he piped out tempered chocolate from a pastry bag.

When displaying chocolate showpieces, "Keep the melting point of chocolate in mind," Lammers cautioned. "If a chocolate bar sits in your hot car, you know what happens. If you have to design a piece for a warmer room, make sure those pieces are thicker."

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E-mail: vphillips@desnews.com