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Downtown Houston hotel displays half-ton dark chocolate Santa Claus in chair, elves

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Award-winning Pastry Chef Mahesh Weerasinghe stands with his hand-sculptured, chocolate art at the Hilton Americas, Monday, Dec. 16, 2013, in downtown Houston. Chef Mahesh, along with the culinary and property operations teams, created a 1,000-pound Santa in his chair, accompanied by his elves and a wagon full of toys, all made from dark chocolate. The non-edible chocolate, after it was coated with a preserve, took more than 400 man hours and two months of work to create. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Cody Duty) (The Associated Press)

Award-winning Pastry Chef Mahesh Weerasinghe stands with his hand-sculptured, chocolate art at the Hilton Americas, Monday, Dec. 16, 2013, in downtown Houston. Chef Mahesh, along with the culinary and property operations teams, created a 1,000-pound Santa in his chair, accompanied by his elves and a wagon full of toys, all made from dark chocolate. The non-edible chocolate, after it was coated with a preserve, took more than 400 man hours and two months of work to create. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Cody Duty) (The Associated Press)

Santa Claus has come to town in Houston and he's sweeter than your average holiday fellow.

A Houston hotel has created a half-ton dark chocolate sculpture of Santa Claus in a chair, complete with elves.

Pastry experts at the Hilton Americas in downtown Houston used dark chocolate and a special chocolate dough to fashion the exhibit, which is on display until Dec. 30.

Hotel spokeswoman Tere Perry says the project cost about $5,000 worth of chocolate and 400 hours in work.

Officials estimate the chocolate adds up to more than 2.4 million calories. But it's not edible. Perry told the Houston Chronicle the sculpture has been sealed with lacquer.