Valentine’s Day is approaching soon and if you are looking for chocolate to share with your significant other, here are some local confectioners & bakeshops serving up some delicious candy and the newest trend in sweets – Hot Chocolate Bombs!

Are you familiar with these? In case you haven’t had them yet, they are candies stuffed with powdered hot chocolate (and other tasty goodies) that quickly melt when dropped in hot milk. Some shops have been selling out and there are waiting lists to get them… which is why we wanted to give you a heads up now! Give them a try or pick up a special Valentine’s Day package at any of these shops:

Gingersnaps in Lincoln is serving up their popular cakes, cookies, macarons, numerous hot chocolate bomb styles and even has some boozy bombs. Here’s more info on how to order.

Diva’s Dips has a huge array of heart-shaped chocolate bombs, sweetheart boxes, chocolate covered fruit, cakesicles and more! (Their Valentine’s Day orders must be in by February 6th. Pickup in Woonsocket will be February 13th from 2-4pm and deliveries will be limited to 20 for February 14th on a first come, first served basis.) Order online here. 

Pawtucket’s Bake My Day is now taking pre-orders for Valentine’s Day cake pops, chocolate-covered oreos and pretzels, and different styles of hot chocolate bombs! Call the shop at 401-374-2747 between 9 am – 2 pm to place your order.

Ivy & Lace Bakeshop in Greenville makes some gorgeous and tasty treats. One thing they’re doing that’s special is introducing cookie box sets for Valentine’s Day 2021! They have them in the store now, but if you want them for Valentine’s Day just give them a call by 02/09/21 at 401-349-5003 to place an order.

In addition to great locally-made home & beauty products, Harmony Products and Railway in Chepachet, is offering hot chocolate bombs and other sweets for you to enjoy.

And, if you prefer your chocolate spiked, try the Rhode Island Spirits chocolates laced with their famous Black Coffee Walnut Vodka. Sounds dangerous, right?!

Have you been to Chocolateville?

With all this said, did you know that chocolate has had a great history with the Blackstone Valley? Or have you ever wondered how the long-time relationship with Cupid and Valentine’s Day came about? Here’s a little bit more about the stories.

Let’s start with chocolate + Valentine’s Day: Chocolate has been associated with love going back to Mesoamerican history. It was a highly prized luxury by Mayan and Aztec upper class elites and they developed a passion for chocolate. 

In an article from Smithsonian Magazine, it was noted:

Chocolate’s connection to Valentine’s Day is a prime example of virtue finding its just reward, although it took centuries for the two essential elements—the rise of chocolate as a popular food, and the celebration of Valentine’s Day as a holiday—to merge.

The holiday itself has its origins in the one or two Christian saints named Valentine and was a religious feast of Saint Valentine established in 462. By the 14th and 15th century (or around the time of Shakespeare) the holiday became associated with “courtly love.” 

Valentine’s Day does fall shortly after the Celtic feast of Imbolc on February 2nd (Groundhog Day here in North America) and is actually considered the start of spring.  So it seems a natural transition that Saint Valentine’s Day would turn into a celebration of love that thrived during the reign of Queen Victoria when it truly became commercialized. Victorians loved to shower their significant others with Cupid-bedecked gifts and cards. 

However, it was British chocolatier Richard Cadbury that came up with the idea of “eating chocolates” rather than drinking it by using the cacao butter. He later began putting cupids and rosebuds on heart shaped boxes in 1861. 

In America, chocolate history has some early beginnings right here in the Blackstone Valley. The first chocolate house opened in Boston in the late 1600’s. However, one of the earliest chocolate factories operated out of Central Falls, Rhode Island. Started by William Wheat, a confectioner, he manufactured chocolate out of a water-powered mill along the Blackstone River owned by Charles Keene. 

From the 1780’s through 1820’s the area of Central Falls became known as “Chocolateville” or the Chocolate Mills settlement. On the site of the mill today you can visit the Chocolate Mill Overlook Park and learn about the history of chocolate in Colonial America. While there, enjoy the flow of the mighty river and the natural surroundings that include cherry trees, RI’s champion cottonwood tree, and steps that lead to the water’s edge. 

If you’d like to learn more… David Borhesani, the exclusive historian for Mars, Incorporated, will lead a “Journey Through the History of Chocolate” on February 11th via Zoom with the Rhode island Historical Society. The event will also include a chocolate tasting kit that you can pick up and bring home once you sign up. MORE INFO