Well before we were married, my husband, that crafty man, established a sweet Valentine’s Day custom. Each year on Feb. 14, he gives me a heart-shaped box of chocolates. (Then he eats half of them.) It’s a tradition. As much as I might yearn for, say, diamonds or rubies, I know I can expect that heart-shaped box.
If you want to start your own tradition, here are a few time-tested places to pick up Chicago-made chocolates:
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Belgian Chocolatier Piron in Evanston has been handcrafting traditional ganache, chocolate buttercreams, Grand Marnier, Cognac, creme caramel and much more for over 20 years.
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Blommer Chocolate Co. on the Near West Side, founded in 1939, starts their candy-making process with cacao beans (they’ll sell you the hulls for garden mulch). The finished product mostly goes into private-label confectionery, but the factory outlet offers candies, block chocolate and cocoa powder at the source.
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Lutz Cafe and Pastry Shop in Lincoln Square, which opened in 1948, makes its own line of chocolates, as well as hand-molded marzipan.
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Margie’s Candies, Uptown and North Center, established in 1921, offers fudge, toffee, turtles and mints and a massive heart-shaped box that holds 8 pounds.
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Mr. Kite’s Chocolate has been candymaker to the Gold Coast since 1987. This shop is known for chocolate-dipped fruits, pretzels, nuts and more.
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Vosges Haut-Chocolat in Lincoln Park, on the Magnificent Mile and at O’Hare, founded in 1998, specializes in exotically flavored truffles combining curry powder, wasabi and other unusual flavorings with chocolate for delicious results.
