Valentine’s Day 2019: Dip it in chocolate, all day long.
We’ve designed a day in which there is chocolate in every bite and every sip.
How (you may ask) did chocolate get so attached to Valentine’s Day? History teaches that by the 1500s, the holiday had moved away from the theme of early Christian martyrdom to that of love. Meanwhile, the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez, while destroying Aztec civilization, picked up the recipe for chocolate, which the Aztec nobility had enjoyed in the form of a drink made with roasted cacao beans, cornmeal, vanilla, honey, and chilies; Montezuma was said to have downed it by the gallon as an aphrodisiac.
Back in Europe, the new elixir from America caught on among the upper classes. At Versailles, Madame du Barry, mistress of King Louis XV (among others), began her day with a cup of chocolate and is said to have mixed chocolate with amber to stimulate her lovers. The French Revolution ended all that, and 19th-century breakthroughs in chocolate production made it a mass-market commodity, though still a special one. Richard Cadbury first packaged chocolate candies in heart-shaped boxes in 1861 – and the link to Valentine’s Day was soon forged.
Be decadent for a day! It’s easy to do in the Berkshires, where chocolatiers, chefs and bakers beckon you to indulge. And we’re going to make it even easier for you to enjoy a day infused with chocolate delights. We asked some of the Berkshires’ top chefs and confectioners to get you through your Valentine’s Day on a continuous wave of chocolate. Tune in tomorrow (Tuesday) to see how your day begins. We’ll take you through lunch and dinner on Wednesday, and put you to bed on Thursday, Valentine’s Day itself.
For your convenience, here is a list of nearby places where you can stock up on chocolates for Valentine’s Day. Run right out!
Chocolate shops of the Berkshires
Chocolate Springs
55 Pittsfield Rd
Lenox, MA 01240-2123 USA
(413) 637-9820
H R Zeppelin Fine Handmade Chocolates
Stockbridge, MA 01262
(413) 559-0275
Catherine’s Chocolates
260 Stockbridge Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
1-800-345-2462
Peace Love & Chocolate
36 Main St
Stockbridge, MA 01262
413-298-0020
Robin’s Candy
288 Main Street
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413-528-8477
Lindt Chocolate Shop & Beverage Bar
60 Premium Outlet Boulevard
Space B060 Suite 17
Lee, MA 01238
(413) 243-0637
Chocolate without borders
New York
Oliver Kita Artisan Chocolate
18 West Market Street
Rhinebeck, NY 12572
845-876-2665
Verdigris Tea and Chocolate
135 Warren Street
Hudson, NY 12534
(518) 828-3139
Connecticut
Thorncrest Farm, LLC & Milk House Chocolates
280 Town Hill Road
Goshen, CT 06756
(860) 309-2545
Vermont
The Village Chocolate Shop
471 Main St
Bennington, VT 05201
(802) 447-3789
Vermont Confectionery
1541 West Rd
Bennington, VT 05201
802-447-2610
The Chocolate Barn
5055 Historic Route 7A
Shaftsbury, VT 05262
(802) 375-6928
The Chocolatorium
261 Old Mill Road
East Arlington VT 05250
(802) 375-6037
Mother Myrick’s Confectionery
4367 Main St
Manchester Center, VT 05255
(802) 362-1560
