• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

HealthyHappyLife.com logo

  • about
  • RECIPES
  • LIFESTYLE
  • BLOGGING
  • VIDEO
  • SHOP
  • Cookbooks
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • My Books
  • Videos
  • About
  • holiday
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » This and That » Valentine’s Day: Five Chocolate Brands that Changed my Life

    by Kathy Patalsky · updated: May 18, 2022 · published: Feb 12, 2009 · About 5 minutes to read this article. 4 Comments

    Valentine’s Day: Five Chocolate Brands that Changed my Life

    There are a few things we can all count on as we meander through life: Noisy streets at midnight on New Years, laundry day, presents on your birthday and a sweet aroma when you smell the soft petals of a rose.

    …and in my life I can always count on chocolate on Valentine’s Day.

    So in honor of Valentine’s Day, here are the top five chocolate brands that place marked and in many ways, changed my life. A few brands full of nostalgic memories and a few with a taste I can’t live without….

    And don’t forget that dark chocolate is one of those “superfoods” I love to rave about. Longevity.com reports:
    Heart Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
    -Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:
    -Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
    Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

    Click forward for my FIVE CHOCOLATE BRANDS… list…


    Five Chocolates that Changed my Life

    5. The Regional Childhood Favorite: See’s
    Memories and nostalgia. Growing up in California, the gotta-get-it brand of mainstream chocolate was See’s. And every Valentine’s Day my parents would “surprise” my sister and I with a beautiful heart-shaped box of chocolates. A sweet simple gesture, but it always made me feel giddy to break into a brand new box of V-Day chocolates. I was a bit odd. I’d bite into every singe piece and figure out what was what. I hated the dark ones with pink or white cream. So when I found one, I’d shuffle it off to my mom. She always thanked me for the half-eaten chocolate. My favorite piece of chocolate in the box? Those crunchy milk-chocolate covered toffee bites. Every region of the country has some regional favorite. I asked around, and a Pennsylvania-area regional favorite is Betsy Ann chocolates. Do you have a regional favorite?

    4. The First “Worldly” Taste: Ghirardelli Chocolates
    In the summers when my family would travel the 1.5 hour car trip from Santa Cruz to San Francisco for a walk on Fisherman’s Wharf, a trolley ride and a nice dinner out overlooking the bay, my sister and I would always request a trip to Ghirardelli’s Chocolate Shoppe in where else, Ghirardelli Square. There is an amazing ice cream shoppe with a Hot Fudge Sundae to die for. As a teenager, who still had the world to discover, I thought Ghirardelli was the tops. The best. Ghirardelli is amazing. But I had never been outside the USA…..

    3. The Best of the Best, I Have Lived: La Maison Du Chocolat
    In my college years I took a dream trip to Paris with my soon-to-be husband. That trip changed my life and so did the chocolate. We stumbled into a little chocolate shop that had more red-carpet, silver-spoon, white glove flair than any Michelin starred restaurant. The shop was dressed up like a Cartier or Tiffany Jewelery store. Low hanging lights, glossy glass display windows containing a plethora of amazing chocolates and confections. We had to decide on a few items and I ended up spending more than a lot on some chocolate. Something I rarely do. The best of the best? The dark chocolate chocolate-whole almond “brittle”-looking bars. There are La Maison’s all over the world. I suggest you visit one, try a piece and experience world-class chocolate.

    2. Going Raw: Pure Delights Raw Cacao
    After moving to NYC, I discovered Organic Avenue. A gem of a store with raw, vegan, wellness-inspired goods, books and treats like raw chocolate. I get my fresh coconut water here. One day my husband and I tried the Pure Delights Raw Cacao. It comes in a tiny box of six chocolates, each decorated with a nut or dried berry such as cashews, pecans or goji berries. The box of six is only $12.50, which is so incredibly worth it. These raw and vegan chocolates blew me away. It made me realize that 100% “good stuff” chocolate can really taste amazing. I wish I could eat one of these chocolates everyday.

    1. NYC Chocolatier Mecca: MarieBelle
    Moving to NYC I noticed that this is a chocolatier mecca. Chocolatier shops are everywhere, there is Jacques Torres, Bespoke, Richart Design et Chocolat, Neuhaus Chocolatier, Teuscher
    , Kee’s Chocolates, Martine’s Chocolates and my favorite in the south-west end of Soho? Mariebelle. The Mariebelle original truffle chocolates are painted with cute little designs and all set in the beautiful crafted Mariebelle boxes. Flavors like peanut butter, champagne, Aztec, coconut and espresso – these all natural flavors are bold and rich. Also of note: the hot chocolate (all dark chocolate) is the best I have ever purchased to make at home. Aztec flavor-yum. The branding of Mariebelle simply makes me happy. The pin-up girls from the 50’s large bars of chocolate are adorable. The old fashioned tea tins. Oh and the chocolate makes me swoon.

    I cannot wait to see what journey I go on and what city I land in to add the next chocolate-marker to my life.

    What are your top chocolate brands that changed your life??

    LINKS:
    MARIEBELLE
    LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT
    GHIRARDELLI
    PURE DELIGHTS RAW CACAO
    SEE’S
    BETSY ANN
    JACQUES TORRES

    More recipes you may enjoy

    • Video: Baby bull: Valentine’s Day Ready!
    • Bill Maher’s Controversial Statements on Phelps, Kellogg’s, A-Rod and Steroids
    • POM Wonderful: A Super Juice for this California Girl!
    • White Flesh Grapefruit

    About Kathy Patalsky

    Hey there! I'm Kathy, lover of kitty cats, weekend baking, 90's movies, travel, beach fog and foamy lattes. Since 2007, I have been sharing my vegan recipes and photos. My goal is to make your cooking life a little easier, delicious - and plant-loaded - while sharing some LIFE and conversation along the way.

    Vegan Linzer Cookies

    5 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Pie

    Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping

    Vegan Oatmeal Cookies, Lunchbox-Ready

    Primary Sidebar

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    newsletter:

    Trending

    my cookbooks

    my cookbooks

    Disqus Latest Comments

    1. s

      s: Absolutely one of the best things I've ever baked. Used dairy butter…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    2. JanetS

      JanetS: Neither of those non-grain flours will substitute for oats or wheat. As…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    3. disqus_LfP7ofaP87

      disqus_LfP7ofaP87: Earth Balance brand HAS PALM OIL, as do most of the vegan…

      Commented on: Sticky Banana Bread Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

    about kathy

    kathy patalsky

    featured: peach coconut water smoothie

    browse recipes

    Breakfast  |  Entrees  |  Desserts  |  Smoothies  |  Sandwiches  |  Salads  |  Beverages  |  Soups |  Appetizers |  Snacks  |  Sauces  |  Sides   /  Cooking Videos  |  Round-Ups  |  Fan Favorites  |  Holiday  /  All the Recipes

    browse:

    • reviews
    • travel
    • vegan topics
    • people
    • videos
    • beauty
    • wellness
    • Mom Life

    my ttc + baby journey

    Footer

    BROWSE BY:

    Category:

    DATE:

    looking for something?

    contact   |   about   |   kathy’s cookbooks  |  press  |  findingvegan  |  meal plans  |  shop  |  vegan recipe index  |  privacy policy  | start a blog

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Services | Work with me