There’s more to Valentine’s Day than roses and a box of chocolates — although a sweet cocoa treat never disappoints.
Businesses across the region have found clever ways to elevate their offerings and make gift-giving a unique experience.
From brandy-soaked cherries to bacon dipped in dark chocolate, these sweets help to keep the romance alive.
At Boulevard Sweet Shoppe in Oakmont, owner Bill Hickey spends countless hours ramping up his displays for Feb. 14.
It takes a gentle touch to mold creme de menthe-flavored dark chocolate into rose petals or to delicately top chocolate peppermint bombs with red and pink hearts.
“Everything is handmade by me,” said Hickey, of Harrison.
His shop along Allegheny River Boulevard boasts nothing but imported Belgian chocolates.
“It sets the product apart,” said Hickey, who gave up his corporate sales job in 2017 and rebranded his family sweets shop with a labor of love. “People seem to love the old-school strawberries that I do.”
Traditional as they may seem, Hickey said the large red strawberry enveloped in chocolate is a favorite of shoppers looking for a Valentine’s treat.
“Mine are different,” he said. “You don’t see any red or green (from the stem).”
A box of the berries sells for $15.
A close second in sales are Hickey’s brandy-soaked cordial cherries — which he says leave lovers puckering.
“Chocolate is an age-old gift,” he said. “When it’s done well, people love it.”
At Main Street Sweets in Greensburg, it’s not the chocolate, itself, that takes center stage for Valentine’s Day, but two decadent chocolate-flavored treats.
The Cupid’s Kiss milkshake is 20-ounces of cherry ice cream decked out with chocolate chunks.
Tied in popularity is the Red Velvet, a cake shake topped with a cupcake, chocolate hearts and drizzle.
Both sell for $8.25 and are exclusive to the February holiday.
“People ask all year-‘round when they’re coming back,” said Maddie Nickischer, who owns the business with her mom, Nicole.
The pair opened the sweet shop about two years ago along North Main Street. It has become a one-stop spot for old-fashioned, international candy and fresh favorites featured on TikTok.
“We get many requests for the seasonal shakes,” Nickischer said.
The festive beverages make their return in mid-January and stick around through February.
“They’re both fan favorites but if you like feeling indulgent, the Red Velvet is the way to go,” Nickischer said. “It’s amazing.”
Shopping for a dancer? A sports lover? How about a technology buff? At Pollak’s Candies in Etna, there are novelty molded chocolates for people with a variety of interests.
Beth Weidner said they’ve been using most of the molds for years. The shop goes back generations within her family, with her and her siblings, Richard Pollak and Susan McHale, being the latest owners of the store.
“A lot of (the molds) have been passed down from our grandparents to our parents to us,” Weidner said.
She said the molds are a popular add-on to gifts during the Valentine’s Day season. Each morning, melted chocolate is added to the molds, dried and packaged to be taken to the storefront. The edible figurines range from ballerinas and baseball mitts to dogs and chocolate iPhones.
“A lot of times, we’ll tie (the mold) on top of the gift and make it look nice,” she said.
Her personal favorite is the “love” mold during the gift-buying season because it adds a special touch to a pack of chocolates.
Another one of the shop’s specialties is its cordial strawberries — a strawberry wrapped in fondant and dipped in chocolate. After it’s covered in chocolate, the strawberry breaks down into juice, creating a burst of flavor when bitten into.
“They’re one of our most popular Valentine gifts,” Weidner said.
Weidner said the next generation already is working with her and her siblings in the store. She said they’re hoping to continue the tradition of passing the store to them when the time comes.
Shoppers clamoring for unusual treats might not find them at Catoris Candies along Fifth Avenue in New Kensington, but owner John Gentile puts a spin on traditional favorites.
At the nearly 100-year-old candy store, Gentile said the turtles are far and away the most requested item. That might be because the shop offers five varieties of the old-fashioned treat.
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“We make the traditional ones with natural, raw pecans, and we make some with cashews and others with salted, roasted peanuts that taste like a Snickers,” said Gentile, of Lower Burrell.
“But our newest creation — the Kelly T, named after the store’s longtime manager, Kelly Guerrini — made with roasted and salted pecans is becoming our most popular.”
Adding to the charm is that Gentile avoids the trademark Turtle name and instead gives them a clever tag.
There’s the original — Mr. T — along with Mr. P, the peanut version, and Mr. C for the ones with cashews.
And then there’s the jumbo-sized creation meant to share — a one-pound candy treat oozing with gooey caramel and a choice of nuts.
“We’re known for it,” Gentile said. “It’s a giant and it makes a great gift.”
The cost for all varieties is $27.95 a pound.
Gentile, raised in New Kensington, recalls the candy shop as a staple growing up. It’s been in the same location for decades and has a storied history.
Even since taking over 18 years ago, Gentile said the tales never get old — Frank Sinatra, Rocky Marciano and Art Rooney Sr. all were customers.
“I love chocolate and I love listening to people tell stories about this place,” Gentile said.
Chris Weck, owner of Sinful Sweets in Ross, echoed the sentiment.
“One of my favorite things in the world is when people come into the store to buy chocolate or candy,” Weck said. “Having a piece of candy just makes people happy. Stopping for a minute and having a piece of candy or chocolate really has a positive effect on people’s day.”
Weck, who has owned Sinful Sweets since 2011, comes from a long line of Chicago chocolatiers. He manufactures his products in Beaver Falls and owns a second storefront there as well. His sweets are handmade, and he constantly is exploring innovative sweet treats. Weck still remembers how, 10 years ago, he was inspired to begin making chocolate-covered bacon.
He was watching the Food Network when a shop owner was depicted dipping pretzels in chocolate and rolling them in bacon bits. He thought to himself, “Why not cut out the middle man (the pretzel), and go for the chocolate-covered bacon?” He began selling it soon after, right before the trend hit the chocolate world.
“It still sells really well,” Weck said. “I probably sell 10 to 15 pounds every week or two.”
His next endeavor will be to up the ante by adding caramel to the mix. He will make bacon cups, fill them with caramel and cover the concoction in chocolate for a unique spin on traditional pecan turtles.
“I’m, personally, not the biggest fan of chocolate-covered bacon, but I think the mix of sweet and salty will be great,” Weck said.
Weck said he loves coming up with new sweets for his shop and is intent on creating the most happiness for his customers. He describes himself as an over-6-foot-tall man with a sleeve of tattoos. He speaks at schools and colleges about his career and how it’s important for young people to follow their dreams.
“Nobody would expect me to be a chocolate maker,” Weck said. “I want to give that idea to kids that they can be whatever they want to be.”
During his shop’s busy season, Weck said he mostly sells a variety of chocolate-covered strawberries, hand-painted raspberry truffles and strawberry champagne truffles.