Chocolates for Valentine’s Day. That’s a pretty safe combination. But what if you wanted to spice things up a bit this year?
How about a combination box of caramels that includes spiced chai, red Hawaiian sea salt, jasmine or galaxy caramel — made with peanut butter, pretzel, marshmallows and coconut?
You may want some champagne truffles, but mix those with pomegranate, cayenne peach, mango passion and coconut curry truffles.
Perhaps your lover needs a more playful treat. Spell out the word L-O-V-E in raspberry chocolate letters laced with luster dust, an edible powder that sparkles. Or give her a selection of fresh strawberries dipped in dark or white chocolate and nestled atop an edible chocolate bowl.
Variety is definitely the spice of life at Celestial Coffeehouse &Kreations, a funky building on U.S. 2 in Startup that doesn’t look like much on the outside but inside holds a museumlike selection of handcrafted chocolates, each a work of art.
The variety at Celestial Kreations comprises a mind-bending medley of caramels, clusters, truffles, brittles, barks and other goodies, including chocolate-dipped fortune cookies and white chocolate-covered popcorn.
Celestial’s owner, Kathryne Paz, creates unique flavor combinations too many to name, but this example typifies her selection:
Paz once was making peppermint truffles and Serrano lime truffles at the same time when she accidentally poured the peppermint oil in with the Serranos, producing a Serrano-peppermint truffle.
“It was very bizarre but it worked so well,” Paz said. “I put them in the case and people went, ‘Wow.’”
For holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Paz churns out novelty items, such as edible flower bouquets. There’s also the chocolate 45 RPM record inscribed with the words: “Just for the record, I love you,” and chocolate puzzles shaped like hearts.
Paz, 44, who also sells coffee, gifts and ice cream, is a self-taught chocolate maker. She creates her chocolates through trial and error.
“People are very fascinated with my flavor combinations,” Paz said, adding that her No. 1 seller out of the case are the sea salt caramels.
“I make my own caramel. (And even) if you have braces and dentures at the same time, you can still eat these caramels. It just melts in your mouth. It’s so soft.”
As a rule, Paz doesn’t eat chocolate. She does, however, taste everything to make sure that cardamom will indeed pair well with tangerine. Life might be like a box of chocolates, but customers want to know they are biting into something good. At Celestial Kreations, the return business tells all, especially at Valentine’s Day.
Said Paz: “It’s huge.”
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