Chocolate? I’m Listening
February 22, 2026 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as chocolate
Every Valentine’s Day chocolate in all shapes and sizes: loose, bagged, heart-shaped boxes, can be found everywhere. Including in my pantry, in the candy dish, on my plate. Well, you get the picture. I like chocolate. (I indulge year round).
But how did chocolate become associated with Valentine’s Day? And who was Valentine?
While traditions and origin stories may vary, two prevalent tales persist. The first is that of a Catholic priest named, Valentine, who performed wedding ceremonies for soldiers even though Rome had prohibited it. He was subsequently executed around 269 A.D. for defying Emperor Claudius II’s orders. Another relates the story of Bishop Valentine of Terni, who during his imprisonment healed the jailer’s blind daughter. Just before he was martyred, he left the girl a note, “From your Valentine.” In 496 A.D., the Church officially established February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day.
Thereafter, the Saint’s day became associated with love and notes and gifts were exchanged. In the 19th and 20th centuries chocolate became associated with the holiday because it was a symbol of sweetness, indulgence, and sensory pleasure.
Ah, ain’t love grand?!
On the practical side, professional opinions change as to the benefits, or lack thereof, of chocolate.
Dark chocolate in particular is rich in antioxidants and contains iron, zinc, magnesium and potassium among other essential minerals. It improves heart health, brain function, and mood.
And let’s face it. It tastes good. So, what’s not to like about chocolate?
On the down side, chocolate can be high in sugar, saturated fat, and calories. Some of the seeds of the cacao plant, from which chocolate is made, can be contaminated by cadmium and lead from polluted soil.
Therefore, being informed and reading labels is important.
I wonder. Would chocolate have become so popular and associated with love if these two priests had not been martyred?
I suppose that the take away from the story and origin of St. Valentine’s Day is that all things can be enjoyed in moderation. But we should live and love LAVISHLY!
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on March 22nd!
Books Reviewed by Veronica Jorge
Dipped in Chocolate: How I researched THE ORPHANS OF BERLIN and loved every minute by Jina Bacarr
December 11, 2022 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as chocolate, historical fiction, historical romance, romance, World War 2Do you remember the hilarious scene in an episode of ‘I Love Lucy’ where Lucy and Ethel are working in a candy factory and the conveyor belt speeds up and they stuff their mouths with gourmet chocolates?
Pure heaven…
I didn’t have that experience, but I did have a blast researching the art of chocolate up close and personal for The Orphans of Berlin, tasting and munching on creams and caramels to my little heart’s content.
Then running on the treadmill for hours…
It was worth it.
I wanted to get a feel for what it was like to grow up in the world of chocolate like my debutante-heroine Kay Alexander and become familiar with how candy is made… as well as its importance during World War 2 when Ration D chocolate bars were loaded with vitamins and included in every soldier’s military ration kit.
It all started in 1868 when Kay’s candy-loving, Irish great-grandfather started a candy business called ‘Radwell’s French Chocolates’. Being a candy heiress gives Kay the opportunity to spare no expense getting Jewish children out of Nazi Germany.
I discovered a publication called the ‘Confectioners and Bakers Gazette’ which detailed the candy business from 1896 – 1930, including candy factories in Philadelphia (in 1908, there were twenty-five factories in the US manufacturing chocolate). I find it odd it ceased publication during the Depression since candy sales boomed during those lean years, including Radwell’s French chocolates.
‘Sorority Chocolates’ were a big seller reputed to reach seventy-five million customers, appealing to high school girls, their moms, aunts, and grandmas.
Other notable facts include the use of synthetic vanilla called vanillin even back then; but as any Christmas cookie baker will tell you, real vanilla in his cookies is what makes Santa smile.
I also read books on chocolates and searched the Internet for chocolatier’s ‘secrets’ and favorite recipes to come up with my own special chocolates for the Radwell’s brand.
Here are a few samples for your taste delight:
Renoir Dark Chocolate Bars
Hand-dipped, chocolate-covered squares
… topped with a swirl of buttercream
Caramels de Vendôme
Dark chocolate
… filled with honey caramel and vanilla ganache
Truffles à l’Opéra
Bittersweet chocolate
…filled with raspberry ganache
Montmartre Mints
Dark chocolate thin mints
… with flecks of almonds
Versailles Soft Creams
Dark chocolate hearts
… filled with raspberry buttercream
Notre-Dame Angels
White chocolate truffles
… filled with pecans and vanilla ganache
I invite you to give yourself a treat when you’re reading The Orphans of Berlin. Stock up on your favorite chocolates filled with creamy mousse, rich ganache… and decadent truffles.
I dip my fingers into the box of gourmet chocolates and grab the last piece. A raspberry dark chocolate truffle. Mm… delicious. A gift from the candy gods.
Ah, the travails of a writer’s research… a tough job.
But somebody’s got to do it, n’est-ce pas?
Once upon a manuscript…by Jina Bacarr
June 11, 2018 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as books, chocolate, Cinderella, coffee, fairy tale, prince, writing
You know the drill. You write a wonderful story, pour your heart into it, and send it off.
Then you wait.
You drink coffee, refuse to let anyone come between you and your phone so you can check your email 24/7, you obsess, eat chocolate, exercise to work off said chocolate so you can eat more, then give up eating altogether because your throat is so tight from the stress, you binge watch everything you can on TV so you can forget the horror of waiting and wish you’d fall into a hundred years’ sleep so the pain will go away.
A major run-on sentence. But that’s life in the “waiting to hear back from the publisher who requested the full” in the manuscript world.
Okay, so what do you do?
Write another book.
You’ve heard it before and I agree, but it’s also important to take some “me” time. After all, you’ve been taking care of your characters, who can be quite demanding, keep you up at nights, make you cry and drink coffee nonstop, so now it’s time to put your feet up and relax.
Then work on another book.
Writers are not machines.
We need nurturing, healthy food, exercise, fresh air, and social interaction. So as I sit here writing this and waiting to hear back on my manuscript, I’m going to do just that.
I’m going for a walk to the nearby coffee shack, have a mocha coffee and, God help me, a warm croissant oozing with raspberries and melting chocolate chips.
And just breathe.
And yes, I’m bringing my phone with me.
Just in case the editor calls…
Jina
PS – I’ll update my post when I hear anything on my m/s – an Italian billionaire prince story and his Cinderella. 
Naked Sushi and RT Book Reviews by Jina Bacarr
May 11, 2013 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as books, buzz, chocolate, contemporary, Cosmo, Harlequin, hot, naked, read, red, romance, RT, RT Book Reviews, sushi
“I got goose bumps thinking about the icy cold fish wiggling between my thighs even if they were dead fish,” says Pepper O’Malley in Naked Sushi, my upcoming Harlequin/Cosmo Red Hot Read (Oct 2013),
Naked Sushi is about more than dead fish.
It’s the story of a smart working girl who is trapped by her own fear of rejection. Pepper is a computer whiz, adventurous, and has all the right moves, but she keeps sabotaging her efforts to get the job she really wants.
Does that sound familiar?
All of us fear rejection, which is why we put off finishing that manuscript or sending it in until we do one more polish that is never enough. I know. I’ve been there. I learned that writing may be a solitary job, but publishing is a team effort. No matter how good your manuscript is, it will remain a lonely .doc file on your computer unless you press that Send button.
Like Pepper, I started in the world of video games, playing with the boys, so to speak. No one wanted to hire women, but somehow I got the job. I learned how to write interactive games, which has since helped me in writing novels. Keeping all the balls, that is story points, in the air and tying up all the ends to give the player, and now the reader, a satisfying ending.
It’s not all dark chocolate truffle delights. You will get rejected.
I have. For lots of reasons. But I never stop trying. Never will. It’s in my DNA. That’s why writing Pepper was so important to me. I wanted to show that we have to get to the root of our fears, as Pepper does, and sometimes that means opening up and letting it all hang out. Talking about it with a good friend or the hero in your life helps…so does writing in a journal.
It’s good for your soul.
And your story.
You’d be surprised what you’ll find out about yourself.
——————
Naked Sushi Update: I was so excited to see my Cosmo Red Hot Read from Harlequin mentioned on the RT Book Reviews site:
“With our column, Forewords, we let readers know the latest book news about some of the web team\’s most-anticipated upcoming releases across the genres — just as the projects are announced!”
via Forewords – The Books Before The Buzz | RT Book Reviews.
—————–
This is so cool!! Click on the link above to go to RT Book Reviews, then scroll down to DOWNLOAD AND GO and you’ll see NAKED SUSHI mentioned under Contemporary Romance.
Thank you for the mention, RT!
Jina
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