Celebrating Valentine’s Day At Our Beach House

At our Beach House, we are in love with chocolate, which is why we are so excited about the recent unveiling of our Bomboneria featuring exquisite chocolates and truffles made by our in-house Chocolatier, Denise.
 
The branding of our Bomboneria salutes the first pioneers of chocolate  – monkeys! These amazing creatures were the first to discover the cacao pod and therefore the cocoa beans inside. Monkeys would break open the cacao pods to get to the delicious pulp that surrounded the beans. Little did they know that when they would eat the pulp and spit out the beans they were also spreading the beans, which led to cacao trees growing all over South and Central America. Looking back, we have these monkeys to thank for all our favorite chocolate creations.
 
Here we discover the time-honored tradition of giving chocolate to loved ones on Valentine’s Day by exploring the history of this popular ritual.
 
Chocolate has been offered as a gift since the days of the Aztecs, who believed it to be a source of spiritual wisdom and stimulating effects. Nowadays we all know of chocolate’s reputed aphrodisiac qualities. Sometimes called the Love Drug, chocolate contains an endorphin called phenylethylamine, levels of which in the brain have been linked to falling in love. It seems that nothing says ‘I love you’ perfectly than a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
 
While the roots of Valentine’s Day go all the way back to Roman times, the chocolate giving tradition is a much more recent development. Rewind to the 1840s, when the concept of Valentine’s Day as a holiday to commemorate romance was practiced in most of the English-speaking world. It was during this time that Richard Cadbury, whose British family manufactured chocolate, developed a chocolate making technique that allowed him to use cocoa butter to produce what was then called “eating chocolate.”
 
In 1861, Cadbury recognized a great marketing opportunity and started selling the chocolates in heart-shaped boxes decorated with Cupids and rosebuds. The boxes, some of which he designed himself, were so beautifully decorated that people would save them to store their mementos such as love letters. The rest is history!
 
We couldn’t think of a better time to celebrate our passion for all things chocolate than Valentine’s Day. We invite you to fall in love with our unique chocolate creations at our Bomboneria. Open from 3–10pm everyday at Anchor & Den, next to our Gelateria. Our Chocolatier Denise would be more than happy to answer any questions on how she makes the bonbons and offer any recommendations.
 
Also on Sunday, 14 February we will be hosting a Valentine’s Sky Lantern Ceremony on the beach from 8:30pm–10:30pm. Love is in the air!