You may love chocolate; Romeo Garcia lives it.<\/p>\n
To hear him tell it\u2014and oh, how he loves to tell it\u2014it was chocolate that saved his\/gave him\u00a0life. A decade ago he was working long, stressful hours as a dean in higher education. It was then, while taking weekend cooking classes in an attempt to decompress, that he was introduced to the art of making fine chocolates, an event he speaks about as being equal parts ecstatic and meditative.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I would have ever fathomed that I would transition into this career, but the thing is you don\u2019t know where passion takes you,\u201d Garcia said when his Romeo Chocolates<\/a> opened in October of 2017. The store, a mainstay of Pine Avenue’s Decadent Row, is a study in whimsy and industry; the chocolates he and his artisans produce appear like micro-sculptures, so sumptuous in design, color and fragrance that you almost feel guilty for biting. Almost. The flavor released is nothing short of knee-buckling.<\/p>\n Yet, as it turns out, you could be getting more from each bite. Romeo showed us a way to eat fine chocolate that enhances the experience significantly. I know, we didn’t believe it either. But we tried it and, well, it worked. It is, quite literally, a breathtaking experience.<\/p>\n With Valentine’s Day chocolates just hours away, we thought we’d share Romeo’s\u00a0delicious secret.<\/p>\n