On Valentine’s Day, many of us look forward to — not flowers, cards or a romantic dinner — but chocolate.

Whether or not you have a special someone to send you that big red heart box filled with your favorite truffles and bonbons, don’t take the chance of missing out.

Why not give yourself (and/or a loved one) the gift of a chocolate making holiday?

In fact, there are several chocolatiers throughout the world who offer chocolate-making workshops, so before you head away on a romantic weekend, make sure to schedule one for you and your significant other. Not only will you learn how to make chocolate, you’ll even get to take home some sweet treats.

Here are four to get you started:

Cuisine et Traditional School of Provencale Cuisine - Arles, France

30 rue Pierre Euzeby, 13200 Arles, France

Who better to teach you about chocolate than the French? Escape to the south of France for a four-day chocolate-making vacation taught by Le Notre-trained Guy LeBlanc, a maitre-patissier with over 30 years of experience. The workshops are given to individuals or couples, so that Guy can give personalized attention personalized to each student.

The Intensive Professional Chocolate Class includes lodging at a quaint B&B (consequently, named “Bed and Breakfast”) for four nights, three professional workshops (3 hours long each), and costs $1,980.

The classes include visits to: the local market in Arles, a professional chefs’ supply store, a local winery for tasting, and to other chocolate stores to sample flavors and styles. Additional nights at the B&B run about $85. A full-time interpreter is on hand to assist you during the classes and visits. For more info, visit www.cuisineprovencale.com or call 33 (0) 4 90 49 69 20.

My Chocolate - London, England

41a Linden Gardens, London, W2 4HQ

At the age of 24, owner Hannah Saxton strayed from studying fine art at the Slade School of Fine Art to focus instead on the fine art of making chocolate. In fact, My Chocolate is one of the first companies in the UK exclusively dedicated to chocolate-making workshops.

Hannah’s passion for teaching people about quality chocolate is indicative in her many workshops, including those designed for individuals, corporate team-building events, and for what she calls “hen parties” (bachelorette parties). The workshops can be held at the store, or in the location of your choice.

The Original Chocolate-Making Workshop is one of their most popular workshops. The class traces the history of chocolate, beginning with the cacao bean, followed by a course in tasting techniques. You will learn how to identify good quality chocolate, and will receive recipes for vanilla truffles, chocolate fudge, nut brittle and gianduja (hazelnut-flavored chocolate). Once the workshop is over, you get to take home a box of 20 handmade chocolates. The workshop costs about $100 per person. Visit www.mychocolate.co.uk or call 44 20 7269 5760 for reservations.

JS Bonbons - Toronto, Canada

325 St. George, 2nd Floor, Suite 5, Toronto, ON M5R 1V5

Six years ago, owner Jenn Stone opened JS Bonbons, an intimate chocolate boutique, and began teaching chocolate-making workshops shortly after its opening. She specializes in pairing individual chocolates with homegrown herbs and ingredients such as lemon, thyme, Chai tea, coriander, lime, lavender, earl gray tea, and rosemary.

JS Bonbons offers an assortment of workshops, and even though the business has grown, Jenn still teaches each one herself in the on-site kitchen. For those who are more experienced, she offers “Chocolate Showpiece and Sculpture.” This three-day workshop covers chocolate tempering techniques, how to create special effects and textures with chocolate, chocolate cutouts, and how to draft a showpiece design. The workshop costs $825.00 CAD, including all materials, supplies and recipes.

She also offers a kids’ class, “Chocolate Making for Kids,” in which your children can learn to make chocolate bowls, chocolate dipped fruits, truffles and molded lollies. For more information, visit www.jsbonbons.com or call (416) 920-0274.

K CHOCOLATIER - Beverly Hills, California

9606 Little Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California 90210

Located in Beverly Hills, owners Diane and Tom Kron began K CHOCOLATIER many years ago, and have boasted such fans as Jacqueline Kennedy, Katherine Hepburn, Andy Warhol, Henry Ford and Walter Cronkite. These chocolates have been included in the gift baskets given at the Academy Awards; however, you don’t have to be holding an Oscar to try these chocolates.

K CHOCOLATIER offers workshops on weekends and during weekday evenings for groups of 10-12 people. While the owners do not disclose their five-generation-old Hungarian recipes from Tom’s great grandfather (chocolate-maker to Emperor Franz Josef of Austro-Hungary), they do teach practical, do-it-at-home techniques. For $105-$110, you will learn how to artistically dip fruit into chocolate and how to use chocolate molds.

The owners encourage you to enjoy the workshops by allowing you to bring your own wine. After the lesson is over, you get to keep your very own chocolate-makers coat. And, as if chocolate weren’t stimulating enough, Diane and Tom have created K Sensual. This line of bonbons contains a mixture of Chinese herbs, which are alleged to be aphrodisiacs…which, after all, could prove handy around Valentine’s Day. For more information or reservations, see
www.dianekronchocolates.com or call (310) 248-2626.

By Monique-Marie DeJong for PeterGreenberg.com.

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