Unique Treats and Foodie Things to Do This Valentine’s Weekend
This is not your typical Valentine’s Day food write-up. Sure, it will cover the perfect Galentine’s date with the girls - that could be extended to any time of year, and if you’re looking for a more traditional gift for your Valentine, we’ll get really local for a special treat that’s unique for you and yours.
First, let’s address Galentine’s celebrations, which can be honored any day around this time. If you’re spending a heart-filled time with your gal pals, it counts. A cookie decorating class at the WOW! Factory with Megan Oliverio from Sweet Events is one of my biggest recommendations for something unique to do around town with friends and any special women in your life.
Sweet Events is a custom-order home bakery out of Bridgeport that specializes in dessert tables for special events and weddings. Her social pages showcase gorgeous tablescapes filled to the edge with cookies, brownies, cupcakes, dessert shooters and candies. Megan is often in Morgantown, and hosts classes on how to decorate sugar cookies with beautiful royal icing art techniques. Anyone can give it a shot! She usually brings along some of her own delicious treats from those dessert spreads for the class to try, too. YUM.
I have been to a handful of classes and anyone from beginner baker to seasoned cookie artist is happy to be there. For $60, you get 5 cookies, which end up beautifully decorated by you! Plus, you get the opportunity to learn baking skills from a local expert baker, and to take home her hybrid icing recipe. You’ll leave with a true understanding of why bakeries charge the prices they do for those cookies - it takes two hours to complete just 5 cookies, and we’re moving quickly. But most importantly, it’s two quality hours well spent with friends, daughters, mothers - and maybe even a new gal-pal or two, too!
Sweet Events’ next classes are Bees & Blooms at Donna Flora in Clarksburg Saturday, March 22, a day of pet-themed classes on Saturday, March 29, an adult Easter class on Thursday, April 10 followed by a kid’s cookie class on Saturday, April 12 at the WOW! Factory! You can sign up for emails announcing Megan’s classes online at sweeteventswv.com or follow along on her Facebook and Instagram @sweeteventswv.
I usually always look around at the end of the night to see what the WOW! Factory has to paint and make a mental note to come back for that specifically. Events like paint and sip, ladies night discounts, and more classes are listed on the WOW! Factory’s events calendar on Facebook. This is a great spot for a Galentine’s group or even a little something different if you and your partner are tired of the classic dinner and a movie night.
Something that never goes out of style for any holiday, though, is chocolate.
Holly Lane Chocolates, a local chocolatier, is known for its artisanal treats made from just three ingredients: cacao beans, cane sugar, and cocoa butter. That may be it, but their chocolate punches some big, unique flavors.
Now tasting chocolate is a lot like understanding coffee or wine, and full disclosure, I’m nowhere near a sommelier. If I perk your interest enough, please give them a try and let me know what you think! Holly Lane’s chocolates are crafted from beans that are specific to a single region, which gives each chocolate its own specific flavor profile that arises from the climate, soil and processing methods.
Holly Lane Chocolate sells three flavors. I took notes from myself and my family as we shared:
Camino Verde, the one with the bear on the cover, was very complex for me to describe. This flavor profile online mentions tobacco, dark fudge and banana, so you could see how this was going to be hard to pin down. It was earthy, I mentioned smoky which was contradicted by my husband. I was expecting it to be bitter, but the taste is more straight to the point - this is what real chocolate is.
Kokoa Kamili, which has the butterflies on the cover, is the sweetest of the three and my personal favorite (I do have a sweet tooth, of course). Tasting notes include lemon cheesecake, blackberry, walnut and coffee - and the fruitiness comes out in this one! If you’re not used to enjoying more bitter flavors, this one is for you.
Zorzal Estate stands out with the bright red cardinal on the cover, with tasting notes of caramel, cherries and pine nuts. This was another that was hard for me to describe, but my mother mentioned that it captured the essence of a European-style chocolate.
If you’ve tried their chocolate and have additional notes, let me know if I need to go back to chocolate school - I won’t mind!
Holly Lane Chocolates are running a Valentine’s special over the weekend, specialty-dipping strawberries in their Kokoa Kamili dark chocolate for local pickup from 9a - 5p through Valentine’s Day. Pre order online to purchase by the half dozen or as part of their gift box set with all 3 bars, and pick up locally inside the Seneca Center. On Saturday, they will be attending Chocolate Wine & Shine Festival, selling the strawberries along with their other products, while supplies last!
So, whether you go the traditional route with chocolates for your lover, or an easy, fun night out with friends, this weekend (and beyond) is sure to please whether you’re in a relationship or not. No matter the day, I encourage you to spend your time out supporting local businesses, as their owners and team members are the heart of our Morgantown community.