Chocolate + wine = a great time

COEUR d’ALENE — For newlyweds Jim and Kathy McFeeley, just married on Dec. 30, the Chocolate Affair was the perfect Valentine’s date.

Enjoying a pot de creme chocolate mousse, made with real Belgian chocolate and dusted with edible glitter, the pair planned to hit each of the stops on the Chocolate Affair circuit.

And they had to stop for a photo in the kissing booth, erected at Woops! Bakeshop, of course.

“This is about our fourth stop. Third wine and fourth chocolate,” said Jim. The couple came in from their hometown of Cataldo, and had heard about the event on the radio, Jim said.

Shelly Boyd, owner of Woops! Bakeshop, said she “loves the downtown events.”

“It really brings out the people,” Boyd said.

The pot de creme was created by chocolatier Linda Blumer, who Boyd has worked with on the Chocolate Affair creation for the past three years. Attendees vote for their favorites, and Woops! has taken home several prizes through the years, she said.

An annual event for about 10 years, the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association partners with local businesses to create the event, said Emily Boyd, executive director.

“It’s a fun evening to get out and enjoy the community and shop local,” Emily Boyd said. “It’s getting down to the slower season, and it’s nice to have some energy downtown.”

Guests began checking in, collecting their wine tickets, Chocolate Affair wine glasses and the map showing all 20 host locations, at 3:30 Friday. With close to 600 attendees, lines were out the door at many locations, as people eagerly awaited a sweet treat.

Paul and Tammy Heggenberger and their daughter, Rachel, are Post Falls residents. They were delighted by the offering at Mrs. Honeypeeps Sweet Shop in The Coeur d’Alene Resort Shops.

Truffles, created by Michele’s Chocolate Truffles and Spokandy of Spokane, were nestled in a heart-shaped box on a bed of either chocolate or strawberry cotton candy, made in-house at Mrs. Honeypeeps.

The Heggenbergers started right at 4 p.m. and had made it to 11 stops by 5 p.m, Rachel said. Her favorite thus far was the Mexican mocha served at Lyfe Coffee Roasters on Lakeside Avenue.

For Shannon and David Christensen, the dark chocolate-covered caramels and white chocolate pistachio cranberry clusters offered by the Garment District on Sherman Avenue really hit the spot.

Having moved to Coeur d’Alene about a year ago, the Christensens frequent local events often.

“This is the reason why we’re here, events like this,” Shannon Christensen said.

For Lisa Seher, the owner of Cloud Nine Bridal in The Resort Shops, this is the fifth year she has participated in the Chocolate Affair. Cloud Nine served chocolate milk and chocolate chip cookies.

“We’re the wholesome stop,” Seher said.

Seher’s 89-year-old mother, Mina Mittelstaedt, does all of the baking, using a recipe she’s been perfecting for 65 years, Seher said.

There are two categories for voting, Chocolate Master, for professional chefs, and the Chocolate Connoisseurs' Choice. Winners will be announced once all the votes are in.

Many host shops offer a wine pairing. Sweet treats offered Friday evening included maple bourbon rocky roads, raspberry balsamic ganache truffles and chocolate chipotle gelato covered in chocolate ganache.

The Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association is a nonprofit group, and all proceeds from events go back into the community. The Chocolate Affair specifically supports the purchase of hanging flower baskets, created each spring by Aspen Nursery, that line downtown Coeur d’Alene during the summer.

Participating businesses not mentioned: The Point Market, Gelato by the Lake, Tomlinson Sotheby’s, Mountain Madness Soap, All Things Irish, V-Sports Arena, Tiffany Blue Boutique, Magpie, Kandy’s Boutique, Angel Gallery, Migliore Olive Oil, Mix it Up and Best Life Coeur d'Alene.