At Angell & Phelps in Daytona, Valentine's Day still draws chocolate-loving crowd

DAYTONA BEACH — As the clock ticked down toward the most romantic day of the year, David and Gale Smith were in no hurry to join the line of customers clutching heart-shaped Valentine’s Day boxes at the counter of Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory.

Instead, the Smiths were content to stare hypnotically through an interior picture window at the shop’s Beach Street production center, where a chocolate-maker was pouring a bowl of melted peanut butter into a mixture for one of the factory’s latest culinary creations.

“He melted two whole jars of peanut butter into the white chocolate,” said David, 74, a retired U.S. Air Force veteran who married the love of his life, Gale, 36 years ago. “Everything they do here is amazing.”

Then, as now, chocolate has figured heavily into their romance.

On the couple’s first Valentine’s Day as newlyweds in Memphis, Tenn., David had surprised his new bride by preparing a spaghetti dinner that he served in costume as a waiter and other restaurant workers. Amid all that dramatic flair, Gale remembers one romantic detail after so many years.

“There was a card table set up in the living room with a box of chocolates on it,” she said. “It was so sweet. I told him, ‘You need to do this every Valentine’s Day.’”

At Angell & Phelps, treats abound for people and pooches

For the Smiths, who make multiple trips to Daytona Beach annually from their home near Pensacola, a stop at Angell & Phelps is always on the list.

Over the years, Gale has developed her own custom breakfast menu that consists of chocolate-covered bacon, white chocolate eggs and a chocolate-dipped orange slice, accompanied by chocolate milk.

“You can get chocolate potato chips here, too,” she said, “so you can have a snack.”

On Monday, the Smiths were among those stocking up on dark foil-wrapped hearts, chocolate-covered cherries or other “can’t-miss” Valentine gifts for lovers, friends, family and even pets.

The latter were on the Valentine’s Day shopping list for Andrea VanWagenen, 59, a Daytona Beach snowbird from upstate New York, who had filled her shopping basket with gift-wrapped candy boxes for each of her four children and four grandchildren, as well as the shop’s cocoa-free “dog bone” treats.

“That’s one of the reasons I come here, because I know they have stuff for dogs, too,” VanWagenen said. “I need to include my grand-dogs.”

Candy, including chocolate, tops list for Valentine's Day gifts

Nationally, the appeal of traditional chocolates on Valentine’s Day remains strong, according to a new survey by the National Retail Federation that shows candy reigns as the top gift category. In the survey, it was selected by 57% of shoppers to rank ahead of greeting cards (40%), flowers (39%), an evening out (32%), jewelry (22%), clothing (21%) and gift cards (19%).

That enthusiasm has been evident at Angell & Phelps, where a counter employee said that business has been “exceptionally busy” ahead of this year’s holiday. “If you had been in here on Saturday, you wouldn’t have had to ask,” she said.

On Monday, the crowd of chocolate fans included Daryl and Joey Signorelli, who made their annual trek from Flagler Beach to mark the Valentine’s Day holiday.

For him, there was Rocky Road and chocolate walnut fudge.

For her, two boxes of hand-picked chocolates.

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“They’ve got very, very good chocolate,” said Daryl, adding that she sets the bar high for such appraisals.

“I’m not a Russell Stover kind of gal,” she said. “If I’m going to pack it on the hips, I’m going to do it with quality chocolate — and they’ve got it. I love my chocolate, but it’s got to be quality.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona's Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory ready for Valentine's rush