Call me sac religious, but for me Easter is all about the chocolate. I eat chocolate just about everyday of the year, but around Easter my diet gets a lot cuter. What do I like so much about chocolate? Well, for one, it is delicious, but its also good for you, and it can be so beautiful. Making fine chocolate is really an art form -- and we have many talented chocolatiers in NEO!

Mitchell's http://www.mitchellscandies.com/index.html, on Lee Rd. in Cleveland Heights deserves the prize for the most beautiful Easter baskets this year (pictured above). They have an overwhelming assortment of flavors and forms, including dark and milk chocolate bunnies playing the saxophone and driving race cars. If you are lucky, Penelope Mitchell, who has been in the business since 1949, will be there to help you with your selection.

Sweet Designs http://www.sweetdesigns.com/html/sweet_designs_products.htm in Lakewood and Medina, used to be my favorite chocolate shop in NEO until I moved to the eastside and was introduced to Mitchells -- now its a tie. I even love their adds on WCLV, master chocolatier, Inis Reigner's accent is so charming. They have the best chocolate covered pretzels!

Though I have n't been to Seshart Chocolatiers since they left the Market 25 shops over 2 years ago their candies are definitely worth mentioning. I used to look forward to buying myself a treat there every time I went to the Westside Market across the street. I have been meaning to check out their less convenient location (less convenient for me at least). They are now located at 311 E. Garfield Rd., Aurora OH, ph. 330-562-9177 (sorry no website).

Malley's Chocolates http://secure.malleys.com/mail_order/index.asp is a Cleveland institution, you can even tour their factory on Brookpark Rd. Quantity has n't changed lowered their quality though, you won't find that old world artisan chocolatier experience shopping at any of their stores but it still tastes homemade.

Of course there are many sources for chocolate and there is something for every taste and price range: Here are just a few sites that will lead you outside of NEO: http://www.traderjoes.com/ http://www.godiva.com/welcome.aspx http://www.teuscher-newyork.com/ http://www.chocosphere.com/ http://www.greenandblacks.com/ http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/default.aspx?source=GHPRKG&C1=PPC&KW=bittersweet_chocolate http://www.hersheys.com/extra%2Ddark/ http://www.ghirardelli.com/products_bakebar5.html https://www.scharffenberger.com/products.asp?dept=2

Just craving knowledge? Want to know more about the history of chocolate,candy and desserts? Here are some places to start:

History of chocolate http://www.chocolate.org/history.htm

The Story of Sugar http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN1865086576&id=DkbVel7_JNUC&pg=PR9&lpg=PR9&dq=bittersweet+book&sig=tVUU7lm7P2x9Owx6fL5qTz6OZiQ

And keep in mind, you don't need to feel so guiltly about eating chocolate; there is convincing evidence that chocolate is good for you! This article from Cornell University is very informative and has some good links:

http://www.chocolate.org/health/antioxidants.html

An article in New Science gives mothers-to-be reason to give in to their chocolate cravings. http://www.chocolate.org/health/happybaby.html