While some think that Valentine’s Day is a “throwaway” holiday, true romantics like to shower their sweethearts with chocolate, flowers, and intimate dinners or weekend getaways. Although an indoor restaurant meal and overnight trip may not be part of the picture, in addition to traditional cards, chocolate, and flowers, you can make your Valentine’s Day special with a virtual celebration.
ONLINE INSPIRATION
You might have had your fill of home cooking, but there is a wealth of online cooking classes geared toward couples specifically designed for Valentine’s Day. Appetite 4 Seduction (appetite4seduction.com) is sponsoring an Aphrodisiac Valentine’s Day cooking class Feb. 12–14 to create a sensual meal for two for $50 per person. The class is sponsored by Eventbrite and hosted by Shani Delamor, a chef who has worked in restaurants in New York, France, Italy, and Mexico.
This live class will cover everything from setting the table and knife skills to discovering how to prepare aphrodisiacs to creating a mouth-watering menu that will spark passion and awaken your senses. You’ll learn how fiery foods can stimulate your sexual appetite while having fun with your partner. The class is interactive, which will allow participants to engage with the instructor as well as other guests.
The experience includes a list of cooking supplies and needed cookware, a playlist to put you in the mood, and recipes. The Valentine’s Day dinner menu features asparagus with hollandaise sauce; pasta with baby peas, chicken, prosciutto, and parmesan-cream sauce; and chocolate lava cake with ice cream. You supply your own cocktails or wine and the cooking ingredients. Details will be emailed to attendees one week before the live session, and ticket sales will close at noon the day of the event; recorded classes will be available for anyone who can’t attend the live session.
VALENTINES AND GALENTINES
Online Valentine’s Day celebrations include a Facebook live virtual Valentine’s Day party, a chocolate truffle-making class, and a workshop on Feb. 13 where you can learn how to make a special grazing board on Zoom. You can also find games, parties, and other activities to share with your sweetie. Visit eventbrite.com for additional information.
Cozymeal (cozymeal.com) offers a wealth of online cooking classes year-round as well as chef-crafted meal prep and team-building activities. You can choose from simple meals like building a charcuterie board to making your own sushi, plant-based meals, and pizza. You can also create your own customized cooking class. Prices range from $29–$39 per device.
For Valentine’s Day, Cozymeal has created two special Galentine’s Day events for you and your gal pals: One is a “pajama-clad” interactive online brunch cooking class featuring sparkling pink-lemonade mimosas to sip while you learn how to prepare a ricotta frittata with fresh spinach and basil, and crème-brûlée French toast topped with warm caramel sauce. An alternative is a live interactive cooking class where you’ll make laksa, a rich, spicy Singaporean noodle soup and a complementary fizzy Singapore sling cocktail. All of Cozymeal’s classes are fully interactive, and the chef will answer questions and provides tips. You can order ingredients for the meals and have them delivered to your door.
BAKE AND SIP
Culinary Artistas (culinaryartistas.com) also offers a generous array of online cooking classes for kids and adults that can be customized to suit your preferences, from virtual private classes to happy hours. In February you can attend a flower-and-chocolate Valentine’s cookies-and-cordials class where you’ll concoct your own aphrodisiac liquor from scratch along with baking delicate rose-petal-speckled shortbread cookies.
SWEETS FOR YOUR SWEET
If you’d still like to treat your sweetheart to fine chocolate, there are several local shops where you can purchase sweets online or in person.
Recchiuti (One Ferry Building #30, 415-834-9494, recchiuti.com),
is open daily and has a lovely assortment of handcrafted Valentine’s confections.
Christopher Elbow (401 Hayes Street, 415-355-1105, elbowchocolates.com) also offers artful handmade chocolate gifts, and the store is open Monday-Saturday.
And while longtime favorite See’s Candies (754 Clement Street, 415-752-0953, sees.com) has closed several locations during the pandemic, some are still open like the store on Clement Street, or you can order a traditional heart-shaped box of chocolates sure to warm your loved one’s heart online.
Virtual activities may not be as elegant as dressing up and going out on Valentine’s Day, but if you’re not up for outdoor restaurant dining, an online celebration is enjoyable, fun, and even a romantic option.
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