I stopped by David Ramirez Chocolates recently to see what’s new in the world or premium confections, and the chef showed me something really cool, something that’s just right for this time of year.

Ramirez, who is one of the area’s top pastry chefs, specializes in handmade artisan chocolates. The colorful confections are little pieces of art all on their own, and they’re very impressive when put in a pretty box to give to someone special. But Ramirez has found a way to make them even more special — personalized boxes of candy. And I don’t mean just a name written on the box. I mean a slab of white chocolate with your own photo and message printed on it to go along with the chocolates.

Think of it. For Mother’s Day — which is coming up on May 12, in case you’ve forgotten — you can give Mom a box of premium chocolates with, say, your baby picture printed on a piece of chocolate. Or maybe a photo of her grandkids. And she can even eat the photo.

Ramirez uses a special printer that used food coloring instead of ink, and the photos come out looking like they were printed on Kodak paper.

This is perfect for Mother’s Day, but it makes a good graduation gift, going away present, anniversary or birthday treat, or dozens of other occasions. 

Ramirez says the process takes about 45 minutes to complete, but you can email your hi-resolution photo to the shop ahead of time and have it ready when you stop in. (He can also have it shipped to you.)

I always feel a little sheepish when I show up at a dinner party or some other gathering with a simple box of candy for the hosts. I’m going to take advantage of this and make that box of candy something they’ll remember.

Prices vary depending on the assortment of chocolates, but the personalized photos on white chocolate slab adds only about $5 to the total, which is totally worth it. 

Here’s a link to davidramirezchocolates.com. Contact the shop for more details. The phone number is 407-816-7400.

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