Aahana Swrup
‘An Unexpected Valentine’ transports the audience to the streets of New York that seem to be decked in all things romance. The Hallmark film revolves around two guarded individuals, Hannah and Finn, who are reluctant to give their own love stories a chance. Nevertheless, when the former finds an engagement ring in the back of the latter’s cab during a chance meeting, they both agree to team up and save the proposal that the ring owner has likely planned. As a result, Finn finds himself embarking on an unlikely adventure on the most romantic day of the year with his charmingly hopeless romantic passenger. One of the many charming things about Hannah that Finn discovers throughout their journey is her profession as a food product development scientist at Alonette Chocolate. Naturally, the company and its latest Valentine’s offering—a Chocolate Purse—is bound to invite some intrigue.
Alonette Chocolate is Not a Real Company
Within the whimsically fictional world of ‘An Unexpected Valentine,’ where your cab driver becomes your partner in crime in playing cupid, most storytelling elements are a work of fiction. Therefore, much like the characters and their love story, Alonette Chocolate, the place of employment of the protagonist is also a fictionalized detail. Although little information is showcased about Alonette Chocolate outside of its “What’s in Your Purse” campaign, helmed by Hannah, it comes across as a fairly pleasant and appropriately quirky company. Therefore, it offers the perfect circumstances for the story to carry forward the time-honed tradition of eccentric jobs in rom-coms.
Nonetheless, while Alonette Chocolate easily plays into genre conventions, it holds little basis in reality outside of the film’s fictional realm. In real life, there isn’t any similarly titled company that centers around festive chocolate offerings, including a fashion-forward Chocolate Purse. Still, one can find various different chocolate businesses in New York that may provide real-life context or Hannah’s job. Some off-screen examples of popular NY-based chocolate shops include the MarieBelle, which houses a gourmet selection of sweet offerings, and Li-Lac Chocolates, one of the oldest chocolate houses in Manhattan. Therefore, even though it’s unlikely that Alonette is based in these shops, it’s possible they informed the inspiration behind the on-screen company’s conception.
Chocolate Purse is an Actual Treat You Can Enjoy
Even though the idea of a chocolate purse may seem outlandish, the treat is actually a real thing that fans of ‘An Unexpected Valentine’ can buy for themselves. The tradition of making chocolate counterparts of real-life objects has been a thing for quite some time now. This trend is particularly mastered and popularized by well-known Amaury Guichon, the French-Swiss pastry chef and chocolatier who often makes online content about his work. Similarly, internet trends like “Is it a Cake” have also created some hype around the idea of making edible deserts that look like mundane objects from regular life.
Therefore, in light of these trends, the concept of chocolate molded to look like a purse remains a reality that many can find in real life if they know where to look. From local chocolate shops to bakeries, a customized chocolate purse is entirely possible. In fact, the Manhattan shop Li-Lac Chocolates offers a life-size chocolate handbag in three flavors: Milk, Dark, and White. Even though this line isn’t at the same scale as Alonette Chocolate’s fashion-week aspirant Chocolate Bag, they’re possibly the closest off-screen counterparts one can find.
Read More: An Unexpected Valentine: Filming Locations and Cast Details
