Valentine’s Day at Cummings Studio Chocolates
Feb 14, 2019, 6:55 AM | Updated: Feb 12, 2023, 7:07 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The shelves are stocked at the intersection of 700 East and 900 South — as they have been on Valentine’s Day since 1924 at Cummings Studio Chocolates.
Sisters Chelsa, Allie and Annie Best are part of the fourth generation here, who all plead the fifth when you ask about calories in their chocolate.
“My grandma used to always say there’s no calories,” Chelsa says.
The Best sisters now run the family business, which all began with their great-grandfather — who you might say was a cupid of his own.
“Had a crush on this gal and wanted to get into a class with her. The only one that was available was home economics, which at the time was kind of unheard of for a man to be in a home economics class. So he was one of the only guys.”
Turns out Victor Clyde Cummings was pretty good at making chocolate. He went from home ec to his mom’s basement, and then saved up enough money to buy the building his great-granddaughters now use today.
These days, it can get a little crazy on February 14th.
If you wanted to know how good their chocolate is, this might be the most appropriate testimony you’ll hear: “It’s nuts. Lines out the door, we hire police officers to manage the parking lot. We’ve had fist fights out in the parking lot.”
Regular customers like Julie DeGraw swear by it.
“No offense to Hershey’s, but no.”
DeGraw manages the Anniversary Inn, and her guests request the chocolate at their B&B whether it’s Valentine’s Day or not. She says she’s here at least a couple of times a week.
There is still time for a quick pick me up for your Valentine.
“We do sell out of certain items,” Chelsa says. “But the fruit is in high demand on those days. So the strawberries, raspberries and grapes. And we guarantee those all day the 13th and 14th in the milk chocolate.”
Just maybe try to get there early. After all, it’s Valentine’s Day for the Best sisters too.
But don’t worry — they’ll be here. Like this staple of Salt Lake City has been for more than 90 years.
“We usually stay open past close because people are still trying to get through the door.”
