Healdsburg Kids Selling Valentine’s Staples

Three juniors in the stellar culinary program at Healdsburg High School — led by pastry chef Derek Corsino, who you might remember from his reality-TV stint on Food Network’s “Spring Baking Championship” — are making and selling fancy Valentine’s Day chocolates this year as a fundraiser for the school program. The beautiful little boxes of eight handmade “artisan” chocolates cost $16 each, or $8 for a smaller box of eight dark-chocolate truffles. “To be clear, this is no ordinary bake sale or candy fundraiser where students hawk wares made by a company a thousand miles or more away,” the Press Democrat writes. “These chocolates, made by hand by students in the school’s impressive classroom kitchen will be on par with other local artisan chocolates, according to their instructor, Derek Corsino, who is also a trained, professional pastry chef.” Corsino tells the paper: “This is not the normal skill level of a high school baking student. Most schools don’t learn how to do this, not until college.” Based on the pics in the PD, they do look pretty legit. You can order one of the boxes online using the students’ Eventbrite page until Feb. 11, and then pick them up at the high school on the afternoon of Feb. 13 or 14. Also, FYI, Healdsburg’s local girl scouts troop is selling Valentine’s Day flowers for $40 per bouquet, according to troop leader Lupe King. Plus their usual February haul of girl scout cookies, of course! You can call Lupe at (707) 495-4442 to order. (Source: Eventbrite & Lupe King via Facebook & Lupe King via Facebook & Press Democrat; paywall)