BLU Boy a local hot spot for Valentine’s gifts

Sumit Ganguly said he wanted to give his wife something special for Valentine’s Day.

Ganguly, IU professor of political science, placed a custom order with BLU Boy Chocolate Café and Cakery a couple of weeks ago to ensure his wife would receive a unique, custom-made Valentine’s Day creation. 

For the order, owner and pastry chef David Fletcher created from scratch a large chocolate bowl, approximately the size of a cereal bowl, and filled it with wrapped, hand-painted chocolate hearts. 

“The neatest thing we get to do, and this happens every year many times, is that we have regular customers that come in, give us a budget, and we create special items for their loved ones,” Fletcher said in an e-mail.

Custom orders are not the only option for patrons of the café and cakery located next to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Kirkwood Avenue.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, BLU Boy employee Sara Orme said she has noticed that the shop seems to be a prime place for last-minute gifts.

“There’s a mad rush to get chocolates at this time of year, and we spend weeks preparing for it,” Orme said. “Toys-R-Us has Christmas. We have Valentine’s Day.”
Fletcher said they do about 20 percent of the year’s business in the three days preceding Valentine’s Day.

The store’s hours were extended for the days leading up to the holiday. It was open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Orme said boxes of assorted chocolates are most popular before Valentine’s Day. Patrons can come in and select exactly which ones they want for their individual box, or they can have a BLU Boy employee create a sampler.

“It’s always fun to watch men and women shop,” Orme said. “Women always know exactly what they want, which chocolates to pick, and men will usually have us pick them out for them.” 

BLU Boy makes more than 20 varieties of chocolate, which range from a classic dark truffle to more exotic options like an ancho chile and cinnamon chocolate known as the Red Hemisphere.

Fletcher makes green, yellow, blue and orange hemispheres as well. They are glossy crystal ball-like chocolates that are hand-painted with a sugar glaze that swirls in a mix of the selected color’s different tones.

However, the full selection is not available every day. Because they are made in-house, Fletcher chooses which ones to create.

BLU Boy also offers Valentine’s Day seasonal varieties, which include the Pink Polka Dot, High Heels, Red Hat and the Hand-Painted Heart. The Hand-Painted Heart resembles the different colored hemisphere chocolates and is made with strawberries and champagne chocolate.

Along with hand-painted chocolates, cakes and cookies, ice cream and specialty drinks are available to eat in the store or take home. All items are made from scratch.
Orme said there is also a new line of aphrodisiac cupcakes that go along with the Valentine’s theme.

“Each cupcake is based off of the different aphrodisiacs like strawberries and chocolate,” Orme said.

The Cupid, Romantic Getaway and Bubbling Emotion are three of the five aphrodisiac options. They are all made from scratch and topped with a light butter-cream frosting to compliment the thicker and moister cake bottom.

Fletcher said BLU Boy tries to get many of its supplies from local farms. Eggs come from Rhodes Family Farm, and fruits are from Heartland Family Farm.

“Unfortunately scratch-made bakeries are a dying breed due to the expense of ingredients and the need for skillful staff,” Fletcher said.

On Saturday, the small café filled as several different waves of customers came in to pick out chocolates or other pastries.

“I love working this time of year,” Orme said. “Everyone’s so happy and excited when they’re shopping for their significant other or family.”