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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Chocolate. Check.</p><p>Desserts. Check.</p><p>Laughs over tea and finger sandwiches. Check.</p><p>Victorian etiquette. Check.</p><p>Saturday was the first day of the two-day &#8220;A Chocolate Lover&#8217;s Valentine Tea&#8221; at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion on South Franklin Street.</p><p>Proprietor of the mansion Joseph Matteo said &#8220;approximately 110 to 120 guests&#8221; will come to the tea events.</p><p>&#8220;We can hold up to 60 (for each event),&#8221; he said.</p><p>Mary T. Lukas and other waitstaff served a four-course meal, while hostess Jennifer Ochman showed off antique Valentine&#8217;s Day cards and talked about the history of Valentine&#8217;s Day.</p><p>&#8220;The one has a price tag, about 50 cents,&#8221; Ochman said, showing off a 3D Valentine from the 19th century. &#8220;When you think miners only made about a $1 a day, 50 cents is a lot.&#8221;</p><p>Ochman explained that &#8220;from her research,&#8221; she found that that Valentine&#8217;s Day started in the 17th century and became more commercialized in the 19th century.</p><p>&#8220;They started off being handmade,&#8221; Ochman explained. &#8220;Some had glitter, some had feathers.&#8221;</p><p>In the kitchen, Kim Kolcko was supplying the dishes Lukas was serving. Kolcko explained that each of the courses had chocolate somewhere on the dish.</p><p>In the eating areas, the most talked about dish was the second course, which was designed with a chocolate-covered bacon rose on the plate. Of course, the day was a tea event and the star of the show was a chocolate tea from The Republic of Teas.</p><p>Jadi Willison, of Forty Fort, came &#8220;for something fun to do on a cold Saturday.&#8221;</p><p>Her tablemate Heather Schlingman, of Hanover Township, came because she had been &#8220;curious.&#8221;</p><p>Dressed in reds and blacks, skirts and appropriate-for-the-holiday outfits, one table of eight women were &#8220;staying festive.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re Valentine-y,&#8221; tea guest Kim Albert, of Hanover Township, said.</p><p>Guests said the day had exceeded expectations.</p><p>&#8220;(Before sitting) they let you explore the mansion,&#8221; Willison said. &#8220;It&#8217;s one of the gems of Wilkes-Barre.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;(The food) was excellent,&#8221; Hanover Township resident Pat Wesley said. &#8220;(If your coming Sunday,) come hungry.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Jadi Willison of Forty Fort shares a peek of the Victorian Valentine's Day cards with her table during the Chocolate Lover's Tea at the Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_tea01.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jadi Willison of Forty Fort shares a peek of the Victorian Valentine's Day cards with her table during the Chocolate Lover's Tea at the Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_tea02.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Server Mary T. Lukas serves sandwiches and soup to patrons at the Stegmaier Mansion during Saturday's Chocolate Lover's Tea in Wilkes-Barre. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_tea02.jpg</photo1><caption1>Server Mary T. Lukas serves sandwiches and soup to patrons at the Stegmaier Mansion during Saturday's Chocolate Lover's Tea in Wilkes-Barre. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_tea03.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jadi Willison, left, and Heather Schlingman look at Victorian Valentine's Day cards during the Chocolate Lover's Tea at the Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_tea03.jpg</photo2><caption2>Jadi Willison, left, and Heather Schlingman look at Victorian Valentine's Day cards during the Chocolate Lover's Tea at the Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_tea04.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Chocolate Lover's Tea at the Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_tea04.jpg</photo3><caption3>The Chocolate Lover's Tea at the Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>The four courses being served at &#8220;A Chocolate Lover&#8217;s Valentine Tea&#8221;:</p><p>&#8226; First Course: Triple chocolate and cinnamon chip scones with fresh cream, butter and raspberry jam</p><p>&#8226; Second course: BLT salad, topped with feta, crumbled egg, baby tomatoes, coco nips and chipotle ranch dressing; chocolat- dipped bacon rose</p><p>&#8226; Third course: Broccoli and cheese quiche, coco rubbed chicken croissant, ham with mango chutney pita, cucumber with vegetarian cream cheese and tomato bisque with grilled cheese crouton</p><p>&#8226; Fourth course: Chocolate-covered strawberry, heart-shaped cookie, white chocolate-dipped pretzels and chocolate tres leche</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko</p></shirttailMeta></div>

A Chocolate Lover’s Valentines Day Tea held at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion