Valentine's Day treats at Gourmet Whaler in Cold Spring Harbor

This year’s Valentine’s Day will be a quiet one for Denise Chin: Wednesday is the only day of the week that her Cold Spring Harbor cafe-bakery, The Gourmet Whaler, is closed. But she and baker Kate Pich have been working their hearts out in the week leading up to the holiday and have come up with dozens of red, pink and love-themed treats.

Chin’s signature Champagne truffle ($4) is the star of the show. Made with both Veuve Clicquot and Marc de Champagne (a brandy made with Champagne grapes), enrobed with milk chocolate and dusted with gold, it is pure romance expressed in chocolate. She also makes a flawless classic cocoa-dusted dark-chocolate truffles, raspberry truffles and coconut truffles ($3 each) plus playful Oreo truffles ($2.50) and large “birthday cake” truffles coated in Funfetti ($3.50).

A self-acknowledged marshmallow nut, she’s also making heart-shaped melting marshmallows ($4.99) and these can be had with any of her flavored hot cocoas. But for the month of February, she's also making an “ultimate Italian thick hot chocolate for two” ($10.99) that splits the difference between beverage and sauce and is so rich, you may have trouble finishing your 6-ounce cup.

Chin and Pich also make an elaborately piped heart-shaped red velvet cake for two ($11.99), shades-of-pink rainbow bars ($5.25), “Be Mine” cupcakes and homemade sea-salt caramels dipped in dark chocolate ($3.50). All this in addition to the Whaler’s usual lineup of cakes, cookies and bars. Chin and Pich have a particular gift for upgrading nostalgic-but-junky commercial confections such as Twinkies (here, by “Fauxstess”), Sno Balls, Devil Dogs and Mallomars.

The cases that display “Denise’s Bake Shop” items are a relatively new feature at this Cold Spring Harbor stalwart. Originally a gift and gourmet shop, it also featured a small cafe when Denise and her husband, Kevin, bought it in 2015. Denise had already been selling truffles, bonbons and other confections at farmers markets and online. Getting the new venue into shape was harder than they anticipated, and it was years before they could start the renovation that would accommodate baking equipment.

That renovation was scheduled for March 2020 and was, of course, long delayed. And all the familiar post-pandemic challenges made relaunching The Gourmet Whaler Now With Bakery all the more challenging. Nine years after taking over and three years after adding a bakery, Chin feels like she is finally hitting her stride.

The Gourmet Whaler, 111 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor, 631-659-2977, gourmetwhalerny.com. Open Thursday to Tuesday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Wednesday.