Being older and wiser when it comes to romance, I like to think of Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to improve my fluency in the language of love — which for each of us involves a somewhat different dialect. While the gift of one’s time is always a great way to tell someone you love them, we’ve got a lot of other gestures we can help you with as well. Being the Boise Co-op, it should be no surprise that many of these involve food (definitely a language of love), but as this montage of Valentine’s Day inspirations demonstrates, “all options are on the table” when it comes to amore. Let’s look at just a few.

• Nothing says “I love you” like red meat — at least if you’re an omnivore. If you want to prepare a special Valentine’s Day meal for your loved one, our selection of grass-fed beef is not only delicious but healthy.  I heartily recommend the rib eye from our friends at Homestead Natural Foods, but you really can’t go wrong with any of the vendors we feature in our Meat Department.  Serve with some potatoes from M&M Heath Farms along with some steamed asparagus (with perhaps just a touch of hollandaise) and you’ve got a meal that will rival the best restaurant in town — but with a much more intimate ambiance.  Be sure you ask the good folks in our Wine Shop for pairing recommendations.  Their recent suggestion of an Argentinian malbec with a holiday prime rib still reduces me to tears whenever I recall that first sip.
• Life’s short…eat dessert first! Our Deli bakery has been pulling out the stops when it comes to Valentine treats.  The problem is, how does one choose between a heart-shaped “chocolate blackout cake” and individually wrapped cherry cheesecake — let alone a chocolate cup filled with rum soaked tiramisu?  Solomon would probably just buy them all and split each one in half.  Just call me Sol.
• Say “I love you” with breakfast. If you’re not up for cooking dinner, you might consider starting your Valentine’s Day off right with a simple breakfast — especially if your loved one’s modus operendi is grabbing a cup of joe in a commuter mug and running out the door.  Why not change the routine up a bit with fresh squeezed blood orange juice, some French press Co-op Blend espresso (from Doma), and one of our Bakery’s savory croissants? Arrange them artfully on a tray with a single long-stemmed red rose and a poem (“Fill your heart, fill your tummy, your kinda love is super yummy”) and I’m pretty sure the object of your affection will be smiling all day.
• Love is more than skin deep. If you’re looking for ways to say “I love you” that aren’t immediately edible (wink, wink…nudge, nudge), our Health & Beauty Department offers plenty of indulgent options, from perfumes to bath salts…and beyond.  You can choose from their “let’s get it on” assortment of potions and lotions, whose stated properties would no doubt make Barry White blush.  (Click here for a YouTube video of manager Cathy Anderson steaming up the camera with a description of her department’s more intimate offerings.  Yowza!) If you’d like to adorn your sweetie with color and warmth, check out the scarves in our Health & Beauty Department’s clothing line.
• Say it with flowers! We’re stocking our floral cooler with lots of colorful bouquets.  Even if you’re on a tight budget, bringing home some flowers and a card with perhaps a bottle of bubbly or a dessert wine will get you plenty of Valentine’s Day karma points.  It is, after all, the thought that counts. (Click here for a YouTube video of Danielle in our Wine Shop discussing some of our Valentine’s Day wine selections.)
• When all else fails, bring home chocolate! It seems that no matter where you turn when wandering through the Co-op, you’re bound to find yourself face-to-face with chocolate.  Heaven knows we have plenty to choose from, from local to imported and from bars of all types and sizes to delicate and delectable truffles.  And if you’re looking for some great chocolate and wine (or even beer) pairings, we have folks on staff who can steer you right.

Whatever floats your love boat this February 14, we hope you’ll think of us as your “cupid connection.”  After all, if you love your Valentine half as much as we love good food and locally made products, you’ll no doubt be celebrating many more Valentine’s Days together.  We hope you’ll let us join you in the love fest.