I wonder if Fritz Knipschildt, "Maitré Chocolatier" at Knipschildt Chocolatier, is a nice guy. I'll be lucky if he is—because I stood him up recently.

The thing is that I didn't believe that Fritz—the man behind the chocolate bon bons named for mystery women like Helena, Kelly, Jennifer, and Donna—the provocateur behind a trio of chocolate bars molded in the image of lingerie vixen Eve Kitten—the hopeless romantic behind the $250, 1.9-ounce morsel of Perigord truffle bathed in Valrhona chocolate—was real. Like Häagen-Dazs, the name "Fritz Knipschildt" struck me as the kind of fabrication intended to sound appetizing and vaguely Scandinavian.

Fritz Knipschildt is very really indeed. He relocated to this continent from his native Denmark a decade ago, and he's won nearly every high-brow chocolate honor awarded in this country. I guess I'll have to call him and apologize. Anyone else who wants to have an intimate encounter with Fritz can visit him at his Chocopologie cafe in Norwalk, Connecticut, or fill out the 14-page application to franchise the business.

About the author: Emily Stone, proprietor of Chocolate in Context, is a chocolate enthusiast, itinerant traveler, and a lover of literature who lives in Pittsburgh. She's been a movie reviewer, a reproductive health researcher, and an independent bookstore owner. Her writing has appeared in the magazines Budget Travel, Travel + Leisure, and Time Out New York, as well as on the websites World Hum and Epicurious.