Classy Confections
Chocolate is the gift of choice for Valentine’s Day, but this year, instead of running to a drug store and buying the last marked-down box of stale candy, plan in advance and order some handcrafted Sweeties — round brownies in “brunette” and “blonde” varieties — or seasonal brownie truffles from Sugardaddy’s. If you’re lucky enough to live close to one of the confectioner’s three Columbus locations, you can swing by and let your nose do the choosing. For everyone else, freshly baked treats can be shipped to your sweetie.

The truffles are made in the French way with a “Sugardaddy’s touch,” says co-owner and co-CEO Mark Ballard, meaning that brownie pieces are mixed with chocolate ganache and liqueurs, rolled in chocolate or nuts and packaged 12 to a box for $27.

A $55 Signature 8 gift bag allows you to select eight Sweeties from 10 different flavors, a silk gift bag (available in four colors), a satin ribbon (available in 14 colors) and a personalized message. Or order 10 for $47.50 and receive just the Sweeties without any special packaging. And $39.75 will get you eight Sweeties in a cellophane bag with a satin ribbon.

An assortment of flavors is available, from the basic brownie — a “Plain Jane” — to the “Tahiti,” a blondie infused with coconut, pineapple, cashews and white chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. Or you can add spice to your holiday with a chipotle and red-pepper-infused brownie or a chai-spiced blondie.

“We try to have something for everyone from a taste standpoint,” says Ballard, who co-founded Sugardaddy’s with Tom Finney seven years ago.

According to the company’s website, each Sweetie serves two, but we recommend ordering enough to have your own. This is one treat you won’t want to share. – Jessica Esemplare

For ordering and serving suggestions, call 614/888-4491 or visit sugardaddys.com.

Mettle to Medal
Weightlifter Holley Mangold, 22, isn’t exactly living in luxury. The Kettering, Ohio, native sleeps in the utility room of the three-bedroom Columbus house she shares with three male housemates. (Luckily for them, Mangold thinks doing laundry is a stress-buster.)

But the 5-foot-9-inch, 310-pound athlete isn’t complaining. It’s the ideal location to gear up for the 23rd annual Arnold Sports Festival — the largest multisport event in the United States — that returns to the capital city March 1–4. This year, the Columbus event will also be hosting the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Weightlifting, considered the most prestigious weightlifting event held in the city since 1970.

Following in the footsteps of her brother, Nick, now a New York Jets offensive lineman, Mangold played football at Archbishop Alter High School. But after realizing that playing professional football is still off-limits to women, Mangold turned to weightlifting. Now Mangold is up for what she considers to be the athletic challenge of her life. She’s spending the next few weeks perfecting her two lifts: To execute the snatch, she raises a 250-pound bar from the floor to above her head in one movement. For the clean and jerk, Mangold hoists a 310-pound bar to her shoulders, then jerks it over her head. Competition will be fierce: The women who can lift the most will travel to London for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

“No matter how much natural talent you have, lifting is a completely mental sport that takes years to learn,” reflects Mangold, who began serious training at 18. “You have to give up a lot. I dropped out of Ursuline College with a 3.8 grade average and double majors in theology and sociology to go to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado. But it was worth it.”

For Mangold, the goal is clear.

“My dream is not to just go to the Olympics, but to earn a medal,” she says. “That’s in sight for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.” —Jill Sell

For more information, visit arnoldsportsfestival.com or call 614/431-2600.
 
Mysterious Connections
Banish the winter blues by visiting the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center (CVAC) and taking in a theater presentation and an art exhibit, both focusing on mystery. The “I Love a Mystery” exhibit (Feb. 2–24) allows anyone with an artistic spirit to channel his or her inner Sherlock Holmes through the visual arts. Meanwhile, the Cleveland-based Great Lakes Theater Company is presenting “The Mysterious Affair at Styles,” based on Agatha Christie’s first novel, on Feb. 23, part of an annual series offered at the CVAC.

“[The exhibit] started because I wanted to tie something in with Great Lakes Theater Festival,” says CVAC director Linda Nye.

Located in a historic building that once housed Cuyahoga Falls’ first bank, CVAC strives to keep the arts alive year-round with classes or shows nearly every day. Free monthly exhibitions are open to the public Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. “I Love a Mystery” will be followed by the annual “Camera Club Show,” Feb. 27–March 29, featuring displays by local photographers.

“Each year,” says Nye, “It seems that the [Camera Club] show is better and better.”

February is also the perfect time to visit the new Artist Café in CVAC’s main gallery. Browse the exhibits and warm up with a free cup of coffee. Be sure to check out the mural painted by former Hudson resident Jose P. Sacaridiz. The painting, which spans three walls, was inspired by the artist’s time spent in Florence, Italy. —Jessica Esemplare

For more information about classes, exhibitions and events, visit cvartcenter.org.