A Westchester mother has been sharing her passion of chocolate-making with the community for nearly two decades.

"Just about everything here is made in-house," said Maria Valente, owner of Chocolations in Mamaroneck. "We can pretty much make something for any occasion. If you have a vision, you just talk to me about it and most likely we can make it happen."

Valente's love for making chocolate first began as a hobby at home. As an increasing number of friends and family kept asking for her creations, she realized it could be something much more.

"I was doing it when my kids were babies," she said. "They're now in their 40s, so it's been quite a long time. I did it really as just something to do while they were little. People [then] started asking me to make it for them and wanted to pay me for it, but I never really thought it could be a real business. So, I did other crazy things like going to law school. I graduated law school [and] decided I did not want to be a lawyer. Instead, I ended up going back into chocolate. [Then,] I needed to really figure out how to make it legitimate and a real business. So, I took some entrepreneurial training courses. I also went to the French culinary school to learn how to use good quality chocolate, and the rest is history."

Soon after, her shop Chocolations was born, offering any chocoholic ways to satisfy their sweet tooth with what Valente says is the best quality chocolate possible.

" I have one chocolatier, and she's been with me since I opened day one almost 20 years ago," she said. "She's amazing. She has just a natural talent for it…If you have a vision, you just talk to me about it and most likely we can make it happen... We also pride ourselves on using American-made chocolates, which I always felt were a little brighter, fresher than chocolates that have traveled from a distance like European chocolates."

After nearly two decades, Valente said customers are still seeking to satisfy those chocolate cravings.

"I've been very blessed," she said. "Customers have been treating me with a great deal of kindness, and they've become friends. They've become family...[For example,] there was a little boy once…and he said something like, ‘Oh, she's a chocolate goddess.’ Another little boy thought we should have a drive-thru, which I thought was so cute…so, it's always been heartwarming for me to hear people say nice things about us."

Young children also do not have to just be fans of Valente's chocolates, because they can also become chocolatiers and have their birthday party at Chocolations.

" The kids are kept busy from start to finish," Valente said. "They will make some arts and crafts projects. They'll also do a cupcake project, and the star of the show is, of course, always making the chocolate. They love it. It's a lot of fun. It's entertaining. Kids, like I said, are nonstop. There's never a dull moment at the parties and kids just leave it saying that it's the best day they've ever had."

Anyone interested in booking a birthday party can call the shop at 914-777-3600.

Chocolations is located at 607 E Boston Post Road in Mamaroneck. Customers can buy chocolates in store or place an order on the shop's website.