With due respect to the few who don’t agree, chocolate is one of life’s great pleasures. Great, because whether it’s a handful of M&M’s or a gourmet truffle, the treats have an ability to uplift, easing a trying workday, wrapping up a perfect meal or otherwise adding a little bit of enjoyment to life.

So it’s a no-brainer that chocolate would be an ideal fit for Valentine’s Day.

But you can do better than simply running to the store, picking out the prettiest box you can afford and presenting it to your beloved.

Show your love and devotion with a stint in the kitchen instead, and make a savory dish using dark chocolate or cocoa powder. The inclusion infuses a dish with complex flavor and richness.

Both dark chocolate and cocoa powder are commonly used in South American dishes and Mexican mole sauces that include chilies, spices and sometimes as many as 20 or 30 ingredients, said Brigitte Moss, owner of Fresh from Haleiwa catering.

"I learned that chocolate is not always about ‘sweet,’" said Moss, a local girl who lived in California for a number of years before moving back home. "People think that Mexican food is simple, that it’s peasant food, but it’s intricate."

Chocolate and cocoa powder — ground cocoa solids from the cacao bean that have been separated from the cocoa butter — add to the intricacy of a dish by heightening flavors and imparting balance and creaminess.

"To achieve the taste you want, it’s about balancing flavors. There’s sweet, salty, sour, spicy and bitter," said chef Ronnie Nasuti of Tiki’s Grill & Bar, explaining that chocolate contributes a bitter component.

Nasuti is among the chefs taking part in the upcoming Hawai‘i Chocolate Festival, which celebrates the fact that Hawaii is the only place in the United States where cacao (from which chocolate is derived) is grown.

"Chocolate is complementary when used with spices. It coats the mouth and lingers for a while so you can be bold with the spices. You get the benefits of all that flavor and a countering of the heat."

Moss’ moles "have got a little heat," along with raisins for sweetness. Dark Waialua Estate local chocolate offers other nuances. "The dark chocolate gives a depth that’s almost like coffee," she said. "It’s that sort of boldness but it’s also mellow."

Moss also uses chocolate with chicken and likes it in pork dishes.

"I once used it on shrimp — cocoa nibs that gave that little hit of flavor," she said.

Carolyn Gross is a cook at Kale’s Natural Foods in Hawaii Kai, where a "Celebration of Chocolate" on Saturday will feature various kinds of chocolate food. Gross is making a vegetarian chili that includes cocoa powder and spices such as cumin, coriander and paprika.

"It’s similar to making a mole sauce," she said. "You cannot really taste the cocoa powder, and you don’t need a lot. It’s there to deepen and enhance the other flavors."

Nasuti said gamey meats such as venison and lamb are well suited for chocolate.

"These meats can stand up to chocolate’s strong flavor," he said.

During his years at Roy’s, Nasuti made a lamb dish with Kona coffee and chocolate demi-glace sauce, "mounting" the sauce with the chocolate — stirring in chunks right before serving — which added creaminess, richness and sheen.

For the festival, the chef will make a chocolate fettuccine served as a dessert. But it could just as easily be part of a savory dish, he said. (See his recipe for Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks with Chocolate Fettuccine.)

In creating recipes for Ola Loa Wellness, Skya Bou­dousquie has found that chocolate pairs well with vegetables. He makes a mole that uses a variety of raw ingredients along with Waialua Estate or Madre chocolate, also locally produced.

"The chocolate builds upon a flavor and adds flavor notes," he said.