Sandy Steinheiser, co-owner of Peter's Chocolate Shoppe, gets ready for Valentine's Day. She says the holiday ranks behind Christmas and Easter for the busiest.

Butler County is filled with a variety of people doing interesting things. This weekly feature offers snapshots of some of them by asking them five questions.

The latest installment appears below.

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Peter's Chocolate Shoppe began in 1938 with the Meliotis family. Pete and Mary Meliotis spent decades perfecting their craft. For some, a holiday just wouldn't be the same without a purchase from Peter's Chocolate Shoppe, 326 W. Jefferson St.

With Valentine's Day, a holiday practically synonymous with chocolate, fast approaching, the current co-owner of Peter's Chocolate Shoppe, with her husband, Rod, Sandy Steinheiser finds herself very busy.

QUESTION: How much bigger is the demand for chocolate before Valentine's Day?ANSWER: Probably Easter and Christmas are our busiest seasons and Valentine's Day would be next.

QUESTION: What's the most popular candy?ANSWER: Well, let me think. I would say probably the chocolate-covered cherries would be the number one seller. That, and our turtles. We have three different kinds: pecan, walnut and cashew. They're in caramel and then covered in chocolate, so they are in three layers; the nut, the caramel and the chocolate on top.

QUESTION: How long does it take to make a confection?ANSWER: I guess it would all depend on what it was. For instance, all of our nuts and dark chocolate are hand dipped, and hand dipping is an art that is lost. It is all done by machines now, and we don't use machines. Our employee, Sue, does all the hand dipping and she was taught by Mary Meliotis, the original co-owner of the chocolate shop.

QUESTION: Any particular candy gaining in popularity?ANSWER: One thing we are noted for, especially at Easter, is our three-layer eggs, and no one else makes those. It's caramel, nougat and fudge enrobed in chocolate. And our meltaways, a softer chocolate that is just like it sounds, it melts in your mouth.

QUESTION: How much do you sample your wares?ANSWER: I have to taste them to make sure they are OK. They have to pass the quality-control test.