CHOCOLATE: AMERICA'S FAVORITE FLAVOR

Laura Sparkman starts her day with a bowl of Grape Nuts and a chocolate-covered cookie.

She moves on to Russell Stover's chocolate covered cremes and, on a good day, ends with a piece of My Daddy's chocolate truffle cheesecake.

"I'm the number one fan," said Sparkman, who works at Commerce Bank in Cape Girardeau. "Chocolate is my favorite food group."

She is not alone. Americans have a growing love affair with chocolate.

In a recent Gallup poll, chocolate outscored any other flavor by a three to one margin. Nine out of 10 Americans consume some form of chocolate every day.

In 1992, Americans ate an average of 10.6 pounds of chocolate per person, the U.S. Commerce Department reports. The number is up from 9.02 pounds of chocolate consumed per capita in 1982.

Jean Pender, at Commerce Bank, confessed her penchant for dark chocolate. "Almost bitter," she said.

Pender said she saves her chocolate budget for periodic trips to a candy shop in St. Louis. "They have these dark chocolate truffles rolled in cocoa powder and cinnamon. They are $3 each. That's the perfect thing."

When she can't make it to St. Louis, Pender makes due with her perfect brownie recipe.

No pre-packaged mixes will do. "These are real brownies," she said. "I found the recipe in a church cookbook. They are called Baker's Best Brownies. But I always add a little extra chocolate."

Chocolate makers are busy keeping up with the demand. They produced 1.3 million pounds of candy during 1992.

Kevin Buelow has the perfect job (or perhaps the most dangerous job) for chocolate lovers. He is store manager at Mr. Bulky Treats and Gifts.

"When the store first opened, I ate and ate and ate the double-dipped peanuts and double-dipped malt balls. Now we've been open almost a year and some of that appeal has worn off," Buelow said.

He is now tempted by chocolate-covered Oreo cookies. "With a large glass of milk, you can't quit eating them," he said.

Regular at the store come in for their dose of chocolate.

"People just go crazy," Buelow said. "There is always a large demand for chocolate. We can never get enough."

The store offers between 40 and 50 different types of chocolate and another 15 or so sugar-free chocolate varieties.

Buelow said his former favorites -- double-dipped peanuts and malt balls are the store's best sellers.

"Twice the chocolate," he confided. "And now we've come out with a new chocolate malt ball with peanut butter.

Betty Penrod at Kirlin's Hallmark said regulars stop by the candy counter daily. Some come in more than once a day.

"They are always going to cut down and then buy just one piece. But they come back," Penrod said.

The most popular chocolate treat at Kirlin's: turtles. Those caramel-pecan-chocolate clusters drive chocolate lovers mad.

Stores and chocolate lovers are gearing up Valentine's Day, one of the best chocolate holidays.

American's are expected to spent about $655 million on chocolates and other candies for Valentine's Day.

Among those sure to be spending money on Valentine's candy are the chocolate lovers at Cape Girardeau's Chamber of Commerce.

One day last week, Linda Minner at the chamber admitted her lunch consisted of a single Hershey's kiss. "That's all I had time for," she said. Minner decided to make her few seconds count.

She has trouble picking out a favorite. "I like so many different chocolate things -- chocolate covered cherries, Snickers. I like chocolate syrup and chocolate cake."

Wilma LeDure at the chamber office, said, "Right behind my family, chocolate is the love of my life."

She sometimes starts her day with hot chocolate for breakfast and then munches on various chocolate tidbits throughout the day.

"If I had to pick one chocolate thing, it would have to be Russell Stover's chocolate-covered cherries with the liquid center," LeDure said.

But she also has cravings for Hershey's hot fudge sundae sauce.

"There have been times, when I haven't had any chocolate cakes or chocolate ice cream, that, shamefully, I have eaten it right out of the jar with a spoon. I had to cut down buying that."

She keeps a chocolate supply on hand: Hershey's miniatures, Suzie Qs, Little Debbie Swiss Rolls. "There are just dozens and dozens of neat chocolate snacks."

Joan Lipps with the chamber hesitantly admits that she is a chocolate-lover statistic, adding chocolate to her menu every day. Her favorite is Little Debbie's chocolate covered caramel bars.

"That's the perfect breakfast," she said,. "a cup of tea and a chocolate-covered caramel bar."