How we got here
Owner and chocolate mastermind Cinthya Romriell never thought she would build a career in the culinary industry, but in her first semester as a teacher, a moment of kindness awakened an unknown passion.
After noticing her students were hungry, Romriell decided growing seventh graders shouldn’t learn on empty stomachs and she made a trip to the grocery store to buy them animal crackers.
Weekly animal crackers turned into chocolate chip cookies, cakes and ice cream cakes which Romriell made for students weekly, inspired to ignite the spark she saw when she first gave them a dessert.
"The kids were like, ‘Oh my gosh, you made this for us' and ‘Wow, you're my favorite teacher,’” Romriell said. “I wasn’t trying to be a favorite teacher. I just wanted to keep sparking that feeling of feeling special because they were special to me.”
Her time in culinary school was followed by travels far and wide as she trained with chocolatiers. In this time, Romriell was told only 6% of pastry chefs go into chocolate making and 2% of that number are women, which motivated her to increase those statistics.
Her travels led to her time learning from award-winning chocolatier and pastry chef Stéphane Tréand in 2018.
Under Tréand’s guidance, Romriell realized she didn’t need professional equipment to start a chocolate shop, and a few years later, Cinful Sweets opened its doors in March of 2022.
For dessert
Customers can try all things chocolate, gluten-free and vegan from bonbons, dessert bars, panned chocolate and breakables, a chocolate piñata served with a mallet.
“It was the first time that I created a breakable that sparked tears of joy,” Romriell said. “When he brought his wife in, she came in and she just immediately started crying and she said, ‘This is my home. This is my home.’”
The shop’s most popular bites are its bonbons, molded chocolate with a thin shell leading to a creamy and crunchy center.
The shells are presented in various flavors and designs, including realistic hearts boasting a black sesame flavoring. Other items are influenced by media such as "Let It Rip," a white chocolate bonbon with raspberry jam, vanilla bean and speculose, inspired by TV series "The Bear."
Community members with loved ones outside the city can still share the sweet treat love by taking advantage of Cinful Sweets’ nationwide shipping.
Romriell said she wanted to make education on chocolatiering more accessible after she faced difficulties learning about the craft early in her career. Individuals interested in the process can attend one of the business’s classes, which are hosted monthly.
“I wanted to teach classes because I didn't want people to struggle to find that education the way I did,” Romriell said. “I love that I am able to create that opportunity for them to fall in love with chocolate.”
- 9415 Burnet Road, Ste. 106, Austin
- www.cinfulsweets.com
