Virgin Mary’s likeness seen in chocolate piece

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. – Kitchen worker Cruz Jacinto was the first to spot the 2-inch tall column of chocolate that had dripped under a vat.

She froze when she saw it.

The melted chocolate looked just like the Virgin Mary on the prayer card she always carries in her right pocket.

“When I come in, the first thing I do is look at the clock, but this time I didn’t look at the clock. My eyes went directly to the chocolate,” said Jacinto, dressed in a hair net and apron as she paused from her work. “I thought, ‘Am I the only one who can see this?’ I picked it up and I felt emotion just come over me. For me, it was a sign.”

The Virgin Mary chocolate was first spotted Monday at Bodega Chocolates, the gourmet chocolate company of Martucci Angiano.

“I was raised to believe in the Virgin Mary, but this still gives me the chills,” Angiano said as she balanced the dark brown figure in her hand. “Everyone should see this.”

The chocolate was on display for most of the week in the front of the company gift shop, but it now rests in a plastic case in a back room and is brought out only for curious visitors.

The stack of hardened confection has a wide base and tapers gently toward a rounded top, giving the appearance of a female figure with her head tilted slightly to the right. The dark brown melting chocolate hardened into subtle layers that resemble the folds of a gown and a flowing veil.