Chocolatier finds sweetness in making candy after battle with cancer

On this Valentine's Day some of us will be eating a lot of chocolate. But, for one Philadelphia businesswoman the enjoyment of making chocolate is so sweet after a bitter battle with cancer.

“Should I be honest? I love chocolate,” chocolatier Lisa Schoenbeck told NBC10 Philadelphia.

All that chocolate making can sure be messy at times, but for Schoenbeck, life is already messy enough.

Six years after starting her artisanal candy brand Good Good Chocolates, she got sour news.

“In April of (20)22, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer,” Schoenbeck said. “It was the last thing I ever expected. I have been a marathoner, a yoga teacher.”

In a battle for her life and in the midst of chemotherapy she thought about giving up. But, she focused on the sweet things instead.

“I just kept going,” she said. “You know, I just had to keep going.”

So, she keep the chocolate flowing, churning out treats from her small studio in Philly’s Kensington neighborhood.

Amid her bittersweet battle, something else amazing happened -- an opportunity to lease her own storefront in the Queen Village neighborhood.

The storefront comes after her life-changing battle against ovarian cancer.

“It forces you to be patient,” Schoenbeck said “It forces you to focus and really be present in what you're doing.”

Just like making a “Good Good” piece of chocolate.

“If any one step isn't done correctly, when you turn out the chocolate two days later, it won't work.”

Besides expertise, she has hope in all she does in life to overcome challenges.

As of last year, Schoenbeck’s cancer is in remission.

“You know, it's simultaneously the best and worst thing that could ever happen to you,” she said. “You become acutely aware of how much you are loved and taken care of, and you get a new appreciation for life and people.”

After all, in life and chocolate...

“It's really challenging and rewarding.”

It sometimes takes a setback to make something so sweet.