Dame Chocolate is a telenovela with a simple setup: a sweet, simple girl from rural Mexico moves to Miami to run her grandfather’s chocolate business. It sounds like a formula. It plays like a soap opera with a secret recipe. The result is uneven, sometimes ridiculous, and surprisingly watchable.
Génesis Rodríguez plays Rosita Amado, a shy girl with a curvaceous body, a big nose, and buck teeth. She leaves her village of Xochilcacahuatel to take over Chocolate Supremo after her grandfather Juan Amado dies. Her grandfather knew the secret Mayan recipe that built the company. Rosita brings her deaf great-aunt Dulce, her uncle Diosdado, and the rest of her extended family to Florida. The cast calls them an “assortment” of “uncouth relatives.”
The Family That Comes With Rosita
Rosita’s family is the engine of the show. Dulce is the great-aunt who worships Ek Chuah, an ancient idol. Diosdado is in love with Julia, Rosita’s best friend. The whole group lands in Miami with no idea how to behave in the city. Their awkwardness drives most of the early comedy.
Bruce Remington and Grace Remington
Bruce Remington is the handsome heir to Chocolate Supremo. He is played by Carlos Ponce. Kristina Lilley plays Grace Remington, Bruce’s mother, an unscrupulous woman who claims the factory is near bankruptcy. She becomes Rosita’s most dedicated enemy, plotting against her to get the inheritance and the secret recipe. She enlists Bruce’s lover Samantha Porter, played by Karla Monroig, to seduce Rosita. When Bruce realizes he loves Rosita, his mother has already plotted her downfall.
The Story Shift and the Villains
The show changed course mid-way through production. When Telemundo announced Dame Chocolate in May 2006, the cast included Mauricio Ochmann as Bruce, Zharick Leon as Samantha, and Erick Elías as Ángel. All three left for other Telemundo serials: Ochmann to Marina, Leon to La Viuda de Blanco, and Elías to Zorro: La Espada y La Rosa. They were replaced by Carlos Ponce, Karla Monroig, and Khotan Fernández.
Along with the cast changes, Telemundo shifted the story. Rosita was originally to love Ángel Pérez, who was engaged to another woman. Instead, the aired version made Ángel a villainous murderer and sexual predator. The change alters the emotional core of the show. Rosita is now fighting a villain rather than competing for a man’s heart.
The Romance and the Betrayal
Rosita finds romance, deception, and betrayal as she searches for true happiness in a new world. She learns about the dangers of hatred. The show is at its best when it balances the family drama with the romantic tension between Rosita and Bruce. Their relationship is the emotional center of the story, even as the villains scheme around them.
“She learns about the dangers of hatred.”
The Cast and the DVD Release
The DVD set comes from Lionsgate Home Entertainment and Xenon Pictures. It is a four-disc set released in the US on November 27, 2007. The abridged version runs over 13 hours. It includes English subtitles and carries a TV-PG rating.
The cast is full of familiar faces in telenovelas. María Antonieta de las Nieves plays Dulce. Ricardo Chávez plays Diosdado. Jullye Giliberti plays Julia. Eduardo Serrano plays Lorenzo. Rosalinda Rodríguez plays Hortensia. The supporting cast fills out the Remington mansion with maids, workers, and doctors.
What Works and What Doesn’t
Dame Chocolate is a guilty pleasure, not a masterpiece. The writing is often clumsy, the villains are cartoonish, and the plot twists are easy to see coming. But the show has a rhythm. The family scenes are warm. The romance is earnest. The villains are genuinely menacing.
The show is also notable for its behind-the-scenes shuffle. José Luis Rodríguez, father of star Génesis Rodríguez, was announced as part of the cast but did not appear. Mauricio Ochmann eventually rejoined the show as Fabián Duque, a fashion photographer who falls for Rosita. His first air date was on June 13, 2007.
Verdict
Dame Chocolate is a telenovela with a clear identity. It knows what kind of show it is and mostly delivers on that promise. The family drama is the strength. The villains are the weakness. The show is worth watching for the performances and the warmth of the family scenes, even when the plot strains logic.
Key Facts Box
- Title: Dame Chocolate (international title: Sweet Secret)
- Network: Telemundo
- Season: 1 season, 150 episodes
- First aired: March 5, 2007
- Last aired: October 5, 2007
- DVD release: November 27, 2007
- Format: Four-disc set
- Runtime: Over 13 hours (abridged)
- Rating: TV-PG
- Score: 7.6/10
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