Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cinthya Romriell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cinthya , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

There are definitely moments when I think about what it would be like to have a regular job. Entrepreneurship can be exhilarating, but it can also be incredibly lonely and exhausting.

One moment that really sticks with me happened late during the holiday rush. It was well past closing time at Cinful Sweets. The shop lights were dim, the front of house was quiet, and the only sound left in the kitchen was the steady hum of the tempering machine. The counters were covered in molds, brushes, and splashes of colored cocoa butter from hours of decorating bonbons.

I had been on my feet all day. My hair smelled like chocolate and cocoa butter, my apron was streaked with color, and there were still trays of chocolates setting that needed to be capped and packaged before the morning. Outside it was dark and cold, and I remember thinking how most people were probably home with their families, relaxing, watching TV, or getting ready for bed.

And for a moment, I just stood there in the kitchen and thought: What would it be like to have a normal job?
To clock out at five.
To leave work behind when you walk out the door.
To not lie awake thinking about payroll, ingredients, equipment repairs, marketing, or the next big order.

It sounded peaceful.

But then I looked around the kitchen.

On the racks in front of me were hundreds of bonbons—each one painted, cast, filled, and finished by hand. Flavors that started as little ideas in my head: my signature bonbon, flan with muscovado sable praline, strawberry and black sesame, combinations inspired by travel, by memories, by curiosity.

Cinful Sweets didn’t exist a few years ago. Now people come into the shop specifically for these creations. They bring their friends. They celebrate birthdays with our chocolates. They take classes and learn about tempering and ganache and suddenly see chocolate in a completely different way.

And standing there in that quiet kitchen, I realized something.

A regular job might come with more stability. Maybe even more rest. But it wouldn’t come with this feeling—that what I’m building is entirely my own. Every flavor, every sculpture, every class, every late night is part of a story that didn’t exist until I decided to create it.

So yes, the thought crosses my mind sometimes, especially during the hardest days.

But it never stays for long.

Because even on the exhausting nights, when the kitchen is quiet and the work still isn’t done, I remember why I started: to build something beautiful, creative, and meaningful with my own hands.

And that feeling is something a regular job could never give me. 🍫

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Cinthya Romriell, and I’m the founder and chocolatier behind Cinful Sweets, an artisanal chocolate studio where we create handcrafted bonbons, chocolate sculptures, and immersive chocolate experiences.

My journey into chocolate started with a deep curiosity about craftsmanship. Chocolate sits at this beautiful intersection of science and art—you have to understand crystallization, temperature, and technique, but you also have the opportunity to create something visually stunning and emotionally memorable. I became fascinated with that balance and began exploring flavor pairings, tempering, and decorative techniques. What started as curiosity eventually grew into a full creative pursuit and, ultimately, a business.

Today at Cinful Sweets, we specialize in handcrafted bonbons and chocolate confections that combine culinary technique with storytelling. Each bonbon is painted and molded by hand using colored cocoa butter before being filled with layered ganaches, caramels, and pralines. We also create large-scale chocolate sculptures—from giant Easter eggs to life-size guitars—and host chocolate classes where guests can step into the role of chocolatier and learn the craft themselves.

One of the most exciting milestones in my journey was appearing as a contestant on The Elf on the Shelf on Foodnetwork, which allowed me to share my love of confectionery on a national stage. More recently, I was honored to receive a scholarship from Les Dames to attend the Callebaut Chocolate Academy, which continues to deepen my technical skills and push my creativity as a chocolatier.

What sets Cinful Sweets apart is that we focus on both craftsmanship and experience. We don’t just sell chocolate—we invite people into the world of chocolate making. Through our classes, events, and custom creations, guests get to experience the artistry behind every piece. Chocolate has this unique ability to evoke emotion and nostalgia, and I love creating flavors that surprise people or remind them of something meaningful.

Community is also a huge part of our mission. Austin has an incredible network of creatives and entrepreneurs, and it’s important to me that our business contributes to that ecosystem. We regularly collaborate with other local businesses and donate classes and experiences to school fundraisers and community events. Chocolate has a way of bringing people together, and I love that our work can play a small role in those moments.

What I’m most proud of is building something from the ground up that allows creativity, education, and community to exist in the same space. Every bonbon flavor, every sculpture, every class, and every collaboration is part of a story that didn’t exist until we created it.

For people discovering Cinful Sweets for the first time, I want them to know that our work is rooted in curiosity, craftsmanship, and joy. Chocolate is often tied to celebration, and our goal is to make every piece feel like a small moment of artistry and indulgence.

At the end of the day, Cinful Sweets isn’t just about chocolate—it’s about creating experiences and memories through it.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building an audience on social media didn’t happen overnight for me—it grew the same way my chocolate business did: one person, one story, and one moment of connection at a time.

In the beginning, I didn’t approach social media as a marketing tool. I treated it more like a window into the kitchen. I would share what I was working on—painting bonbon molds, testing new flavor combinations, or experimenting with a chocolate sculpture. People are naturally curious about how things are made, and chocolate is such a visual craft that those behind-the-scenes moments resonated with people.

One thing that helped was leaning into authenticity instead of perfection. Not every post needed to be polished. Sometimes it was just me showing the process, talking about a flavor idea, or sharing the excitement of finishing a big chocolate piece. Those real moments helped people feel like they were part of the journey, not just watching a finished product.

Over time, I realized that people weren’t just following for chocolate—they were following for the story. They wanted to see the late nights in the kitchen, the big sculptures coming together, the new flavors being tested, and the community around the shop. When someone walks into Cinful Sweets and says, “I saw you making that on Instagram,” that’s when you realize social media has turned into a real connection.

Another thing that helped grow the audience was collaboration. Austin has an incredible creative community, and partnering with other local businesses, chefs, coffee roasters, and events naturally introduced our work to new audiences. When you genuinely support other creators, it often creates a ripple effect online.

My biggest advice for someone starting out is to focus less on algorithms and more on storytelling. Show the process, share the passion behind what you do, and let people see the human side of your work. People connect with people, not just products.

Consistency also matters. You don’t have to post every day, but showing up regularly keeps your audience engaged and reminds them of what you’re building.

And finally, don’t underestimate the power of niche. When you share something specific—like the craft of tempering chocolate, decorating molds, or creating unique flavor combinations—you attract people who are genuinely interested in that world. Those followers tend to become your most loyal customers and supporters.

Social media can feel overwhelming at first, but at its core it’s really about connection. If you focus on sharing your craft and your story honestly, the audience tends to grow naturally from there.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience is something every entrepreneur develops whether they expect to or not. For me, one moment that really illustrates that happened during the early years of building Cinful Sweets.

There was a period when I felt like everything was happening at once. Orders were growing, which was exciting, but that also meant longer hours, more responsibility, and constant pressure to keep everything running smoothly. I remember one particular week when I had several large orders due, equipment wasn’t cooperating the way it should, and I was spending long days in the kitchen trying to make everything come together.

Chocolate is incredibly technical—temperature, humidity, and timing all matter. When something goes wrong, you often don’t know until hours later when you unmold the chocolates. I remember opening a mold after a long day and realizing the temper hadn’t set the way it should have. Instead of perfect glossy bonbons, the chocolate had bloomed and the entire batch had to be remade.

In that moment, it’s easy to feel defeated. You’ve already put in the work, the clock is ticking, and now you’re starting over.

But that’s the nature of working with chocolate and, honestly, the nature of entrepreneurship. You take a breath, retemper the chocolate, and begin again.

That experience—and many like it—taught me something important. Resilience doesn’t usually show up as one big heroic moment. It shows up in the quiet decisions you make when things go wrong: deciding to keep going, to problem solve, to learn something from the setback instead of letting it stop you.

Looking back, those challenging moments were also the moments that made me a better chocolatier and a stronger business owner. They forced me to refine my systems, deepen my technical understanding of chocolate, and develop patience with the process.

Today when people see the finished bonbons or large chocolate sculptures we create, they’re seeing the polished result. What they don’t always see are the countless iterations, the late nights, and the lessons that came from things not working the first time.

But that’s really where resilience lives—in the willingness to keep creating, even when the process gets difficult. 🍫

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cinfulsweets.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinfulsweetsatx/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cinfulsweets
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinthya-romriell/

Image Credits

Trent Romriell