It’s hard to believe that as a kid, Daniel Corpuz refused to eat anything except plain white rice.

Because what he creates now as an adult is full of brilliantly bold flavors.

His medium?

Chocolate. As in dazzling, hand-crafted bonbons with many fillings inspired by his Filipino heritage.

He started Daniel Corpuz Chocolatier in New York City after working as a pastry chef at renowned fine-dining establishments, The Modern at MoMA, Manhatta, and One White Street.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he shifted to concentrating on chocolates following the pandemic. It landed him a spot on Netflix’s “School of Chocolate” in 2021, hosted by the celebrated pastry chef, Amaury Guichon.

Recently, I had a chance to try some of his creations, when I was sent a sample of his Fil-Am Bon Bon Box (12 for $48).

The first thing you notice is how shiny the bonbons are, done up with swooshes and splotches of color with an almost lacquer-like finish. The shells are nicely thin, and the fillings smooth and creamy like thick pudding.

The flavors are inspired, from the vivid purple ube yam that tastes sweetly starchy with loads of vanilla and the Philippine coffee that will wake you up like a strong cup of joe to the roasted corn that tastes toasty and sweet almost like buttered caramel corn.

My favorites were probably the kalamansi (Filipino lime) for its intense bright tartness that just explodes in your mouth; and the caramelized banana, which honest-to-goodness tastes exactly like just-baked banana bread.

If you’re fortunate enough to live in New York City, you can just drop by his shop on Canal Street. Otherwise, you can get the chocolates shipped to your door. Or perhaps to your dad’s door, because these chocolates would make for an ideal attention-worthy Father’s Day gift.