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February 21, 2010
My apologies for not getting around to the second part of our blog post about London’s swinging confectionery scene sooner, but it’s been a crazy couple of weeks, what with Valentine’s Day and all. Anyway, we returned to London after spending a couple of days at the ISM show in Cologne. This time, we were staying in Knightsbridge, conveniently positioned halfway between our two primary destinations: Rococo Chocolates and the famed food halls of Harrods.
So let’s start with Rococo. Around for more than 25 years, Rococo is an institution in the world of premium chocolates. They now have three locations, but we opted to visit the original store located on Kings Road in Chelsea, and I’m glad we did. It felt like a first store: intimate, a bit worn, and authentic. The staff there was very friendly and extremely passionate about all of the chocolates. We knew we could only bring back a limited number of bars with us, and I can’t tell you how difficult it was to narrow down the selection – every bar we tasted (and I’m pretty sure we tasted them all) was delicious. We finally settled on five different types of bars, all made with organic chocolate: milk chocolate with sea salt, dark chocolate with chili pepper, dark chocolate with Earl Grey tea (my personal favorite – I can’t understand why every chocolatier out there doesn’t make an Earl Grey truffle), dark chocolate with orange & geranium, and (the unexpected hit) white chocolate with cardamom. This last one is now the only white chocolate bar we carry at the store, and it’s a truly inspired combination. In addition to their bars, we sampled fantastic chocolate wafers, many different types of truffles, and their beautiful edible flower arrangements – sadly, all of these are far too delicate for world travel, so we couldn’t bring those back with us. But do come in and try some of the bars – in addition to being unique, tasty and organic, they are beautifully packaged and make for wonderful gifts. And now, on to Harrods…
What can I say: the place is insane. Harrods seems to be a bit of a punch line among London locals, and in our experience the shoppers there did seem to be mostly Saudi tourists. Though we were tempted to visit the “Bulletproof Clothing” section on the 7th floor, we ultimately didn’t stray too far from the food halls – and, say what you will about Harrods, the food halls are amazing. The only other places that we’ve seen that compare to it are the great department stores of Tokyo, and in terms of size, at least, Harrods has them beat. If you’re only interested in candy, I think they’ve got a more interesting selection at Fortnum & Mason (see Part One of this blog post) – but for the full spectrum of food items (fish, meat, cheese, tea, pastries, chocolates, prepared foods, etc.) you have got to check out Harrods. We knew we were in for a treat right when we walked through the doors – we had been traveling all day and had not yet eaten dinner, so we asked one of the women working there if there was a restaurant in the store, to which she replied, “Yes, there are several on every floor.” Why can’t they have department stores like this in the states?
That’s it for this post. I will just leave you with two bizarre images. The first is the package of collagen marshmallows we saw on display at Harvey Nichol’s (note that they also had a cocktail on their bar menu called “Drink Yourself Thin” – vodka and methamphetamine, perhaps?) The second photo is a portion (yes, there’s more to it) of the Diana and Dodi memorial, tucked in between the luxury handbags sections at Harrods – on display is the wineglass that the couple shared at the Hotel Ritz on that fateful evening in Paris…
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February 6, 2010
Chances are, were it not for ISM, the king of all candy shows, we would not have found ourselves in Cologne, Germany in the middle of Europe’s coldest winter in years – but we’re glad to have gone. We did manage to see the Dom, one of the world’s largest and most impressive gothic cathedrals, and I’d be lying if I said we didn’t enjoy some beer and bratwurst at night. But we were there for the candy: and ISM did not disappoint. To give you some idea, the show is about 4 times the size of the Fancy Food Show, and it is ALL CANDY!
With the notable and somewhat surprising absence of Haribo, all of Europe’s major confectioners were represented. There were amazing pavilions from France, the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and, of course, Germany. The only downside for us, I would say, is that the show is definitely geared toward larger confectioners, distributors and importers. You won’t find many artisanal operations represented, and buying can be problematic if you don’t happen to have your own shipping container.
That said, it was a great experience and we certainly saw and tasted some fabulous candies, many of which will never (legally) be found in America due to the FDA’s bizarre regulatory system. But enough already, enjoy some photos from the show…
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January 31, 2010
The last few days here in Paris have been, in a word, amazing! Though the weather has been much colder than we’re used to, it didn’t affect our mission: to visit as many of the city’s best candy stores as we could in three days. No easy task, since every neighborhood has at least one confiserie and chocolatier, not to mention the metro station candy kiosks and the candy selections at every patisserie. Paris takes its candy very seriously.
Our first stop was Les Bon Bons, which happened to be right around the corner from our hotel in Montparnasse. We immediately felt at home here – it seemed like a Parisian version of our own store: tiny, yet packed full of carefully selected candies. Both older, artisanal confectioners and more modern licorice and gummies are featured. It was here that we discovered one of the best candies we’ve ever tasted – le Negus de Nevers, a soft caramel covered in a translucent candy shell, resembling stones – obsessed is really not the word for how I feel about these delicate and delicious candies.
Next, we visited A la Mere de Famille, reputed to be the oldest candy store in Paris. Even if their candies hadn’t been so amazing, it would have been worth the trip just to see their beautiful antique display cases. In general, we can say that we’ve never seen more beautifully displayed candy than we saw in the shops of Paris: the long trays of colorful pate de fruits, every variety of fruits confit (including whole pineapples and pumpkins), jars filled with freshly made marshmallows, hard candies in antique tins, and of course, every possible incarnation of nougat, marzipan and chocolate.
Our favorite store that we visited was A L’Etoile d’Or, both for the quality of its candy and for the passion of its owner, Denise Acabo. Her love and respect for and knowledge of candy made me instantly love her (I told her so too, in French). Denise knows every detail about every candy she sells in the store, many of which date back hundreds of years. Her store is a treasure trove of hard-to-find candies, such as nougat from a small Provencal confectioner that is only produced three months of the year or salted butter caramels from Henri le Roux in Brittany. The thing that most impressed me about Denise is that after decades in the business she is still thrilled by a piece of good quality candy.
My love for Paris and it’s beautiful and delicious confections is enormous and I’m already planning our next visit, if only in my mind.
- Diane
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January 26, 2010
Greetings from London, land of pints, puddings, pies and, oh yes, splendid confections! We’ve been braving the cold and rain, scouring the city for tasty candies. We’re only here for a couple of days, then heading off to Paris and Cologne for the ultimate in candy shows, but we’ll be returning to London afterwards so we’ll have more to write then. Our first stop was a visit to our good friends Hope and Greenwood in Covent Garden. Miss Hope and Mr. Greenwood love traditional British sweets, and their delightful shop is packed full of them. The walls are lined with jars of bon bons, toffees, licorice and sherbets, the counters covered with plates of sugar mice, oozy caramels, and traditional English fudge. They have beautiful boxes of British truffles, such as the Bucks Fizz (orange and champagne), and a line of organic “pudding” bars with flavors like Spotted Dick. The great news is that we’re going to be carrying some of their amazing confections at The Candy Store – look for them around Valentine’s Day!
We knew London was going to be a good city for candy the moment we stepped off the plane. We hadn’t even left the airport, and Diane was filling up her bag with Percy Pigs from the Marks & Spencer store in Terminal 5. For those of you unfamiliar with Marks & Spencer, it’s a department store that has branches throughout the city. Some of the stores are called M&S Simply Food, which is kind of like a 7-11, if 7-11 were the most awesome place on the face of the earth! All of their products are branded for their store and, though the focus is on “convenience” foods, the quality is uniformly high. Their candies are not only beautiful and delicious, but all naturally flavored and colored. We especially love the Percy Pigs and Fizzy Pigs Tails, pictured below.
Yesterday, we went to Fortnum & Mason, another famous department store, in business since 1707. Their store is in a beautiful old building in Piccadilly, and about the ground floor confection department all we can say is: WOW! Their candies are displayed like jewels, with beautiful trays of marzipan, fruits confits, Turkish delight, and traditional English boiled sweets. Fortnum & Mason also has a wonderful afternoon tea, which made for a nice break in between candy binges.
More from London next week. In the meantime, on to Paris and Cologne…
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January 4, 2010
When Michael Winnike, founder and caramel craftsman extraordinaire, first introduced his confections to us, I became an immediate fan. Seldom do I encounter anyone with similar passion and enthusiasm for all things candy, but Michael fits the bill and I like that.
As the candy buyer for the store, I see and taste a lot of candy. It’s a tough job, I know! While most items do not make it onto our shelves, every now and then I come across something that wows me and I place an order immediately. I have a very specific checklist and any new product must meet at these 5 criteria:
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The candy must be made by a small confectioner – family owned or local are a bonus.
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The ingredients must be of the highest quality.
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The product must be unique and not easily found in other stores.
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The packaging must be attractive.
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Lastly, and most importantly, it must taste great!
Happy Goat meets all the above requirements, plus a couple that I didn’t list: the price point is perfect, at $10 for a box of 14 individually-wrapped caramels, they’re a guilt-free indulgence, as well as a perfect gift. Also, Michael could not be any nicer or easier to work with.
A little about the caramels: the texture is firm, yet chewy, exactly how a good caramel should be. The tangy and sweet goat milk is on the forefront, the slight saltiness comes next, and finishes with vanilla bean seeds that linger in the mouth. The balance is just right. The name ‘Happy Goat’ is not just cute – it actually is truth in advertising. The milk comes from free-range goats, raised on small California farms. They grow up on healthy diets and have a wide space to roam. The caramels are handmade in copper pots in small batches and contain premium goat dairy, organic sugar and Madagascar vanilla bean seeds.
It’s the little things in life that make me happy and yes, Happy Goat caramels are one of them! Come on by for a sample (that is, if I haven’t devoured them all – I’m only sort of kidding!)
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December 13, 2009
We all know one. Perhaps you can’t comprehend it – you yourself might loathe the stuff. Maybe it’s the Swedish girlfriend, maybe it’s the world traveler who first encountered the insane variety of black licorice at an Amsterdam market, maybe it’s the father who grew up on Switzer’s back in the day. They are licorice lovers and proud of it. At our store, we’ve found that the people who love licorice really love it – they seek it out, they’ve got to have it.
So, now that you’ve got a mental picture of the licorice lover in your life, what do you get that person for Christmas? At The Candy Store, we’ve got many options, but let me suggest two of my favorites. First though, you’ve got to ask yourself: has your licorice lover been naughty or nice?
If the answer is nice (and generally I’ve found them to be pretty agreeable people), then there is no better gift than The Candy Store’s Licorice Lover’s Collection. It consists of six half-pound bags of our most popular black licorice, nicely tucked into one of our gift boxes. We can package it as pictured, so that you can present it to someone on Christmas morning, or we can close up the box and ship it to the licorice lover you know on the other side of the country.
On the other hand, if you feel they’ve been naughty, then you might consider giving them a bucket of coal for Christmas. Of course, at The Candy Store, buckets of coal happen to contain delicious licorice hard candy. Made by one of our favorite confectioners, this coal candy comes complete with a “scuttle” and a miniature hammer for breaking up the chunks. It makes a unique and fun gift, and the candy itself has a pure, sweet licorice flavor that, unfortunately, might just encourage them to continue to misbehave…
Whatever you decide, I can guarantee you’re going to make someone very happy this holiday season.
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November 27, 2009
Today marks the official kick-off of the holiday season! We have some amazing gifts in the store. Whether you need stocking stuffers, Hanukah gelt, or the best box of chocolates you’ve ever had in your life – we’ve got it all.
If you need something for your UPS guy, we’ve got it. If you have a friend who has everything (we all have at least one), we’ve got it. If you’re having a party and need 100 favors, we’ve got it. And to make gift-giving even easier, just provide us with a list of recipients and we’ll ship everything out for you.
And to truly get in the holiday spirit, we’ll be having happy hour at the store, every Thursday evening in December from 6-7pm….candy samples and bubbly sure beat the fluorescent lighting and that horribly annoying holiday music loop at the mall.
Does it get any better than this, I ask you? I think not. See you all soon!
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November 14, 2009
We recently did an event for IBM at Moscone Center, here in San Francisco. The candy bar we set up for them was a huge hit!
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