I've never seen an individually wrapped candy that wasn't a mass-produced confection like a Riesen's caramel or a Starburst. My husband Mike and I recently discovered Costas Candies and Restaurant in the southeast Minnesota town of Owatonna. The individually wrapped bonbons reminded me of the conveyor-belt candies in the classic I Love Lucy episode, Job Switching.
In a storyline that was to be repeated by countless other shows, Lucy and Ethel bet husbands Ricky and Fred that earning money is easier than housework. The episode is pure comedy gold, with moments like Ricky's disastrous attempt to cook chicken and rice. When my mom and I first watched the show together, she told me she and Grandma "screamed with laughter" when they first watched Job Switching in 1952. So the show is an heirloom of sorts in our family, handed down and enjoyed from generation to generation.
Another sweet thing about Job Switching, it represented a time when America had a thriving manufacturing base -- when an unskilled housewife could waltz in off the street and land a job, even if for one day.
Back to Costas Candies and hand-wrapped chocolates. The family-owned business has been around since 1919. Every caramel, truffle, creme and turtle is hand-dipped, rolled, and wrapped. A hand-wrapped chocolate is a morsel of affordable decadence, enhanced by the "peel me a grape" hedonism of a waxed-paper wrapper. Presentation is everything, you know.
With holidays coming up, or if you simply want to treat yourself to a grown-up Halloween treat, check out Costas -- or discover the confectioner in your own neck of the woods.
Related Posts:
A Confectionery Conundrum
In a storyline that was to be repeated by countless other shows, Lucy and Ethel bet husbands Ricky and Fred that earning money is easier than housework. The episode is pure comedy gold, with moments like Ricky's disastrous attempt to cook chicken and rice. When my mom and I first watched the show together, she told me she and Grandma "screamed with laughter" when they first watched Job Switching in 1952. So the show is an heirloom of sorts in our family, handed down and enjoyed from generation to generation.
Another sweet thing about Job Switching, it represented a time when America had a thriving manufacturing base -- when an unskilled housewife could waltz in off the street and land a job, even if for one day.
Back to Costas Candies and hand-wrapped chocolates. The family-owned business has been around since 1919. Every caramel, truffle, creme and turtle is hand-dipped, rolled, and wrapped. A hand-wrapped chocolate is a morsel of affordable decadence, enhanced by the "peel me a grape" hedonism of a waxed-paper wrapper. Presentation is everything, you know.
With holidays coming up, or if you simply want to treat yourself to a grown-up Halloween treat, check out Costas -- or discover the confectioner in your own neck of the woods.
Related Posts:
A Confectionery Conundrum
I love this I Love Lucy episode! It is a classic. Thank you for bringing me down memory lane. We are also lucky enough to have a hand made chocolatier(sp?) in our town and there is something so warm and fuzzy about it. The art of candy is definitely making a comeback. Great post! ~ Suerae
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! :=) Chocolatiering is not only an art, it's a language. I remember boxes of Sanders chocolates from Detroit -- the different squiggles on top represented the different fillings inside. Suerae, you and I are lucky to have chocolatiers so near where we live. A box of chocolates would make a good blog giveaway, wouldn't it?
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