Meet our Lemon Cream - part nine

 Editor's Note: Introducing Meet Me Mondays - Candy Version!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop.  I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, another one of my goals has been to help introduce each of our delicious candies to our wonderful customers, while also providing a tool for the general public to be able to identify our candy.  I hope you enjoy this series which will highlight all the Anderson's Candy that you love!   

Ninth in our series is Lemon Cream.

Fresh.  Sweet. Just tart enough.  A showstopper in our books! 

Our lemon cream is made and flavored much like the other fruit creams in our line.  Starting from a blank slate so to speak of sweet but unflavored cream center and then brought to life by our head cook and his assistants.  Getting the flavor just right is an art form.

We use pure lemon oil in our Lemon Cream centers spading each small batch by hand and tasting along the way. A few drops can take the center from a hint of lemon to make-your-mouth pucker quickly! Our goal is to add enough oil so that when covered in chocolate the cream is unmistakably lemon. A sweet citrus that fills your mouth roundly with flavor and blends perfectly complimenting the chocolate.

When looking for Lemon Cream in a box of Anderson's Candy, you will look for an oblong piece (remember all cream centers are either round or oblong).  

Look for the piece marked with a cursive “L” on top. And if you've been following along with us you know each L will look different depending on the chocolate handwriting of person who dipped it!

We do not make a larger candy bar counterpart for our Lemon Cream pieces, but if it is one of your favorites you can always order a 1/4#, 1/2# or 1# box of these delicious pieces by calling us at the shop 1-888-214-7614 or using our Make A Special Request feature online. 

Fun Fact: Lemon Cream is also GLUTEN FREE! 

https://linktr.ee/andersonscandyshop

Meet our Raspberry Cream - part eight

 

Editor's Note: Introducing Meet Me Mondays - Candy Version!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop.  I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, another one of my goals has been to help introduce each of our delicious candies to our wonderful customers, while also providing a tool for the general public to be able to identify our candy.  I hope you enjoy this series which will highlight all the Anderson's Candy that you love!   

Eighth in our series is Raspberry Cream.

If you love the authentic taste of our “Fruit Cream” centers, Raspberry Cream will not disappoint.  From the flavors to the color, everything about this piece screams DELICIOUS! 

There are only a few of our cream center candies we make that come only as individual pieces. The flavor is potent, and we love the ratio of cream center to chocolate in the "piece" format so unless you place a special order you won't find a Raspberry Cream egg or candy bar.

The Raspberry Creams at our shop start out as a "blank" cream center. We use a very high grade beaten egg white in our recipe to ensure a fluffy, creamy consistency every time. We also hand spade this cream center and add in pure raspberry oil little by little until the cream center is super smooth and the flavor is just right! It has to be bold enough to come through the chocolate but not too strong or the effect will be "perfume" like.

When searching in a box of chocolate for the Raspberry Cream, whether it be in a Creams Assortment, an Everything But Nuts (EBN) Assortment or a Deluxe Assortment ... look for a small round piece with a beautiful capital "R" on top.

If you have not had the pleasure to taste this wonderful piece, next time you are in to our Richmond shop, ask for a sample, you won’t be disappointed! 

Fun Facts:  Sometimes this cream center piece is larger than other round cream centers in a box of Anderson's Candy. This is due to the consistency of the center which sometimes is "spreads" more as it is dipped in chocolate. This is due to the edition of the Raspberry oil. 

And, did you know that Raspberry lovers can find several chocolate creations in our line besides the Raspberry Cream? We also use Raspberry oil plus REAL whole raspberries in our Raspberry Jel which is part of the center of the Raspberry Mallow candy bar. And, we use real raspberry fruit in our ganache for the very popular Raspberry Truffle!

Raspberry Cream is also GLUTEN FREE!

https://linktr.ee/andersonscandyshop

Meet our Marzipan - part seven

 Editor's Note: Introducing Meet Me Mondays - Candy Version!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop.  I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, another one of my goals has been to help introduce each of our delicious candies to our wonderful customers, while also providing a tool for the general public to be able to identify our candy.  I hope you enjoy this series which will highlight all the Anderson's Candy that you love!   

Seventh in our series is Marzipan.

An old fashioned European treat done Anderson’s style. Marzipan is also known as an almond paste and in its simplest form is just that.  We intensify the flavor of ours and give it a smoother texture by adding pure almond extract and some of our handmade fondant. Then we dip it into our signature milk or dark chocolate. The result is something so delicious that your eyes will close and your head will bob like you just heard a great "jam" on the radio! Eating our Marzipan is truly total delight! 

Some say this traditional center is an acquired taste, for me I have come to love it because of how smooth, sweet and delicious Anderson’s version is.

When you get this flavor in bar form, you will notice that it is rolled into two round patties, connected in the middle, just as the rest of the cream center bars.

 When you pull this bar out of it’s crinkly wax bag you will see it’s unique mark on top - a sort of "x" or some see it as an "awareness ribbon."

When you look closely you will see that the main part of the mark is a triangle and that triangle has two of it’s sides extended past the main part of the triangle.  

Look at your next bar and enjoy the unique mark on top before you take a bite! Like mentioned in our previous posts, each candy bar may look slightly different depending on who dipped it! Each of our Dipping Room staff has her own "handwriting" in the chocolate!  

Marzipan is unique amongst our cream center candies as the bar and the piece DO have the same mark on top! (Finally! hehe)

When looking for Marzipan in a box of Anderson's Candies, you will look again for a small round piece, and look for that triangle shape with extended arms.  Though sometimes the pieces are a little harder to decipher as the extended sides on the triangle tend to get a little “loopy” at the start and end of the mark. (It is a lot to fit on a little piece!)

Fun Facts: Marzipan is one our most requested special packs! That means customers call us and order a whole half pound or one pound box of JUST Marzipan centers - opposed to enjoying it as one of many flavors in an assorted box. 

Many people associate Marzipan as a Christmas flavor, so if you've never had it before, consider it with the holidays coming up!

Marzipan is also GLUTEN FREE!

https://linktr.ee/andersonscandyshop

Meet our Vanilla Cream - part six

Editor's Note: Introducing Meet Me Mondays - Candy Version!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop.  I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, another one of my goals has been to help introduce each of our delicious candies to our wonderful customers, while also providing a tool for the general public to be able to identify our candy.  I hope you enjoy this series which will highlight all the Anderson's Candy that you love!   

Sixth in our series is Vanilla Cream.

Our Vanilla Creams are rich, sweet and have a distinct real vanilla flavor.  That's because we flavor them with pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla and hand-spaded each batch.

These are simply the smoothest and best vanilla creams you will find.  

Made like its companions in our cream center line, Vanilla Creams start out as "blank" creams in small batches. They are cooked in our copper kettles and spaded out on our big marble slabs.

  So what is the difference between our Buttercream, the Vanilla Creams? 
We use whole cream in our Buttercream which add a buttery, thick, tone behind the vanilla. Our Vanilla creams light up your pallet in the way sugar or cake frosting does.  When paired with the cocoa butter in our signature milk or dark chocolate, WOWWIE! It will leave you yearning for more. 

Vanilla Cream does not have a larger candy bar counterpart. But you can find it in our boxes of Anderson's Candy such as our Creams Assortment, Deluxe Assorted or Everything But Nuts boxes.

At Eastertime we do make one exception for this however when we create our Vanilla Cream eggs! 

When looking for a Vanilla Cream in a box of Anderson's Candy you will look for a small round piece (remember, all cream centers are either round or oblong), and on top of this piece you will find a very swirly - quite fancy "V", for "Vanilla".  

Fun Facts: Because all of our candy is handmade you can enjoy the distinct handwriting of each Dipper as you look for this piece. Just like when writing a letter using pen and paper, each person's letters look unique. Vanilla Creams is one the pieces where this is most apparent. 

In the photo below you can see two different Dipping Room employee's handwriting. Each has made her own "V."

Vanilla Creams are also GLUTEN FREE!  

https://linktr.ee/andersonscandyshop

Meet our Maplenut Cream - part five

 Editor's Note: Introducing Meet Me Mondays - Candy Version!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop.  I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, another one of my goals has been to help introduce each of our delicious candies to our wonderful customers, while also providing a tool for the general public to be able to identify our candy.  I hope you enjoy this series which will highlight all the Anderson's Candy that you love!   

Fifth in our series is Maplenut Cream.

A rich maple-flavored cream center made with real maple extract is in the center of this piece!  We also add bits of chopped English Walnuts for a one-of-a-kind-flavor.  Rich and savory, the maple and walnut flavors soar hand in hand.  

The Maplenut Creams at our shop start out as a "blank" cream center. We use a very high grade beaten egg white to ensure a fluffy, creamy consistency every time. We also hand spade all of our cream centers until they are smooth, and then add the natural oils or flavors.

Maplenut Cream centers are brown on the inside to match that maple flavor however the maple oil we use is not potent for coloring. So to achieve our signature "look" when you bite open a Maplenut Cream, we use a burnt sugar solution to create just the right brown color!

When third generation candy maker Leif Anderson was teaching his daughters to flavor this cream center, he would be sure to coach them in how to get the flavor and the color just right. 

Fourth generation candy maker Katie Anderson-Tedder remembers he would say.

"Customers eat with all five senses." and "You eat first with your eyes."

The look, mouth feel, scent and flavor all have to be just right. (The sound element comes in when the customer says, "Mmmmmm!")

While some of our cream center candies you can enjoy in a candy bar format AND as an individual piece, this flavor cream is only made in individual piece form (most of the time!). You can order it packed up in a 1 pound or 1/2 pound box or enjoy it as one of the assorted flavors in our boxed chocolates. 

However, there is one special time of year when Maplenut goes BIG so to speak. During Easter season we make Maplenut Cream Eggs!  Our fruit flavor cream Cherrynut will also get a chance to go big during Easter.

But back to the main star of this week, Maplenut Cream. 

Once inside a box of Anderson's Candy, while searching for the Maplenut Cream, you will look for an oblong piece.  Atop the Maplenut Cream there is a mark that looks like a cursive "M."

Do you see it?  All of our candy has an individual mark unique to its center and this one is phonetic. The fancy "M" stands for Maplenut.

Fun Facts: This center is number 2 behind only Buttercream as the most requested Special Pack cream center. That means customers request boxes of just Maplenut to fill their box. Opposed to ordering our Creams assortment.
This cream is also GLUTEN FREE!

https://linktr.ee/andersonscandyshop

Meet our Peppermint Cream - part four

 Editor's Note: Introducing Meet Me Mondays - Candy Version!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop.  I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, another one of my goals has been to help introduce each of our delicious candies to our wonderful customers, while also providing a tool for the general public to be able to identify our candy.  I hope you enjoy this series which will highlight all the Anderson's Candy that you love!  Fourth in our series is Peppermint Cream.

When third-generation owner Leif Anderson used to flavor this cream center, he would sample as he went, adding triple distilled peppermint oil a few drops at a time when he felt the flavor was close.

"When you take a bite of this cream, it should open up your nasal passages," he would say. He wanted enough peppermint oil so that you would fully experience the powerful peppermint flavor and so that it would stand out even through a thick coat of Anderson's rich chocolate.

 
Cooks at Anderson's will never forget being taught how to properly flavor this center by Leif. 

The Peppermint Creams at our shop start out as a "blank" cream center - never gummy or waxy, we use whole cream in our recipe. We also hand spade all of our cream centers until they are smooth, and then add the nature oils or flavors.

If you are a York Peppermint Patty fan, once you've had our Peppermint Cream Bar you will never go back. 

Unlike the other cream center candy bars which at different times throughout the history of the shop have been presented as one oblong bar verses two patties - our Peppermint Cream bars have always been rolled in to two patties and dipped in two halves. This is due to the cream center's potency.

Looking at the candy bar from the top down, you will notice it wears the "rough dip", and wears it well. ;)  

Hopefully you aren't still looking for this candy bar's smaller counterpart to be strutting out of a box of Anderson's Candy wearing the SAME mark as the bar. No way. Like the other cream centers, the Peppermint Cream when made into an individual piece has a different mark on top.

 In your box of cream centers you would search for a small round piece (all cream center pieces are either round or oblong), with a line straight across the top.

 But be careful, if you find a piece that you think is Peppermint Cream, but isn't quite round, or seems flat on the top, that's because you've likely found a Walnut instead.

 Identifying the candies  by their mark takes practice, but once you figure it out, it's a piece of cake. 

Fun Facts: Peppermint Cream is most popular in Dark Chocolate. 

We have a family who lives locally (Hi Katzenbergs!) that orders several pounds of JUST Peppermint Creams for major holidays and birthdays because it is their family's favorite. We are so thrilled to be part of their traditions!

Peppermint Cream is also GLUTEN FREE! 

https://linktr.ee/andersonscandyshop

Meet our Pudding Cream - part three

 

Editor's Note: Introducing Meet Me Mondays - Candy Version!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop.  I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, another one of my goals has been to help introduce each of our delicious candies to our wonderful customers, while also providing a tool for the general public to be able to identify our candy.  I hope you enjoy this series which will highlight all the Anderson's Candy that you love!   

Third in our series is Pudding.

Pudding cream is a cream center we refer to as the “dark side” of Buttercream.  

Our Pudding creams start out as a perfectly respectable vanilla buttercream batch, but then we add a blend of our signature chocolate and a secret ingredient, and the result is a sinfully smooth and chocolaty cream with bittersweet undertones.  

So rich, this cream is almost considered a truffle. 

When in candy bar form, the Pudding comes rolled and dipped in to two patties -

it’s almost too rich to finish in one sitting, though you see I did say “almost.” 

You can identify the Pudding candy bar by the beautiful "bows" on top of each piece.  If you are looking for an individual Pudding piece, you could look for a bow again, but it will not be Pudding inside. Like it’s cousin creams we have already featured, this piece has a different mark when in piece form.

To find the individual Pudding piece in your next box of chocolates, look for an oblong shape with a letter “P” on top, which stands for… you guessed it, Pudding.  

Fun and delicious fact: When third-generation owner Leif Anderson was in grade school, he would sneak this candy bar as an after-school treat. When Leif would check in at the shop on his way home, he would back up to the box that held the Pudding bars and sneak one into his pocket. Any employees that saw him smiled and knowingly "looked the other way."

Extra fun and delicious fact: Pudding is GLUTEN FREE! 

https://linktr.ee/andersonscandyshop

Meet our Brown Sugar Buttercream - part two

 

Editor's Note: Introducing Meet Me Mondays - Candy Version!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop.  I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, another one of my goals has been to help introduce each of our delicious candies to our wonderful customers, while also providing a tool for the general public to be able to identify our candy.  I hope you enjoy this series which will hightlight all the Anderson's Candy that you love!   

Second in our series is Brown Sugar Buttercream. 

Once known as Meltaway Cream, this bar is made almost the same way as its cousin, Buttercream.  Made in small batches in our Richmond kitchen, this brown sugar delight comes to life.  

Our Brown Sugar Buttercreams are flavored with moist, sweet brown sugar, giving them a uniquely deep, sweet, rich flavor.

Today, this candy bar comes as two, thick chocolate covered patties garnished with a fresh whole pecan on top - (that part is a recent update and is a blast from the past)!  

About 15 years ago, we changed the format of our cream-center candy bars. They went from one, oblong cream center to two circular patties. When the format changed the traditional pecan on top was retired. 
Brown Sugar Buttercream then evolved into being dipped with a mark on top that looked similar to a lightning bolt - some would say that the mark looked as if it were “melting away”, which is how I learned to remember the mark.  

Although this hand dipped mark was beautiful it was similar to the "C" on our Coconut candy bars. So, this summer we decided to try out dipping these bars "throwback" style! We brought back a piece of history and add the pecan back on top. 

For those who enjoy eating their cream-centers in bite sized pieces, we do make individual piece Brown Sugar Buttercream. But like many of the candy bars, Brown Sugar Buttercream's bite size counterpart has a different marking than the bar. 

When looking for Brown Sugar Buttercream in a box of Anderson’s Candy, you will look for a round piece with an oval mark on top.  Because all of our candy is hand dipped, this oval will not be perfect in shape, or the exact same every time you see it.

Marks vary depending on who is dipping the candy.  

(Fun Facts - once you have worked with the candy and same dippers for a while, you can start to tell who dipped each piece of candy based on their "handwriting" in the chocolate!

Brown Sugar Buttercream is also GLUTEN FREE!)

https://linktr.ee/andersonscandyshop

Meet our Buttercream - part one

 

Editor's Note: Introducing Meet Me Mondays - Candy Version!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop.  I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, another one of my goals has been to help introduce each of our delicious candies to our wonderful customers, while also providing a tool for the general public to be able to identify our candy, piece by piece.  I hope you enjoy this series which will highlight all the Anderson's Candy that you love!   First in our series is Buttercream. 

Made right here in our Richmond shop, we make our rich, sweet buttercream with 40% or more butterfat cream and pure Madagascar bourbon vanilla.  

Hand spaded on marble slabs in small batches to the perfect consistency, the flavor and aroma of our buttercream blends perfectly with our chocolate to leave you smiling long after you’ve finished savoring this sweet treat.  

When you purchase our Buttercream in candy bar form, you will notice that our candy bars are rolled into two halves, attached in the middle by our signature chocolate.  Both halves are hand dipped into milk or dark chocolate with a smooth finish and topped with a “B” on one side and “C” on the other side.  This stands for Butter Cream.  This is the format for all of our cream bars, but we will get to those flavors in the weeks to come.  

Looking at our bite size pieces, you may be tempted to again search for that signature “B” and “C” but you will be surprised to not find those marks again.  This is because our bite size version of the Buttercream candy bar is in fact different from its larger counterpart.  When searching for Buttercream, you will look for a small round piece.  This piece is marked with what we refer to as a “rough dip”.  This “rough dip” looks like a bumpy mess, messy and perfect all at the same time.  

Buttercreams are also GLUTEN FREE! 

https://linktr.ee/andersonscandyshop

Meet Lisa Hohmeier - part 11

 

Editor's Note: Continuing Meet Me Mondays!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop. I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, one of my goals has been to help introduce our family of staff to our family of customers.  I hope you enjoy this series which will hightlight all the wonderful men and women who work hard to create the Anderson's Candy that you love!   

Eleventh in our series, is Lisa Hohmeier.

Lisa has been apart of the Anderson’s Candy Shop Family for over 10 years, she was the first employee hired to work in our Barrington shop when we opened that location over 10 years ago.  

Lisa remembers working closely with fourth-generation candy maker, Katie Anderson-Tedder when the Barrington shop was located at the other end of main street, in the historical part of town.  She remembers Katie telling her to taste the candy, “Yeah baby!” she remembers thinking at that first delicious bite. 

Something Lisa thinks will surprise customers about how our candy is made is “The amount of human effort that goes into each and every piece.” 

Lisa is a dark chocolate lover for everything! … except Peanut Butter Crunch!

Fond memories while working in the shop consist of the generosity of our customers.  “We had a customer pay the remainder of an older gentleman’s bill, since he didn’t have enough money.  We never told him, he thought he just got a great deal!”  “I love when someone comes in and realizes this is the candy their Gramma gave them years ago (they recognize the candy bar bags)!”

Lisa’s favorite holiday at the candy shop is Christmas, “I love Christmas because our candy is a part of so many families during celebrations!” Lisa also says “Valentine’s Day is hard with all the special packing and sticky strawberries.  It is a lot of set up for a short selling period.” 

On her days off, Lisa enjoys hanging out with her rescue greyhound and foster greyhounds.  She loves taking walks, pilates and gardening in her yard.  She enjoys driving her 1967 Pontiac and taking their cars to car shows and cruise nights.  

Meet Wendy Hollister-Hill - Part 12

 

Editor's Note: Continuing Meet Me Mondays!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop. I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, one of my goals has been to help introduce our family of staff to our family of customers.  I hope you enjoy this series which will hightlight all the wonderful men and women who work hard to create the Anderson's Candy that you love!   Twelfth in our series, is Wendy Hollister-Hill.

Wendy has been a part of the Anderson’s Candy Shop Family for almost 7 years (November 2, 2015 to be  exact, “It was one of my favorite days EVER.  My 42nd birthday, a new job and front row seats for Rob Thomas!).  Wendy manages the Barrington location, making sure the store is stocked full of candy, decorating for all the different seasons and holidays and of course, helping all of our wonderful customers.  

Wendy originally started working in our Richmond location in the packing room, learning all the marks on top of the pieces and bars.  

Something Wendy thinks will surprise our customers about how our candy is made is “how many people it takes to make a piece of our candy.  We have no machinery, making our product is an art form.” 

Wendy prefers dark chocolate, for everything! 

Wendy has many memories of working at the candy shop, but one that stands out “was my first taste of molasses sponge candy.  It was my mom’s favorite.  Dad use to surprise her with a bag - and sometimes my sister and I would get some.  I was so excited to learn we made it.  

The first bite brought me to literal tears.” 

Holidays at the candy shop can truly be a different experience for everyone, Wendy says  her least favorite holiday is Arbor Day, “There are no special items to try, it’s an important day, just not highly recognized (or the holidays which require me to use a lot of glittery decor IYKYK” Her favorite holidays are “All of them! Each season and holiday brings new product or products only made during that season.  I get to change the decor and after I stop stressing about what to do, 

I can create some really visually pleasing displays.  

On her days off Wendy spends time with her family and also, thinking about how she can continue to contribute and make the Barrington location as great as it is, and even better (thank you Wendy!). 

Meet Emma Bertuccioli - part 9

 Editor's Note: Continuing Meet Me Mondays!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop and also help the Anderson's with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, one of my goals has been to help introduce our family of staff to our family of customers.  I hope you enjoy this series which will hightlight all the wonderful men and women who work hard to create the Anderson's Candy that you love!  

Ninth in our series, is Emma Bertuccioli.

Emma has been a part of Anderson's Candy Shop Family for a little over two years.  

Much like a few of her co-workers, Emma too started as an "after school kid."  She would come in after she got done at school and pack candy into boxes or put freshly made candy away.  

Emma works in the storefront and packing room.

Emma first remembers learning how to use the cash register along with 

putting away candy and packing. 

Emma prefers all things in dark chocolate! 

Fun times in the packing room gave Emma the fond memory of "having a wrapping caramel race with a few co-workers (I won!)" 

Emma says her favorite holiday at the candy shop is Halloween "because I love the decorations and our chocolate molds."  Her least favorite is Christmas, "we run out of everything which makes packing more stressful!" 

On her days off Emma enjoys spending time with her family and friends, enjoying the nice weather. 

Meet Ethan Luedke - part 10

 

Editor's Note: Continuing Meet Me Mondays!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop. I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, one of my goals has been to help introduce our family of staff to our family of customers.  I hope you enjoy this series which will hightlight all the wonderful men and women who work hard to create the Anderson's Candy that you love!  

Tenth in our series, is Ethan Luedke

Ethan is our newest edition to the Anderson's Candy Shop Family.  Ethan started at the shop in the fall of 2021 and works in the packing room and store front.  If you have shopped with us on a weekend in the past year, chances are you have seen Ethan's smiling face!

When he first started, Ethan remembers learning how to stamp the wax paper bags we put candy bars away in and learning how to properly put candy away.

Something Ethan thinks may surprise customers is that not only are the chocolates dipped in the Richmond shop but that "all of the fillings (like Buttercream, Caramel, and Nougat) are made here." 

Ethan doesn't have a favorite when it comes to milk or dark chocolate, for him it's the filling inside the 

chocolate that counts the most! 

Fond memories for Ethan while working at the candy shop include when he and Xander get into discussions about their musical tastes. "Xander has terrible taste," he jokes.

Ethan's favorite holiday to work at the candy shop is Easter. "Easter because of the cream and marshmallow eggs" he says.

And, like a few other of our staff...Valentine's Day is his least favorite, "because of the heart boxes."

(oh yes... so pretty but very difficult to pack up!)

On his days off, Ethan enjoys playing video games.

Meet Xander Novak - part 8

 Editor's Note: Continuing Meet Me Mondays!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop. I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, one of my goals has been to help introduce our family of staff to our family of customers.  I hope you enjoy this series which will hightlight all the wonderful men and women who work hard to create the Anderson's Candy that you love!   Eighth in our series, is Xander Novak.

Xander has been a part of the Anderson's Candy Shop Family for a little over 2 years. He works in the storefront with customers and also in the packing room. 

Xander started when he was a student at Richmond Burton Community High School as an "after school kid" helping out on weekends and pitching in on night shifts during our busy holiday seasons. And, he has stayed with Anderson's as he has begun his college journey!

One thing that Xander remembers doing when he first started at the shop was learning to follow our "maps" and pack candy into different boxed assortments.  

Like most of our staff, the number one thing Xander thinks would surprise customers is that the candy is all really handmade at our store in Richmond. 

If you were to spy Xander sneaking a piece of candy for "quality control" you would see he prefers milk chocolate over dark. 

One of Xander's fond memories of working at the shop is "When the ghosts haunted the candy shop in front of my eyes."

  (Oh, Xander... In a building with so much history (yep, we have been making candy here in Richmond since 1926), it's not uncommon to hear the old building creek, or to mistake the whir of the melters or the AC unit kicking on, to be something else ... especially during night shifts during our the holiday rush. )

Xander enjoys working most during the Christmas Season at the candy shop.

 "It's so joyful and we are constantly busy," he says.

 His least favorite holiday is Easter "because of the strange molds." (There are many! More than 20 styles of solid chocolate molded figures! He's right - keeping track of all the different solid chocolate Easter Bunnies is quite the job!) 

On his days off, Xander spends his time with his dog or playing video games.

Meet Rebecca Hile - part 7

 

Editor's Note: Continuing Meet Me Mondays!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop. I also help the Andersons with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, one of my goals has been to help introduce our family of staff to our family of customers.  I hope you enjoy this series which will hightlight all the wonderful men and women who work hard to create the Anderson's Candy that you love!  

Seventh in our series, is Rebecca Hile.

Rebecca has been a part of the Anderson's Candy Shop family for about two years. She works in the packing room putting away chocolates and preparing orders as well as in the storefront.   

One of the first jobs Rebecca remembers doing when she started at the shop was stamping labels on our iconic red and blue candy bar bags and learning how to "put away candy into their appropriate boxes." 

Rebecca thinks customers would be surprised to know just how much "time and labor that is put into making each piece."

Rebecca prefers milk chocolate but does enjoy a few things in dark.  (Ask her when you meet her in the shop!) 

Fond memories Rebecca has had while working at Anderson's include meeting wonderful people 

and making new friends. 

When it comes to holidays at the store, Rebecca says "All the holidays are cool in different ways!"

"Valentine's Day is challenging with packing customer requests into hearts and Christmas is amazing seeing all the production that gets done in the time allowed!" She enjoys watching everyone work hard to make every request possible on time.

On her days off, Rebecca loves being outside enjoying nice weather.  

"Gardening, walking, camping, riding bicycle and motorcycle, mowing grass and square dancing!" are among her favorite things to do. Oh, and she's a farm girl at heart and loves taking care of her chickens, too!

Meet Briana McKee - part 6

 Editor's Note: Continuing Meet Me Mondays!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop and also help the Anderson's with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, one of my goals has been to help introduce our family of staff to our family of customers.  I hope you enjoy this series which will hightlight all the wonderful men and women who work hard to create the Anderson's Candy that you love!  Sixth in our series, is Briana McKee.

Briana (Bree) has been a part of the Anderson's Candy Shop Family for 4 years.  Bree works in just about every room in the shop, minus the Cooking Room.  Her main focus these days has been the Dipping Room, where Bree is the newest Dipper. 

The first thing Bree remembers doing while working at the shop "I learned how to put candy away and how to pack chocolates."  

Something Briana thinks will surprise customers about how our candy is made is "how everything is made by hand and how many different steps it takes to have such amazing candy!"

Bree prefers all things in dark chocolate!

"I have many fond memories while working here," Bree recalls, " but I'd have to say my favorite memory is when Leif was still with us.  His fun and happy personality would brighten up your day and how he would go out of his way to tell you a corky dad joke just to make you smile!"

Briana says her favorite holiday to work is Christmas "because it's constantly busy and fast moving."  Her least favorite time would be summer "because it's really slow." 

On her days off Bree enjoys gardening or  spending time with her husband and three children.  

Meet Nick Anderson - part 5

 Editor's Note: Continuing Meet Me Mondays!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop and also help the Anderson's with social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, one of my goals has been to help introduce our family of staff to our family of customers.  I hope you enjoy this series which will hightlight all the wonderful men and women who work hard to create the Anderson's Candy that you love!  

Fifth in our series, is Nick Anderson.

Nick as been a part of the Anderson's Candy Shop Family for over 7 years.  Nick holds the title of Head Cook, he works in the room we call "the Cooking Room" where the insides of the chocolates are made.  Nick originally started at the Candy Shop working in the Packing Room.  

The first thing Nick remembers doing when he first started at the shop was packing pieces 

of candy into boxes.  

Something Nick thinks will surprise customers about how our candy is made is "the amount of time and labor that goes into it.  Most batches take between 45 minutes to 2 hours just to cook, this doesn't include the time it takes to cut the batches, dip the pieces or package." 

Nick prefers milk chocolate when it's not paired with anything, 

otherwise it can depend on what is inside. 

"My nose doesn't work very well." Nick says.  "There is a batch where you need to roast the nuts and the easiest way to tell if it's done is by smell.  I was having trouble with the batch so I called on our intercom for help.  Leif Anderson (my childhood hero) cooked with me side by side.  He told me when it smelled right and I told him when it looked right.  In the moment, we worked as equals."  Nick recalled this as one of his fondest memories while working at the shop.  

Nick's favorite holiday to work "is definitely winter in the Candy Shop."  "That's the season where everyone has to come together and work their hardest.  It's also the season where everyone's colors truly shine."  Nick's least favorite season at the shop is spring, "mostly because of spring cleaning." 

On his days off, Nick enjoys the company of his family and friends.  "In either case (family or friends) we usually play games of all varieties."

Meet Kelly Heersche - part 4

 

 

Editor's Note:  Continuing Meet Me Mondays!  I am Britta Malsch, the Purchasing Manager at Anderson's Candy Shop and I also help the Andersons with the social media duties.  As I enter my 10th year at the store, one of my goals has been to help introduce our family of staff to our family of customers.  I hope you enjoy this series which will highlight the wonderful men and women who work hard to create the Anderson's Candy that you love! Fourth in our series is Kelly Heersche. 

Kelly has been a part of the Anderson's Candy Shop Family for 9 years.  Her main role is as the lead milk chocolate dipper in the dipping room however she sometimes helps in the molding room and has recently expanded her skill set by learning how to work in our packing room and helping customers in the storefront.  

Kelly remembers watching seasoned dippers when she first started working at the candy shop and

thinking "How will I ever get my candy to look like that?" 

Kelly's choice of chocolate is milk chocolate, always. 

Something Kelly thinks would surprise customers about how our candy is made is that it is hand dipped into a "bed of chocolate" on marble slabs built into an old dining table, 

handcrafted by the Anderson Family. 

Fond memories for Kelly consist of laughter in the dipping room and the connections she 

has made with guests in the store. 

Kelly's favorite holiday to work at the candy shop is Christmas.  "I love the season and how busy it is."  "I really don't have a least favorite season, I would have said summer, but this year is different because I am in the storefront for some of it and get to meet all of you and see how happy you are 

when you get your favorite candy." 

On her days off, Kelly enjoys spending time with family and visiting friends.  

She also enjoys sewing and painting.