In honor of the Candy Holiday (aka Halloween), let’s talk confectionary. I want to bring your attention to two sweet things that are fancy, and necessary. Ok yessss, that was hyperbole, but they are so good they seem necessary. 

Kolsvart is a Swedish candy company that started by making licorice and then expanded to create other sweet things. They make gummy candies inspired by the classic Swedish Fish, but theirs actually have real, juicy flavor to them. Each flavor is shaped like a different kind of fish found up in those frigid waters around Scandinavia. Our favorites, raspberry and sour raspberry, are shaped to look like Röding or Arctic Char. Are these bougie as heck? Why yes, yes they are, but they are so very awesome. I like to give bags of these candies as gifts because the packaging is quite pretty and watching someone taste a fish is so fun. They expect normal, basic gummies, but when they bite into one of these, their eyes light up as they experience sweet raspberry that actually tastes like the fruit. Oh, and then I of course ask to “try one” since “it’s been a while.” I recommend you do the same.

My other favorite sweets at the shop are the chocolate bars (duhhh) by Chequessett Chocolate. Katherine Reed and Josiah Mayo source cocoa beans from Central America, South America, and Africa, working directly with cocoa farms and farmer coops to find the highest quality beans with the right flavors for a particular bar. Whenever a new batch of chocolates arrives at the shop, I get very excited and must buy a bar immediately. I usually go for the Nantucket Nib Crunch because I love the smooth, silky dark chocolate and crunchy nibs, coming from Oko Caribe, a cocoa farm in the Dominican Republic. Just unwinding the little string on the back of the package makes my mouth water. Just thinking about unwinding the little string on the back of the package makes my mouth water. 

These, my friends, are my Halloween candies of choice this year (and every year and at all times of year). They bring us joy at the shop as we frequently “taste test,” and I hope they spark a little something happy in you, too.

For the love of cheese and swweeeeeets,

Kiri

P.S. Not only is it the time of year for Halloween, but also Día de los Muertos (Day(s) of the Dead). This holiday (VERY different from Halloween) celebrates life and death and love ones who are no longer with us. Check out this video from PBS about artists in Los Angeles and their connection to the holiday.