26 | November 30, 2017 | The Lockport Legend LOCKPORT lockportlegend.com
lockportlegend.com DINING OUT the Lockport Legend | November 30, 2017 | 27 The Dish A cornucopia of confectionery charm Dan’s Homemade Candies offers favorite sweets of chocolate connoisseurs T.J. Kremer III, Editor So many things have changed since 1919 that it is pointless to even begin to mention what some of those things are. But at least two things have remained the same in the southwest suburbs: Dan’s Homemade Candies and the way those candies are made. In 1991, Richard and Carol Nelson purchased Dan’s from a family friend. The Nelsons ran the business for 16 years before turning it over to their own daughters in 2007. They continue to own and manage the store’s three locations between Joliet and Mokena. And it has been a labor of love for co-owner Kristine Collins and her sister Kelly Bostjancic, who manages the Mokena location, which opened in 2012. “I love interacting with the customers and hearing their stories of when they were a kid coming in and buying candy with their parents, like the traditional caramel apples every season — got to have those caramel apples,” Collins said. “People come in happy. Even if they don’t have a piece of candy in their mouths yet, they’re just anticipating, and they’re happy.” Those customers have plenty to be happy about, too. The Mokena location makes plain fudge and nut fudge, English toffee, mint meltaway centers, caramel apples — when in season — and chocolate molds. Dan’s Homemade Candies in Mokena offers pre-assorted boxes of chocolates, caramels and creams for around $24.50 for a 1-pound box. Photos by T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media The Cass Street store in Joliet is where the creams are made, and the Plainfield Road store — also in Joliet — makes creams into whatever flavors are needed and adds the chocolate covers. Plainfield Road also chocolate-coats most other candies and makes the flavored popcorn, and each store makes its own caramel and clusters. They use the same chocolate supply company in Chicago as they did back in 1919. Chocolates stay the same year-round, but novelty candies change with the holidays and seasons. One of the more popular selections is a local candy: the G-Shaft hard candy ($7.25 per pound), which is a mint-flavored hard candy that originated in Coal City. The legend goes that a woman whose husband died started making the candy, and right outside her window was a mine — Mine Shaft G. Perhaps even more famous than the G-Shaft is Dan’s signature caramel, the recipe for which has been passed down since 1919 and is kept secure in a safe. The caramel comes in a variety of forms — from straight caramel pieces to chocolate-covered, and pieces with or without nuts — and sells for $24.50- $25.50 a pound. “A lot of people say it’s [their favorite], because it’s soft,” Bostjancic said. “You know, you eat a Brach’s candy, and it’s a little bit chewy, and they can’t do it with dentures or fillings. Our caramel is softer and it has a great taste. ... And that’s a Dan’s original recipe.” Friendly service and a quality product are what keep a lot of customers returning. And that repeat Customers also have the option of creating their own assortments at Dan’s Homemade Candies. business means the sisters get to know well what different customers like and are able to offer suggestions for new products. “I have one woman who has come in since her little guy was 2 years old,” Collins said. “He’s married and expecting his own kid now. And it’s kind of cool that we know our customers personally.” But that is not even the best part of owning a candy store, according to Bostjancic. “For me, the fun part is at the beginning of every holiday, we make chocolate molds,” Bostjancic said. “It’s just fun to see, OK, today we’re doing all the pumpkin suckers and the Frankensteins, and that holiday’s over and now we’re doing turkeys, and now that holiday’s over and now I get to pull out the Santa suckers, and then the Easter bunnies. Even though we use the same molds, it’s just fun to see them come out, and it’s like, ‘We made this. We made these 900 gingerbread suckers. We did this.’ “I guess it’s a sense of accomplishment, but also just how cute everything is just makes you happy when you look at your table and you’re like, ‘This is really awesome that we have this and we can do this for people.’” But the most exciting part, Bostjancic said, is when they get a new mold, like they did this year for a special Hanukkah mold. Those chocolate suckers and other holiday and novelty candies range from 80 cents for a quarter-pound bag of gummy snowflakes to $12.25 for a pound of peanut brittle. Candy is sold by the piece, as well as in bulk packages. In fact, one of the first customers at the Mokena location spent several weeks coming in and buying only four pieces at a time until she had gotten through all the candies, so that she could figure out which were her favorites. “I thought it was the funniest thing and the cleverest thing,” Bostjancic said. “She tried every product we had, four at a time, each week.” Dan’s Homemade Candies 11400 W. Lincoln Highway in Mokena Hours •9 a.m.-7 p.m. - Monday-Friday •9a.m.-5:30 p.m. - Saturday For more information… Web: danshomemadecandies. com Phone: (815) 464-0827 Dan’s has you covered when it comes to assorted chocolates and/or creams, too. A 1-pound box goes for $24.50, and Dan’s Christmas Towers, which come with an assortment of candies, sell for $40.99- $46.99. And with any luck, Dan’s could stay in the family for year’s to come. “I just hope the kids will take over,” Collins said. “That’s my dad’s idea. He always wanted to keep the whole family together. … Now, it’s our turn and we’re thinking like that, too. We’re thinking about our kids and nieces and nephews. “We just want to keep the business going and keep everyone happy, mostly. I mean, how can you not be happy waiting on customers who are happy all day?”
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