A local candy maker is putting a modern twist on classic children sweets with a new candy store in Fairfield.
Last week, Jeanette Miller opened Tout de Sweet Confectionary (1267 Fairfield Rd.) an organic candy factory that sells handcrafted organic sweets such as marshmallows, caramels, organic cotton candy, lollipops and caramel corn.
All sweets are made natural ingredients that are nut, gluten and corn syrup free.
Miller has been baking and cooking since she was a child (she baked cookies every week and taught herself how to decorate cakes at the age of 11), but only got into candy making a few years ago.
“I already had the idea that I wanted to do something different. I wanted to do something that would connect me to the community here and I wanted to do something that I actually make,” said Miller. “I stumbled across organic cotton candy at the Vancouver Children’s Festival.”
From there she researched marshmallows and taught herself the art of making the tasty treats from any candy-making cookbook she could get her hands on.
“I like the challenge of making it, just learning the process and just constantly battling the elements. It’s battling the heat, the humidity, the cold, it’s battling the packaging,” she said.
Earlier this year, Miller turned her dreams into reality, by locking down the commercial kitchen on Fairfield and by March, had things up and running.
For Miller, it was about returning to her roots.
“I grew up in Fairfield, my daughter goes to school on the corner, by brother owns the bike shop around the corner, my mom lives down the road, for me, it was like a coming home,” she said.
Fast-forward three months and Miller’s colourful one-person business is open for business. She hopes both kids and adults will enjoy her organic peach and coconut cotton candy, caramel corn with hints of rosemary and smores bars.
“We’re taking a modern take on old classic confections,” she said.
Emma McCormick, a celebration stylist, has hired Miller five times in the last month and a half to help bring her popular smores bars with marshmallows and gourmet saucers and chocolate to company events, birthday parties and other events.
“They're delicious. They literally takes smores to a whole new level,” said McCormick, noting that the most popular is the toasted coconut smore. “They're such a crowd pleaser at events, everyone gathers around the table and talks about what flavours they've tried.”