Food
The Foodies
Mission: sponge candy
By Vicki G. Marshall and Margaret M. Toohey
sugar. It is then caramelized and spread in a metal frame to cool overnight. After cooling, the confection is cut into squares and then each piece is dipped in chocolate. The varieties to be tasted were, in alphabetical order: Alethea’s (830 Main, Williamsville), Antoinette’s (5981 Transit, Depew), Condrell’s (2805 Delaware, Buffalo), Fowler’s 2467 Niagara Falls Boulevard, Tonawanda), Oliver’s (211 Main, Batavia), Parkside Candies (3208 Main, Buffalo), Platter’s (954 Oliver, North Tonawanda), Watson’s (2908 Delaware, Buffalo), and Yia Yia’s (5067 Transit, Depew). Shoppers, please note that some of these candy companies have multiple locations. Margy and Vicki managed to pick up all the candy on a Saturday afternoon (with the help of sister-in-law Maureen Toohey, who stopped in at Oliver’s). At each place we were told they were sure it would be voted the best; clearly, sponge candy is a very competitive business, similar to chicken wings. Margy preserved the candy in a dry location away from pets, husband, and herself, a feat to be commended. The samples were all made with milk chocolate and filled with the traditional “sponge” inside. For Vicki, who rarely eats sweets of any kind, this was not the easiest task; even Linda Radford mentioned that she would have preferred to be part of our legendary potato chip panel, citing that old sweet-versus-salt thing. However, once underway, the smells were so enticing and the candy looked so good that we all dug in and enjoyed the treats in front of us. As the conversation and tasting evolved we were all drawn back to one candy in particular. In order to rate our choices, we found ourselves retasting certain ones, although by that time no one could look at a whole piece. We were cutting them into little bites—sugar shock having set in, as you can imagine. The voting began, and with all of us talking at once about entry Number Two, it was no surprise when Margy tallied the votes. The winner? In first place, Watson’s, followed by Fowler’s, and Condrell’s. The rest were pretty much equal in votes. THE FOODIES RECENTLY CONCLUDED THAT OUR CAPACITY TO FIND, TRY, AND COMPARE THE RICH VARIETIES OF FOOD OFFERINGS IN OUR AREA IS LIKELY INEXHAUSTIBLE. From steakhouses to hot dog stands, from chicken wings to Chinese take-out, the options abound. So it was with delight that we assembled eight brave, strong, and noble women, ready to face a daunting mission. This was a serious, momentous, difficult assignment: Taste nine different makes of sponge candy. There in front of us were nine plates, each with a numbered card next to it. Only Margy, the keeper of the candy and Foodie research director, knew which one was which. Could we rise to the occasion, taste each variety, judge them fairly, and pick the best? You’ve got to be kidding. This was one of the Foodies’ best tastings ever. For those readers of Spree who have never heard of sponge candy, you’re probably a newcomer to Western New York. According to the website www.spongecandy.com, the confection is defined as “one of those things that’s really hard to describe without actually experiencing it.” The site explains that the sponge candy center is a simply flavored piece of caramelized sugar, almost molasses-like taste with a very unusual, crisp then melt-away texture. The piece de resistance is that the center is covered with as much milk or dark chocolate as it will carry. The folks at Ko-Ed Candies in South Buffalo have it right when
Watson’s was described as “good creamy chocolate with a soft melting sponge.” The Watson’s sponge was mentioned most often as the best. The chocolates varied considerably in flavor and thickness, and the ratio of chocolate to sponge was another factor we took into consideration.
they say that when “you bite into a piece of our sponge candy, you experience not only the chocolate’s opposing properties of solid firmness giving away to melty smoothness, but you get the center’s crispness immediately dissolving with a very complimentary mixing of chocolate and caramelized flavors.” Of course, sponge candy is found in places other than Buffalo. Ko-Ed Candies maintains the spongecandy.com site, where they inform visitors that you can routinely find sponge candy nearly everywhere (even in supermarket bulk bins) as far away as Rochester or Erie, Pennsylvania, but that it pretty much disappears beyond there. In Syracuse or Albany, for example, they don’t have a clue. Sources have confirmed that in Pittsburgh and Cleveland they also have no idea what sponge candy is. Oh, a variation can be found here and there around the country, and names like Sponge Taffy, Cinderblock, Sea Foam, Molasses Puffs, Honeycomb, or Fairy Food apply to similar concoctions. Descriptive as such names may be, they fail to measure up to the product produced within the 75-mile radius of Buffalo. Another claim to fame for our fair city! Unfortunately, since Ko-Ed Candy produces their candy on a fixed yearly schedule (guaranteed freshness), we were not able to have any Ko-Ed candy for sampling by our original panel, but you can be sure Margy and Vicki made a point to taste some before we finished our story. The day of reckoning came and the tasters were assembled. “Foodies 8”—our nod to Ocean’s 11—included Margy, Vicki, Keenan Toohey (Margy’s daughter), Mamie Leyland, Shirley Stringaro, and Lana Baich (Margy’s co-workers at the Lewiston Insurance Agency), Diane Finkbinder (owner of the Barton Hill Hotel in Lewiston), and Lewiston resident and trend-setter Linda Radford, who was brave enough to participate after a dental visit. (Oh, the sacrifices we make.) According to a brochure from Watson’s, sponge candy is made by mixing baking soda heated with Watson’s was described as “good creamy chocolate with a soft melting sponge.” The Watson’s sponge was mentioned most often as the best. The chocolates varied considerably in flavor and thickness, and the ratio of chocolate to sponge was another factor we took into consideration. To be honest, if we were each given a box of any one of these delicious treats we would be very happy and enjoy every morsel. However, when you taste nine varieties side by side, the differences can be quite surprising. Some of the chocolate was better than others while their sponge wasn’t quite as good as the chocolate. The ideal sponge candy needs to have the proper proportion of candy to sponge, so that when you bite into it the tastes melt together into a crunchy yet smooth experience. Watson’s seemed to meet everyone’s expectations. If you want to share a bit of WNY with friends and family elsewhere, you would be wise to send a gift of sponge candy from any one of these fine chocolate companies. (They ship everywhere.) Sponge candy is unique, delicious, and very special. P.S. After production resumed for the sponge candy season, Margy was able to get a taste of Ko-Ed’s and found it to be lovely. You can taste for yourself at 285 Abbott Road, Buffalo. We also contacted Park Edge Sweets, right down the road at 325 Abbott. They are only open from October through Mother’s Day because, as they told us, “If we can’t make sponge candy, then there’s no point to being open.” The Foodies will definitely make a visit before next Mother’s Day. oher’s Day.
Vicki G. Marshall) is a graphic designer. Margaret M. Toohey is CEO and owner of the Lewiston Insurance Agency. Visit the Foodies online at www.foodiestalk.blogspot.com.
AS SEEN IN BUFFALO SPREE MAGAZINE
December 2008
www.buffalospree.com
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