Hoosier Histories
Indiana's small towns have affinity
for locally made chocolates
By Sarah Moreland
Ball State University Business Fellow
Indiana natives and tourists who share a love for food and history can explore the Hoosier pastime of sampling chocolate confections at local candy shops throughout the state.
Susan Haller, executive director of Indiana Foodways Alliance, said chocolate is a major part of Indiana towns because locally owned candy stores bring fresh ingredients and new recipes to their selection of sweets.
Although several large commercial candy companies use preservatives to keep candy fresh longer, smaller Indiana candymakers, who sell their products faster, don’t require artificial ingredients. Recipes with no preservatives result in candies with a higher amount of real chocolate, Haller said.
Another advantage family-owned confectionery businesses have is an ability to create products specific to the tastes of their region. Many of Indiana’s candy shops have been in business for decades, and after years of service to a particular neighborhood, customers discover a specialty they can’t find anywhere else, Haller said.
“They are all very different,” she said. “If you’re in Huntington, they make their own caramel in a copper kettle at the front door. When you go to Albanese, you’re going to smell the milk chocolate from the giant chocolate fountain.”
Candy shops serve a higher purpose than providing appealing tastes and smells, Haller said. Communities find an identity within the walls of family-owned shops.
“If you talk to someone in Vincennes, they’ll ask you, ‘Have you been to Charlie’s?’” Haller said. “They see it as something to hold up to people and say, ‘This is part of our town, this is a good place to visit.’”
Because small candy shops exist in every part of the state, customers looking to taste-test authentic small-town chocolate won’t need to worry about paying much money for gas.
“What’s surprising is that we have them in every small town in Indiana,” Haller said. “I’m not sure if you can find that in other states.”
$5 buys a lot of chocolate
at event, even for a chocoholic
By Starla Loyd
Ball State University Business Fellow
The aroma of chocolate filled the rooms within the Minnetrista Cultural Center during the annual Indiana Public Radio’s “All Things Chocolate."
Not only is there a candy store in every small town in Indiana, but some Indiana communities build special events around chocolate. They include Indiana Public Radio's annual "All Things Chocolate," which is co-sponsored with IFA member Minnetrista Cultural Center (Muncie, IN), and the "Week of Chocolate" celebration in Bloomington, IN.
These two events bring out hundreds and thousands of chocolate lovers in late January and February each year. And not only are candies featured during these events, but participants have an opportunity to taste chocolate used as an ingredient in any number of dishes.
Chefs Lois Altman, Nathaniel Turner, and Riley Groover gave free cooking demonstrations for participants until it was time to taste participants chocolate creations. The demonstrations included how to temper chocolate, prepare a chocolate ganache, and make beef stew with chocolate.
“All Things Chocolate” Bake-Off has three divisions: youth, adult, and professional. Participants can submit entries into seven categories: brownies, cakes, candies, cheesecakes, cookies, pies, and others. There were seventy-three entries submitted this year and thirty-five contestants.
Carol Trimmer, Indiana Public Radio event coordinator, said that “All Things Chocolate” had guests from all over Indiana, including the Indianapolis area, Delaware County and Grant County.
Judges ranged from professional chefs, retired chefs, community members, Ball State University faculty, and IPR professionals.
Stan Sollars, IPR's local morning host and a second-year judge, said he really enjoyed meeting everyone and listeners of Indiana Public Radio.
The winners were awarded a blue ribbon and an apron that read “All Things Chocolate 2008."
After the winners were announced the chocolate tasting began. Participants were allowed to taste 10 samples for $5. Participants could taste a variety of delicious treats ranging from, ROLOver and beg cookies, potato chip truffles, BBQ chicken potpie, oaxacan chicken mole, and peppered brownies.
For more information about participating in a future “All thing Chocolate 2009,” log on to Indiana Public Radio’s Web site at www.bsu.edu/ipr.
