The North Shore Dish Sweet Christmas Candy Memories By Kitty Mayo
The special treats we associate with holidays can spark fond memories, like the cut glass bowl of colorful ribbon candy that made its annual Christmas appearance on the end table next to my grandfather’s recliner. Peppermint taffies in green-and-red were my favorite Christmas stocking stuffer. At Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen in Knife River, the third- and fourth-generations of the Canelake family are doing their part to keep happy Christmas candy memories alive. Great! Lakes has a rich history stemming from the first family candy store in Virginia, Minn. where Gust Canelake opened the Virginia Candy Kitchen in 1905. That store was passed down to his sons, and was kept running as a candy shop by a family friend. Enter Andy Matson, Gust’s great-grandson, whose mother and aunt started Great! Lakes 15 years ago where he works with them. Matson is pretty busy these days, as his mom and her siblings recently brought everything full circle by bringing the original candy store back into the family.
Going strong for over 10 years, Gunflint Mercantile owner Chelsea Pusc’s handmade truffles have grown in popularity to gain a dedicated following. | GUNFLINT MERCANTILE
Their nutty ice cream bar is a summer favorite, but customers clamor for them right up until Christmas Eve. A reminiscence from Grandpa Canelake’s store when he would roll a small freezer out onto the sidewalk during town celebrations, the bars are chocolate-coated vanilla ice cream covered in coconut and peanuts. During the holiday season, Great! Lakes revives old-timey Christmas favorites like divinity, a specialty of Matson’s aunt, Patricia Canelake, and ribbon candy made by his mom Pamela Matson, who runs the antique candy machine, rolled out for its annual appearance. “We get a lot of people who are so excited because they haven’t seen a type of candy in forever and it reminds them of family,” said Matson, adding that hot air, also known as sponge candy, and peanut brittle are traditional seasonal favorites. When twin sisters Pamela and Patricia started Great! Lakes, their father transcribed his memorized candy recipes, and always with the same message; “His main thing was, ‘Don’t switch it around, and always use the best ingredients you can get. These have been tested for many years,’” said Matson. Wrapped caramels made with “lots of butter and heavy cream” are ranked by
During the holiday season at Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen, Pamela Matson runs the antique candy machine to make ribbon candy. They also offer an assortment of candy, such as Christmas deer. | PATRICIA CANELAKE Matson as a top-selling favorite, something he attributes to the perfect consistency. “Ours is not too hard and not too soft, and not overly sweet. It hits a nice middle ground that appeals to everyone,” said Matson. It’s that kind of consistency, Matson says, that has made Great! Lakes so pop-
ular. “We have it dialed in to turn out the classics for consistency, that’s why people come back.” Shipping from Great! Lakes is available during November through the first part of December, and in-store hours end on December 23, with the store reopening in April.
Callie’s Sweets, Two Harbors Callie Swanson owns the newest candy shop on the North Shore, located inside the Burlington Station tourist experience that just opened this summer. Swanson says her business idea started with her own sweet memories of childhood, and a
NORTHERN WILDS
DECEMBER 2021
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