Not long ago, I reviewed a piece of American Heritage chocolate made by a subsidiary of Mars. American Heritage specializes in manufacturing chocolate akin to colonial recipes.

But there is more to them and Mars than just making chocolate… much more. You see, since 1998, Mars has funded an academic team at the University of California, Davis whose objective was to study – you guessed it – chocolate.

You might be asking yourself if there really is that much to write about chocolate. Well, Sallie Boorman, one of the nicest people on Earth, mentioned this upcoming book when she sent me the original chocolate sample to review. As a fan of all things candy and trivia-related, I was immensely interested in the work and requested a copy, which she so awesomely sent.

Now, I have read my fair share of candy-related books. How many pages could this thing be? 100? 200? 300 tops, right? Try almost 1,000! I was awed when I discovered my behemoth copy of Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage in my mailbox, which was heavy enough for me to perform bicep curls with.

Read More »

The last time I did a book report I think I must have been a freshman in high school. However, Candyfreak (it’s one word, not two) is definitely something I have had my eyes on for a while, but never had a chance to pick up until now.

I first met Steve Almond, the author of the book, because a friend of mine had reviewed his first collection of short stories (Mr. Almond is more a fiction writer than he is a candy author), and she introduced the two of us. We went out for drinks and attended one of his book readings, and I can personally attest to him being a top-of–the-line guy.

It wasn’t until speaking with Steve and learning more about what he wrote that I learned about Candyfreak. The premise of the work surprised me, as the short fiction through which he had built a name for himself contained some very adult-rated material, i.e., not suitable for candy-loving children. True to my word, I told him I would buy and read a copy if he signed it, which he did, and the work sat on my bookshelf until now.

Read More »