In a follow-up to our conversation with Dan Abel Jr, the Willy Wonka of the Midwest, we sat down with four boxes of Bissinger's treats to see if the old world recipes hold up.

Spoiler alert: they do.

We sampled....

• The 1668 Collection
• Strawberry Bark
• Sea Salt Caramels
• J'adore Bissinger's

The chocolates were provided by Bissinger's PR Team, but we were not compensated for this episode or the interview with Dan.

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Jocelyn and Leah sit down with Dan Abel Jr, the Chief Chocolate Officer of St. Louis-based Bissinger's Chocolate. We learn about the history of the company from the 1600s in France to the 2000s in St. Louis, Missouri, why they import oranges and chocolate from Europe and what handcrafted means to them.

In Part 2, we get into the chocolate treats.

A few links

• Bissinger's Chocolate
• The St. Louis Podcast
• Youtube: Inside the Bissinger's factory

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The night before Leah went on her summer vacation to Africa, Jocelyn came over with very special Toney's Chocoloneys and Korean candies. They also tried salt water taffy from Oregon and talked about movie podcasts.

• Rovos Rail
• How Did This Get Made
• Newcomers
• Blank Check
• Unclear and Present Danger (Jamelle Bouie)

Jocelyn went to Woodman's and brought some post-Halloween treats, so we recorded an episode.

Want to eat along with Jocelyn and Leah?

• Fiery Cinnamon Zots
• Pecan Snickers
• Jello Pudding Cups (candy)
• Mango Chili Rips

In March, Leah and Jocelyn were joined by friend Jo McCawley to celebrate Jocelyn's birthday the only way we know how - by recording a podcast episode. This episode is heavy on chat and a little light on candy, but 100% Candy Chat.

Show Notes

• Cheryl's Cookies
• Carol's Cookies
• Chamoy pickles
• YaBoy Chamoy
• Phony Negronis
• Mocktails
• Seedlip
• Fre
• Braunschwieger
• Ham Salad
• Dehydrated candies
• Skittles lentils
• Chubbies (breadsticks and shorts)
• Girl Scout Cookies
• Nutter Butters
• Oreos
• The history of bagels
• Little Debbie vs Hostess

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If you found us through Dinosaur at The Den - welcome!

Leah and Jocelyn are back to talk about Christmas traditions and try some Secret Santa regional treats from Robert Persinger (AKA The Drop King).

We try...

Chukar Cherries

Fran's Park Bars

Aplets and Cotlets

Happy birthday, Jocelyn! We are working on bringing Candy Chat Chicago back with weekly episodes. Here's an episode recorded in September with treats from Spain and Sweden thanks to Lily, Shai, James and Abby!

In August, Leah and Jocelyn took a road trip to Rochester, Minnesota where they bought a lot of candy. Then our friend Jamie in Germany sent a care package. Jocelyn's friend Matt went to Korea and brought us back candy.

We have so much candy, friends.

We're trying candy from Germany, Korea and Minnesota. We're talking sad documentaries and highway signs. Fast 9, AMC movie pass and so much more.