Grandpa Joe

My grandfather was a bit of a chocolatier. He actually died before I was born, so I never knew him, but I always heard stories about how he went to candymaking school in California in the 1950's. I can remember playing as a kid in a big copper pot that was in my grandmother's living room. We were small enough to sit in it and have one of the older kids spin us by the handles. Grandpa Joe had made candy in it before I was born - he even won some blue ribbons at the county fair back in the day.

When I was a teenager my father bought a similar pot and taught himself to make fudge in big batches. I remember there being 5 pounds of sugar and a quart of cream in the recipe. We had a marble slab that he would bring in and place on our kitchen table, and he even had wooden paddles that he had carved to just the right shape to work the fudge as it set up. It was undoubtedly the best fudge I have ever had.

I've ended up with Grandpa Joe's pot and his recipes. I shared the recipes with my cousins in Missouri years ago, and they've turned them into a business. The pot is proudly displayed in my kitchen. The other day I even came across Dad's old recipe for fudge. I'm thinking this winter I'll begin to teach myself to make it.

Anyhow, here's to Grandpa Joe! I never knew you, but I'm grateful for your chocolate legacy.