Chocolate!

Today Scott took a lunch break and met the Barrett's and I at the Anthony Thomas Candy Factory for a tour.  It was fascinating to see the all the steps of making chocolate and filled chocolates. Anthony Thomas makes high quality chocolates like See's Candies but during the summer months generally to contract work such as shaped candy bars like trees, hearts and eggs. Today in the factory Snickers Easter egg bars were being made and packaged and August just started! Crazy huh?

One of the big sellers is chocolate Buckeyes such as these:

 Let me clarify, by my putting this picture up I am in no way, shape, or form supporting the Ohio State University Buckeyes. However it must be shared to give you all a piece of the Columbus experience. In the store they have on display a 235 pound chocolate buckeye with peanut butter filling that could be purchased for just $3500 dollars. See:

Anyone interested? What if I got 235 lbs of chocolate shaped in a "Y" instead?:

Interesting facts:

• The top of the buckeye chocolates isn't peanut butter, it's white chocolate. It has to be chocolate all around the outside to help preserve it.
• Snickers eggs that we saw were being packaged 500 per minute, but that's not even as fast as the machine can go.
• Light sensors are used to know exactly where the candy is so the packaging  goes on correctly.
• Cherry cordials have to be filled by hand since it's solid. They can be packaged 350 per minute.
• The factory is located just down the street from the chapel our ward meets in. As we left Kent said, "I can't believe that all this time I thought it was a candy factory for gross Jolly Ranchers, but it's Chocolate!" or something to that effect.

The tour was $2 a person that can go towards any candy purchase after the tour. So Cassie's suggestion for tonight was to watch the movie Chocolat while eating our chocolate from Anthony Thomas...