When most adults walk into
Donckers on Washington Street in Marquette, they often feel quite literally like a kid in a candy store.
The magic behind the rows of delectable chocolates comes from head candy maker and candy kitchen manager Akasha Morherudaen.
Morherudaen started working at Donckers in 2011 and transferred to the candy department later that year. This past April she was promoted to her current position.
Only 31 years old, she didn't originally plan to be a candy maker. In fact, she spent most of her adult life running a construction company, which she says helped get her ready for promoting growth at Donckers.
Creating new candy is one of the things she enjoys about her job. And her favorite candy to eat? Well, that's the cookie caramels.
In fact, caramel is one of the most popular items they sell. Their homemade caramels are both natural and gourmet, says Morherudaen. Beyond the basic caramel, the dark sea salt caramel is probably the most common flavor of choice amongst customers.
"They are the perfect gooey blend of sweet and salty goodness," she said.
Since candy debuted with Donckers years ago at
their original soda fountain, it has remained a popular icon and has been very successful since they reopened in 2008. This success is almost like a recipe in itself.
"We strive to improve our quality and serve the customer with the best handmade, all natural products possible," Morherudaen says.
Since Donckers reopened, four things have remained in the candy department that attest to the original success of the store: Three classic fudge recipes and their time-tested mixer.
Starting with only chocolate fudge, chocolate walnut fudge and penuche fudge when the store reopened, Donckers now carries 28 different candy products, with plans to add more recipes to this
array of sweets--like clusters and turtles.
A department of three, the candy kitchen goes through about 400 pounds of chocolate, 185 pounds of caramel and 1,100 dipped Oreos per month; and those numbers are expected to grow next year, Morherudaen says.
Donckers not only aims to keep local ingredients in their food kitchen, but also look for local products to use in their candy kitchen. For example, dairy products are purchased through Jilbert's Dairy, and seasonal fresh fruit comes from Farmer Q's Market for treats like caramel apples and blueberry clusters.
Other candy department treats also are seasonal, like pumpkin pie fudge and caramel apples, which come in four varieties including Oreo. Honeycrisp apples are coated in their homemade caramel and with the upcoming holiday season they plan to add peppermint bark and a seasonal variety of fudge.
Coming up with the perfect recipe requires research, experimenting and of course, tasting.
"There has been a lot of trial since I have been in candy. Fortunately, my trial to error ratio is extremely low," Morherudaen says. "It is really simple to make a great product with the great ingredients used by Donckers."
Some of their newest candy products include dark, milk and white chocolate cookie caramels as well as cookie caramel pretzels.
For customers who don't live close enough to Donckers to get their fill of candy in person, they are in luck; for almost a year now Donckers has been selling their candy online. They ensure the chocolate won't melt when shipping during the summer and to warmer regions by using thermo-lining packaging and ice packs. When their new website rolls out in the next few months, Morherudaen expects to see a growth in online sales.
To her, the future of the candy department looks bright.
"I have great plans for Donckers' candy and a truly wonderful support team to help me carry out those plans…the sky is the limit with Donckers' candy," she says.
She wanted to add to anyone thinking about coming to Donckers: "I will have a mouth-watering piece of candy waiting."
You might just get a sample from her, which is something she enjoys doing.
"It's one of the perks of being a candy maker. The best compliment is the subtle sigh people give after taking a bite," Morherudaen says. "It's like you watch stress wash away with the flavor."
Julia Woehrer is a freelance writer, photographer and social media coordinator. She attended the School of Art and Design at Northern Michigan University where she concentrated in photography and minored in journalism. She volunteers at a local no-kill cat shelter and enjoys spending time with her cats, Bella and Macy.