Trouble At The Chocolate Factory...

Means no raspberry jellies for grandpa.

I have long told of my grandfather's insatiable sweet tooth. It had gotten so that he was requesting four pound boxes of raspberry jellies at a time. We never did buy quite that much at once (at least I didn't) but he certainly had his fair share.

Then about a month or two ago, his appetite diminished, not only for chocolates but for other foods. The two pound box of raspberry jellies sat forlornly on his counter, and each time I checked only a few candies had disappeared. I couldn't fathom why he wasn't eating them but eventually surmised it was related to his general lack of appetite.

The good news is that lately, his appetite has returned so when we visited last week there were only two raspberry jellies left in the box. He gave one to Izzy and had the other one himself. And then I was sent, illico presto, to the chocolate factory to buy more. I suggested a two pound box and was told to get four. I was so happy with the return of grandpa's appetite that I figured this would be the occasion to indulge.

I went off to Birnn Chocolates, only to find that they only had three quarters of a pound of raspberry jellies left. Not only that, they weren't sure when they would be making the next batch. It was hard to come up with soft chocolates as replacements. There are many fine choices but grandpa is a finicky chocolate eater. Would he like the hazelnut pralines or the peppermint patties?
I had them prepare a pound of assorted chocolates to find out which ones delight.

D. and S., the sweet ladies who work at Birnn, explained that there was an issue with one of the ingredients in the jellies. They were awaiting a new supply which was not forthcoming. D. then went on to explain the fate of another candy favorite, the raspberry cream. They only make those periodically as there is not enough of a demand. Apparently they are very difficult to make, using D.'s prized recipe. I asked her to contact me next time they make a batch as grandpa is fond of those too. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Izzy and I could take a peek at the next production?