Your list.”
Free. Mary Carter’s candy classes are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. No preregistration is required. Participants should arrive at least 30 minutes early to guarantee a seat.
Handmade gifts are the best kind, particularly when they’re edible and prettily packaged. Offering them to friends is much more than a small gesture — it’s a personal one, showing the best sentiments of the season.
Making handmade chocolates and candies may seem like a daunting task, but it’s not.
Generations of customers of Mary Carter Decorating Center know all the tricks, thanks to the helpful staff at this East Memphis store. Four times a year, staff members at this family-owned candy and cake decorating supply store are happy to show you how easy the process can be in one of their free candy-making classes. It’s a tradition they have offered for almost 30 years.
The Christmas holiday class is Saturday afternoon. Chocolate-dipped Oreos, peppermint crunch, candied apples, chocolate-dipped pretzels and chocolate-covered cherries are a few of the many treats attendees will learn how to make.
“Homemade candy is the perfect gift for the holidays,” third-generation owner Chris Faherty said. “Candies are great for teacher presents as well as to give to
friends and extended family members. Since you can go as expensive or as inexpensive as you want, you can give something to everyone on your list.”
Making holiday treats is also a tradition that can bring families together.
“We have moms and daughters that take our classes together,” Chris said. “It’s also a great activity for grandmas and grandkids to do together. I remember making candy with my own grandmother over 30 years ago.”
The class
Chris’ wife, Toni Faherty, teaches the classes, with her mother-in-law, Kathy Faherty, at her side. Kathy started the tradition of teaching these classes with her husband, Jim Faherty, back in the late 1980s.
“My mom taught this class for years,” Chris said. “I think she loves being the assistant now that she is retired.”
As Toni teaches the specific treats on her menu for the class, she shares all the tips you will need to know when melting chocolate for candy making.
The tips may sound simple, they’re key for success.
For example, do not overheat your chocolate. Hot water is all you need to melt the chocolate; never put it over boiling water. Also, make sure your equipment is completely dry. Moisture can cause the chocolate to seize and become hard.
“Toni covers the basics, but also teaches some more challenging recipes like the candied apple,” Chris said as he pointed to a perfectly pearlized candied apple Toni made as a sample.
For the chocolate-covered cherries at the upcoming class, Toni plans to show how to add flavors like margarita and Jack Daniel’s to the confection.
“She will be using our new private label line of flavors,” Chris said. “This line has flavors our customers were asking for, and I couldn’t get anywhere else.”
With a smile on his face, Chris said one of his personal favorites in the works for this upcoming class is his mother’s apple caramel cake. It’s a cake covered in caramel that Chris can’t resist.
After each class, guests have a chance to sample the candies demonstrated. The staff is also on hand to help you determine what supplies and ingredients you may need to make your favorites at home.
Candy-making supplies
In addition to everything a baker might need for cake decorating, Mary Carter sells an extensive selection of chocolate and candy-making supplies.
An entire wall of the shop is lined with candy-making molds and their online store, bakingstuff.com, offers more than 500 candy molds.
In addition to helpful and knowledgeable customer service, one of the things that makes Mary Carter stand out among its competition is the quality of chocolate used — they carry a line of candy-making chocolate from Clasen Quality Chocolate.
“This line tastes better than the brands of chocolate you find at larger chain stores,” Chris said.
The chocolate is what is called “tempered”
All in the family
Mary Carter Decorating Center started as a paint business back in the 1950s. Longtime customers will remember the exterior sign at the original location on Summer Avenue read “Mary Carter Paints,” with no mention or reference to the baking and candy-making supply emporium inside.
“My grandmother Ruth could sell anything to anyone,” said Chris of how the family business began the shift to a candy and cake supplies. “She went to a candy tasting and came back with a hundred pounds of chocolate. She and my grandfather Leo started selling it alongside the paint, and eventually their business became half paint and half candy.”
In 1984, Ruth and Leo Faherty’s son Jim and his wife, Kathy, took over the business. A few years later, the couple decided to focus solely on candy and cake supplies.
The free candy-making classes originally started as a marketing tool.
“My dad knew there was a cost to put it on, but he also knew the importance of showing customers how to try something they hadn’t tasted or didn’t know about before the class,” Chris said.
The idea worked. Every year, it’s a standing-room-only crowd at each of the classes.