H.E. Williams Candy Factory in Chesapeake, VA, is celebrating its centennial; no small feat for a family owned business. The third generation of the Williams family uses the same recipes, the same copper kettles, and the same, albeit modernized, equipment their grandfather used when he began candy making operations in 1919.
To say this place is magical is an understatement. Lillie Mae Williams owns the business, but she leaves it to her children and sister to run the day-to-day operations. The family opened its arms to my brood. My Littles sampled the candy and left on a sugar high.
The entire tour lasts an hour, but we got a late start and saw just the very end. No problem for antsy little ones. They watched the log of candy roll through a machine, turn into a candy ribbon, roll off the conveyor belt and land onto a work table. There the ladies chopped the strips into small pieces, sprayed water onto the warm candy, and sprinkled sugar on the entire batch. The Littles were mesmerized and all too happy to sample the warm, sugared confections.
From January to September, the candy factory offers tours Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. From September through December, the tours run five days a week. If you want to see the entire operation from beginning to end, I suggest arriving early. The store is open five days a week for retail sales 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Please tell them MaMa Berry sent you!
H. E. Williams Candy Company
1230 Perry Street
Chesapeake, VA 23324
(757) 545-9311
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