FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com APRIL 6, 2016 • TIMES 21 BUZZ QUEENS Harry Potter meets Tim Burton in Bushwick’s newest candy store, Eugene J. Candy Co. The storefront at 16 Wilson Ave. appears dark and unassuming from the street, but inside, it’s a fairy-tale world of sweet, sour and salty treats that satisfy every craving. The store opened on March 8 and has been attracting customers old and young (the sweet tooth does not discriminate!), and the interior’s playful, springtime pastels and fake icing along the walls create an enchanted gingerbread house atmosphere so sweet you’ll want to eat it. But save that appetite for the real stuff. Candy Co. offers an assortment of goodies that includes chewy candies like gummies and licorice, specialty chocolates, including truffl es, chocolate double-stuffed Oreos, naked pecan patties and giant peanut butter cups, oldfashioned, nostalgia-inducing chocolate bars and gift items like Jelly-Belly and Pez dispensers. And that’s just 60 percent of what owner Eugene J. is prepared to supply. “Every single day a new item goes on the shelf, and it’s slowly fi lling up,” said Eugene. The Queens native currently gets his store’s supply from small batch candy makers across the country, including Brooklyn-based taffy company The Salty Road, Portland’s QUIN, and Florida marshmallow makers Wondermade. But Eugene plans to add his own candy creations to his shelves come summertime. Eugene’s always had a passion for cooking and baking sweets: he started making candies as a kid, and his early experiments with the art form included projects making caramels and hard candies. While attending chemical engineering school at Cooper Union, he took the tools he learned in the lab back into his kitchen, conducting trial and error tests and tweaking his candy recipes. Like a true scientist, he conducts multiple renditions of the same trials to make a fl avor stronger, and makes several batches to see which one is the best. “I make a lot of mistakes,” said Eugene. “I learn every way how to not make candy before I learn how to make the candy.” Even now, as an expert with a B.S. in chemical engineering, he says the learning process is never fi nished. He is constantly honing his craft, which includes taking classes with the National Confectioners Association to perfect techniques like panning (a tricky way of putting a sugar or chocolate coating on something). Once the proper licensing and permits are squared away, Eugene plans to convert the back section of the store into a lab to make his candy in-house. The candy chemist uses all-natural and GMO-free products, but says, most importantly, his products are fun. He draws inspiration from Roald Dahl novels, Hansel and Gretel, Harry Potter and Tim Burton, creating an experimental fairy-tale experience. Despite his expertise and unique creations, Eugene personal candy preferences are straightforward. He tells Bushwick Daily that his favorite candy is Peanut M&Ms and any gummy candy (evidenced by the fact that his shop is full of gummies). But he’s eager to fi ll the store with his customers’ favorites, too. “It’s fun now because I’m taking requests from customers,” said Eugene. “I get to have fun and fulfi ll other peoples’ desires.” So if you’re craving a special treat, Eugene J. Candy Co. has you covered. And keep an eye out for Eugene’s craft candy creations, which will hit shelves this summer. CANDY CHEMIST Eugene J. is cooking up something sweet in Bushwick BY NATALIE TAYLOR PROTECT YOUR HOME & ASSETS FROM NURSING HOME BILLS Giovanni P. Silvagni, Esq Ida Como, Esq Elder Law Estate Planning Asset Protection Living Trusts & Wills Medicaid Home Care and Nursing Home Applications Estate and Probate Matters Real Estate FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION CALL 718-928-3355 Out of office visits available Parliamo Italiano • Hablamos Espanol 69-17 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale 172 Gravesend Neck Road, Brooklyn Email: Info@silvagniandcomolaw.com www.silvagniandcomolaw.com
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