…and Her Name Was Mrs. See!

There are more than a few people in California, and also other parts of the US, who would agree with us that there is no candy like See’s Candies!

It used to be that you could only get See’s chocolates and candies in California.  It was always wonderful to be able to carry a box of See’s with you to a host and hostess in another state.  Now, one is able to order it online and enjoy it where ever one finds oneself!

Becuase See’s Candies are known to be a California chocolatier, it surprised us to find out that in fact, Mrs. See was from Ontario, Canada.

Mary See’s son had been a chocolate salesman in Ontario and really wanted to create the best chocolates using the very best ingredients.  So, off the family came to California ……. Pasadena to be exact.  Mrs. See had recently been widowed and so came along with her son and his family.  They used her recipes to start out and added more.  Only the very best of ingredients were used and, before they knew it, they were the big company that he set out to be.  Mrs. See has always represented hometown quality and friendly service.

Certainly, they went through tough times as World War II brought with it a great depression and, of course, people were scraping along to buy all of the necessities, let alone chocolates.  There was rationing on things like sugar and butter and, of course, those were things needed to make these delicious sweets…. the real thing!   Mr. See was not going to compromise the integrity of his chocolates so he did not use anything else but the best, even throughout the war.  He decided that his company would make as many chocolates as his rations allowed and sell that many each morning and then close the store when there were no more candies to sell.  This is how he proceeded through the war and people lined up each morning to get a nibble.

Once the war was over, See’s Candies enjoyed a great resurgence and has never looked back.  Their darling little stores have not changed since they started (they did change for a very short while and quickly went back to the old decor).  Their black and white awnings and black and white floors are distinguishable.

Yes, See’s are the best!  Yum!  Abundant!