Candy store pulls customers
in many directions
By Stephanie Edwards
When you walk into the Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen, it is hard to know which side of the store to go to first.
On one side is the taffy kitchen, where all of the yummy ingredients for more than 20 flavors of taffy are boiled, stretched and cut.
The hour-and-15-minute process is completely mesmerizing. After being boiled to the correct gooey consistency, the taffy is stretched and pulled by a silver spinning machine.
Then, it is taken off the machine and rolled by hand by one of the shop‘s expert candy makers, who inserts additional coloring and flavoring. The candy maker takes the taffy and lays it on top of a spinning rod that feeds it into a cutting machine.
Shoppers are welcome to watch the fun candy making process from either inside the store or the front display window, and it seems that this is an activity that appeals to both the young and old.
“There have been a lot of happy people come through this store,” said taffy expert Heath Arrowood, who has worked at the Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen for 13 years.
“Kids and adults all like watching us make taffy. Banana seems to be one of the favorite flavors.”
The other side of the store is full of colorful and delicious-smelling candies and treats, from handmade chocolates to hard-to-find specialty items. Some of the more unusual items included colorful gummy candies, featuring everything from butterflies to bunnies.
The Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen is opens every day at 8 a.m. Closing time changes, depending on season, but the store is typically open until at least 9 p.m.
Gatlinburg locations include the following:
• 744 Parkway, (865) 436-4886 • 632 Parkway, (865) 436-4617 • 642 Ski Mountain Road, (865) 436-4716.
