BRADENTON BEACH – Onlookers called it the sweetest tear gas ever, as fourth-generation candymaker Peter Vrinios returned to the Fudge Factory on Bridge Street on Dec. 3 for one of this month’s demonstrations of the old-fashioned way of making quality candy canes.
When Vrinios adds pure peppermint extract to the molten hot candy cane base that is still in liquid form, many onlookers had to step back to avoid the minty fumes, that – while harmless – make many gasp for breath. The end result, however, would be delicious.
Vrinios’ grandfather built and established a confectionary in 1898 on Main Street in Champaign, Illinois after immigrating to the U.S. from Greece. That confectionary not only stood the test of time, churning out ice cream and candy for 120 years, but was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1983. Though the confectionary no longer operates in Champaign, the building has not changed and now operates as a wedding venue.
When he decided to move to Florida in 2004, Vrinios knew he had to bring his 107-year-old marble candy-making table so he could continue to do what he loves upon arrival.
When Vrinios arrived in Florida, he contacted Ben Kaminecki, who was making chocolate in his chocolate factory on St. Armands Circle in Longboat Key. Kaminecki said he would love to have Vrinios make candy, so they started the tradition of making candy canes there.
Making candy canes is hard labor, and would exhaust even the most physically fit people. Vrinios has hands that feel like bricks when you shake them, and throughout the more than hour-long process of making a single batch, he has no option for a single second of rest. If the mixture isn’t molded by hand before it cools and hardens, the intense process is a total loss. For this reason, very few people in the world possess his unique skill set.
“I won’t admit I’m old until I can’t do this anymore,” Vrinios said. “Candy canes started in Biblical times. It started with children crying and being restless in church. The priests began making peppermint sticks to hand out to children to pacify them during the services. The red was later added to represent the blood of Jesus, then the hook was added to represent the staff of Christ. I really enjoy the history and the process.”
While the ingredients of sugar, water and peppermint extract are very simple, the process is far from it. It begins with a large copper pot slowly cooking the sugar and water. When it’s ready to take off the heat is a secret Vrinios is keeping to himself, but he has it down to the second. No guesswork is involved, he just seems to know. When it’s time, lifting the kettle off the heat to pour onto the pre-oiled marble table is a two-person job. With the candy still in a mostly liquid form, the master candymaker adds the peppermint extract, a process that immediately makes the air almost unbreathable.
The key to the process is not allowing the mixture to harden. From the time the hot liquid sugar hits the marble slab and the time it is too hard to work with, multiple helpers have to perform their roles simultaneously or the batch is busted. The batch is cut into three large chunks and while Vrinios pulls a third of the mixture on a metal hook attached to the wall, one helper adds red dye to their section and the other adds green.
The final stage of the process involves the candymaker using the side of his hand to make four shallow ridges, one on each side of the large square of candy. The green and red cigar-shaped pieces are each cut in half and added to the shallow ridges, alternating color on each ridge. This huge piece of candy is then hand-rolled on one end which gives the colors the swirl you are used to seeing as the size is pressed and rolled from about 8 inches to the quarter-inch candy cane that is the final product. Assistants cut each cane by hand then continue the final rolling to get the proper size. The signature hook is bent, then the candy canes are placed on a tray to cool.
There will be demonstrations on Saturday, Dec. 10 and Friday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fudge Factory, so there’s still time to see this amazing confectionary work of art being made in person. Watch through the front window, or if adventurous, come inside and get the full nose- and throat-burning experience (recommended).
