Obviously, I'm a sucker for nostalgia. I've built a whole business around sharing one singular taste of my grandmother Raphaella's famous cheesecake, brought into the modern world in the form of a handheld, easy to eat yet deeply, soul satisfying cheesecake sandwich.
One foot in the past, one foot in the future. That's me.
I think about this, sometimes, when I have a rare moment to catch my breath, in the midst of the industrial ovens of my Whitestone, New York commercial kitchen, surrounded by freezers, stacks of molds, giant cases of cream cheese, enveloped in the rich sweet smell of melting chocolate and baked butter and sugar, the tang of fresh cut fruit and the base note of cardboard from palettes of packing materials waiting to take the taste of my grandmother's kitchen out to the world; via UPS from Goldbelly or grabbed on the fly at LaGuardia Airport.
And I wonder, What would my grandmother Raphaella think of all this?And this thought makes me smile; because my grandmother wouldn't be surprised at all. She knew that what was good yesterday is good today. And it'll be good tomorrow, and the day after. Her cheesecake recipe, once perfected, never changed. It was constant, and it was constantly delicious and for that reason, deeply comforting.
And the answer was simple. Candy really hasn't changed. We grew up with Hershey's chocolate bars and Charleston Chews and Red Hots and Lemonheads and Sugar Babies. And they're still here, just the same explosion of happiness in your mouth that can take you right back to the best bits of childhood.
And what's so interesting to me, as I stood there, looking at the candy, is Hersheys and Mars, those were family businesses that started with a family recipe and became iconic candies bringing joy to millions of children over the generations.
The lucky ones of us grew up with a grandparent or older relative who knew how to reach the heart of a kid and always had candy in their pocket they would magically proffer when Mom or Dad weren't looking. It was a simple consistent act of love and continuity, and one taste is capable of taking you right back to that feeling of love.
That's nostalgia.
I gave Mr. Impatient my place in line, and I took a moment and I picked out a selection of candy bars, and I created these baskets to share that feeling, along with, of course, a curated selection of Grandma's Cheesecake Sandwiches to complete the experience, and because I always like to include something the recipient can share with others in our gift baskets, a full size of our madly popular Funfetti Loaf Cake.
Perfect for anyone who is celebrating a milestone, a family reunion, or any time you want to send love in a basket, I've created a unique gift that will convey sweetness, happiness, and comfort.
I hope you enjoy giving these baskets. Even more, I hope you are one of the lucky ones who gets one!
