- The little store in Ocean Springs is packed with sweets – enough to give Willie Wonka a run for his money.
Pecan logs. Milk chocolate malted milk balls. Handmade pecan turtles. Milk chocolate pecans. If your mouth is watering just thinking about these treats, head to The Candy Cottage in Ocean Springs, where the popular candies are sold. The candy store is comfortably nestled into the downtown area, and it looks like something out of a fairy tale, or maybe a Hallmark movie.
The little store is packed with sweets – enough to give Willie Wonka a run for his money. Inside the little store, the shelves are lined with jars filled with colorful treats, and for those who can’t or won’t abuse their sweet tooth, the store even sells sugar-free truffles.
If chocolate is not your favorite, they also sell candy Legos, saltwater taffy, rock candy, and more. Among the seemingly endless amounts of candy for sale, you will be hard-pressed to find a pecan log in the Southeast with as much history and renown as the one you will find at The Candy Cottage.
Owner Rose Carbonell uses her grandparents’ pecan log recipe that was first made in the 1930s for the family’s eatery, Foote’s Restaurant, on the Atchafalaya River. After the restaurant closed, they continued making the popular candies for their community in Morgan City, Louisiana where a seasonal version of the shop remains. To share Carbonell’s family’s candy with more people, a shop was opened in Ocean Springs in 1992 where the recipe-perfected pecan logs and pralines are still served to this day.
When asked who the shop’s target demographic is, Carbonell states that it is “anyone and everyone who enjoys a sweet reward for all of the hardships they put up with day to day.” While the mildly guilty pleasure can be purchased in both Ocean Springs and Morgan City, The Candy Cottage also offers shipping for their national and global admirers. With a flat fee of $7.95 for shipping in the continental United States, it’s a great way to ensure any long-distance relative or friend will have a sweeter holiday. But why reserve candy just for loved ones? The Candy Cottage also accepts corporate orders of companies ordering package selections or singular item bulk orders for their employees during the holiday season. That would certainly put any employer on the nice list.
Carbonell says, “The only thing better than the food we make here is the relationships we share with our customers and our community. We have life-long, loyal customers who have been coming back for years with immense appreciation and gratitude for the love and care we put into every praline. We have been a staple of the downtown Ocean Springs area for more than 30 years now – we love our town and the people in it.”
If you need a break from counting protein grams and eating vegetables, treat yourself to the handmade candies found at the little candy shop on the Mississippi Gulf Coast – The Candy Cottage in Ocean Springs.
Cecilia V. Lyles
