What if I were to tell you that the best shattering English toffee I’ve ever tasted is made by two Canadian expats who’ve relocated from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Shreveport-Bossier, and that one of the sisters is also a professional Patsy Cline impersonator? That’s the story of Blondie’s Toffee, a local candy company operated by sisters Cynthia Gallagher and Andrea Gallagher-Mitchell. The delicious candy, made in small batches from a generations-old family recipe and cooked in traditional copper pots, is available for purchase at several shops in Shreveport, including the Vitamins Plus/Drug Emporium at 5819 East Kings Highway, Fork & Spoon Market at 4460 Youree Drive and Mary’s Place at 6030 Line Avenue. They can also accept orders through their online store, and offer free local delivery.
The fact of the matter is this: there are some really fascinating people making candy in Shreveport-Bossier. I’m not just imagining this. (See also: My interview with Dardanella Powell, Queen of Pralines.) Another fact: Blondie’s Toffee is truly, profoundly, ridiculously good. It somehow manages to be rich and indulgent and light and airy all at once.
Blondie’s Toffee commands a premium price (the large packages at Vitamins Plus/Drug Emporium are marked $17.40 as of Feb. 9, 2014). The Gallagher sisters believe that, if you’re going to reward yourself with a treat, it should be something really special.
“I think people want quality now, and they’re willing to pay for it, because they’re sick of all of the garbage in our food,” Andrea Gallagher-Mitchell told me. “If you’re gonna have candy, if you’re gonna have a treat – have something good.”
Toffee varieties vary from time to time. Their Facebook page (which can be kind of hilarious) teases that walnut, Macadamia nut, Brazil nut, cashew, hazelnut, and pistachio toffees are coming soon.
Listen to me talk to the sisters from Blondie’s Toffee about toffee, Canada and Patsy Cline by clicking “Play” below (6-minute audio interview).
