See's Candy a Family Recipe

To this day, Mary See serves as the logo for the company.  If there was a formula for how a sweet-natured grandmother should look, it might be a picture of the white-haired lady with spectacles and a warm smile. Charles See, Mary's son, saw his future in his mother's candy recipes, so he started the company in Los Angeles after moving there from Canada.

The first store and kitchen, designed after Mary's spotlessly clean black and white kitchen, opened on Western Avenue in November of 1921. Mary, Charles and his wife Florence ran the entire operation.

By the mid- 1920's, See's Candy had expanded to 12 shops.The family built the company up to 30 shops during the depression, and in1936, they expanded to San Francisco.

Mary See died in 1939, but she lives today through her recipes. Wars, disasters and bad economies of the 20th century haven't stopped people from eating chocolate.  Even today in the 21st century, with 200 stores in the Western United States, the See's family tradition continues.

If you asked a Californian what the best chocolate in the world is, they most likely would say See's Candy. Every shopping mall of any significance has a See's shop. Shoppers love to take a break by slipping into a store and buying a few of their favorite chocolates.

Hoilday guests often show up at the door with a box of See's for the hostess. When stumped on a gift to get a friend or relative, a box of See's does the trick. There probably isn't an adult in the state that hasn't recieved a box of these chocolates for Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter or Halloween.

When I was in High School, during the late 1960's, an ice cream shop across the street from the school sold See's butterscotch and chocolate suckers: Two for a nickel. That was quite a deal even by 1960 standards. The butterscotch suckers were the favorite of most See's fans. These delicious confections now come in vanilla, butterscotch, chocolate, café latté, and root beer.

I love nuts of all kinds so whenever I buy a box of See's Candy, I get the nuts and chews. If you don't care for nuts, the soft centers are equally as good. But if a poll were taken, I'd bet that the Butterscotch Squares would win.

Remember when you were a kid, and you'd sneak a pinch of brown sugar out of the cupboard. Butterscotch Squares brings back those memories covered in chocolate. A firm brown sugar center covered in milk chocolate is my idea of heaven. For those who prefer a creamy brown sugar center, try the Bordeaux.

Sometimes I hand select my pound of chocolate. This is the list of chocolates I usually choose:

• Butterscotch Squares
• Raspberry Truffles
• Mocha
• Maple Walnut
• Dark California Brittle
• Coffee Walnut Carmel

There are many more that I love, but I have to remind myself: Moderation

Sees Candy is also available in sugarless for diabetics. All of the chocolate products come in milk or dark chocolate.

On March 18, 2012, See's opened its first Texas store at North East Mall in Hurst. The company also has stores in other Western States:

• Texas
• Arizona
• Colorado
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Minnesota
• New Mexico
• Oregon
• Utah
• Washington

There are also stores in Hong Kong, Japan and Macau.

If you don't have a See's store in your town, you can order from Amazon off of this page. The prices are the same as the store prices.

Here's a piece of trivia: Remember that famous scene on I Love Lucy with Ethel and Lucy working in the candy factory? It was shot at the Washington Ave. store in Los Angeles.