I am not particularly fond of sweets, but the simply elegant packaging and rustic appeal of Suss Sweets caught my eye at the MetroCookingDC Show. (I heard they were also at the Fancy Food Show last summer.)
The Suss story is inspiring. Owner Tammy Fahey moved from Iowa to Boston to pursue a career in journalism, when she discovered that being a stay-at-home mom was her true path. While her kids grew, she started cooking and baking, and, when she was ready, she started selling her Suss caramels (all natural, gluten-free, of course) at local farmers’ markets. It didn’t take long before she was selling her product in almost every state in the country.
I don’t know how they do it, but Suss has actually made a caramel that is not too sweet. Although the candy-making tradition is Swiss, the caramels are very American, with flavors like maple and pumpkin. I bought the vanilla with sea salt, and served them on a narrow cutting board with coffee at the end of a dinner party. It was a casual, homey way to serve a very tiny dessert. There was none leftover!
The Foreign Office 