Jury Duty

I usually write about the interesting things that happen in the store or things that are going to happen in the store. This week's blog is about what happened last week outside of the store.

I was summoned by Cook County for jury duty. First off, it is very interesting that when you tell people you are going to jury duty, you get a variation of one of two responses; "you chump" or "good for you." I have been summoned in the past and was lucky enough to sit around a large room for a day and ultimately be dismissed. I have to be honest I was hoping for the same this time.

Well, that did not happen. I arrived at the court house and was assigned a panel number. Next thing I knew I was Juror #7. I figured I would still be excused when they started asking questions and I answered yes to over half of them, but not the case. I was selected to be a juror on a civil case for injuries received as a result of a car accident.

Yes as you might expect I used the jury deliberation room during breaks and lunch as an opportunity to tell the eleven others about Illinois Nut and Candy. Ten of them had never heard of Illinois Nut or RaisingTheCandyBar.com and the other one has driven by it, but never came in. I had brought with wrapped candies, as many of you know I never let an opportunity pass to promote the business. I now know if I am ever called again to civic duty that I should bring chocolates as there is a lot time when you are waiting for procedural stuff to take place and food, especially sweets, is a great common denominator.

I am not going to bore you with details, but after listening to testimony we were sent to the jury room. I volunteered to be the jury foreman and am happy to say that after deliberating for over an hour and half we came to what we thought was a fair and just verdict.

So living the "Life of the Candy Man" is not always sweet, but let me ask this. . . .am I a chump for not getting out of it? Or am I a good citizen? You decide, but I can only hope that if I ever need a jury that it is not made up of people who just couldn't beat the system.

Have a sweet day!

Purim is almost here

There are major and minor Jewish Holidays. What makes them major vs minor? That is a question I am often asked in the form of "...so your allowed to work on this one but not that one Why?

The answer I give thought I am not a Rabbi -- I am a simple candy man is that it dates back to the time of the Temple. Major holidays correlate to when sacrifices were brought as specified in the the Torah or old Testament, while minor holidays are newer holidays that do not have a Old Testament source such as Purim and Hanukkah.  

Well Purim falls out in on March 20^th which is right around the corner for me it is a very busy holiday. Why you ask?   Purim commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in Ancient Persia from Haman's plot "to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day." (chabad.org) 

So why is the holiday a major one for me?  There are few Mitzvote or commandments to do on Purim.

1. hear the Story of Purim read from a Megillah or a scroll of parchment
2. give charity to the poor
3. have a feast 
4. give gifts to at least 2 friends

People love to come up with creative themes for their Purim gifts also known as Misloach Manote.

So here are  a few of the themes done in the past we'll do them visually

Chicken Soup

Part of a princess theme

Part of a Italian Theme

So as you can see we have been able to customize just about any them to date in chocolate. Want a more traditional them?  how about  a hamentashen lolli?

As you can see the options are endless.

Tell me your theme and let us create your vision into a reality.

The life of the candy is sweet.

Eating Dark Chocolate Boosts HDL Levels (the 'Good' Cholesterol)

Dark Chocolate Almond Bark, high in polyphenols
which raise HDL levels (good cholesterol) in your body.
Click photo to purchase online or to peruse our selection
of Dark Chocolate items at Illinois Nut & Candy. 

Living the ‘Life of the Candy Man‘ is sweet, but sometimes it’s sweeter than others. For years I have been saying that chocolate is good for you because it makes you happy and it makes you smile. But now there is research to that supports the idea that chocolate is good for you; just not for the reasons that I have been saying. Last week some very interesting research shows that eating chocolate may boost the body’s production of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) — the “good” form of cholesterol that protects against heart disease.

Findings reveal that “Chocolate contains polyphenols which can rev up the activity of certain proteins, including proteins that attach to the genetic material DNA in ways that boost HDL levels” according to the new study released by the American Chemical Society (ACS) in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Credit for those heart-healthy effects goes to a cadre of antioxidant compounds in cocoa called polyphenols, which are particularly abundant in dark chocolate.

Don’t stop taking your cholesterol medicine and start eating twice the amount of chocolate, but don’t feel guilty for that occasional indulgence.

Have a sweet day!

Practicing what you preach

As the Candy Man I am more than just the guy who sells candy over the counter, I'm the guy who helps his clients send unique corporate gifts that leave a lasting impression.

At every meeting I stress to my potential clients the need to say "Thank You" and preferably not around the normal time of year. I stress that a card, a box of chocolate, or a gift card go a long way. Sure I wish everyone would use my services but that is not the reality. What is the reality is that those who follow up with a thank you of sorts are more successful in life.

Here are my top 5 reasons to say Thank You and of course I always do it in chocolate:

1. Good referral - preferably one that leads to business.
2. Annual Thank you gifts to clients who meet a certain criteria.
3. A doctors office admin that who gets me an appointment (yes it is OK to offer a bribe with chocolate)
4. Potential Client after he/she saw me
5. Vendor who went out of his/her way to make my life easier (Yes it is OK to offer a bribe with chocolate. Sometimes the offer of chocolate prior will actually make the vendor help you. Or as in the case with one vendor we already have an understanding she pushes my order to the front of the line and I sweeten up her teams week.) 

So if you would like to get a FREE box of chocolate no problem all you have to do is one of the above and I would gladly send you a box.

Saying 'Thank You' in a sweet way is all part of living the "Life of the Candy Man."

Have a sweet day!