There’s always a sweet surprise or two on each of our Neighborhood Food Experiences, and it really affirms our choice when we hear our most sugary spots are actually our participants’ favorites.
On the Second City Classic Neighborhood Food Experience (also known as our original Near North Food Tasting and Cultural Walking Tour), it’s our stop at the Fudge Pot in Old Town where we taste Butter Toffee.
Making candy, just another day in the shop! (photo: The Fudge Pot)
Jim Dattalo opened the Fudge Pot in 1963 after learning to make candy from his uncle Tom, who worked at the Mars Candy Company (whose offerings include 3 Musketeers, M&Ms, Milky Way, Snickers and Twix). It’s still family owned and operated, with Jim’s son David at the helm, and James and Jonathan, fourth-generation candy men themselves, making up part of the shop’s sweet-tooth staff.
Despite the shop’s name, one of the Fudge Pot’s most popular confectionery concoctions is actually their signature butter toffee, and it’s one of our tour attendees’ favorite tastes!
They make it in house every day with all the freshest ingredients, and it’s easy to tell it’s not just folks on our tour that love it — 30+ Yelpers call it out specifically in their reviews!
The secret: The candy makers at the Fudge Pot have found the perfect balance between the buttery-sweet caramel, rich chocolate and crunchy nuts.
Want to try your hand at making your own English butter toffee? We found two recipes we really liked.
This one’s from Land O Lakes Butter…
…and this one’s from the Pioneer Woman.
So grab your candy thermometer and get cookin’, or just head down to Old Town for some pre-made, always-satisfying butter toffee from the Fudge Pot. Or, book yourself on our next Second City Classic Neighborhood Food Experience covering the Gold Coast and Old Town neighborhoods, and we’ll take you to get some. (Out of town? They’ll ship it…)
