A Sweet Evening: Celebrating Chocolate Month with Esther Price Candies
Our February Muster & Mingle was a sweet success! Nearly 40 veterans, caregivers, and friends joined us for an evening of history, chocolate, and community.
February is Chocolate Month, so we spotlighted the remarkable story behind Esther Price Candies. Guests learned about Esther Price herself—her early life in Cincinnati, meeting her future husband Ralph when he became an orphan and moved into her grandparents’ shop, and how she balanced family life with entrepreneurial ambition.
After marrying in 1924 and having twins, Esther started making fudge to help support her young family. A head floorman at Rike’s department store noticed her homemade treats and offered her a candy counter to sell them officially. From there, her business took off. She began production in a two-bedroom house on Fauver Avenue, working late nights, carefully cutting and wrapping each piece by hand, and walking blocks to sell candy door-to-door to local offices.
One crowd-favorite story of the night involved a red porch light Esther installed to signal when candy was ready. Ralph joked, “Are you trying to bring the red-light district to Fauver Avenue?” The light was promptly changed to blue, much to Esther’s amusement and embarrassment.
Guests also enjoyed a fascinating video that followed an opera cream from start to finish in the factory—a behind-the-scenes look at how each candy is made by hand.
Esther Price sold the company to the Day family in 1976, and they continue her legacy today, making candy by hand using only the best ingredients—including Nestlé cocoa and top-quality milk.
Dinner matched the theme, featuring hearty beef stew with green beans and rolls, capped off with chocolate cake. A fun surprise: the stew itself was made using the same Nestlé cocoa powder used in Esther Price candies! And as a sweet send-off, Esther Price provided goodie bags for everyone, filled with opera creams, peanut butter creams, solid chocolate domes, caramels, and pecan toppers—something for every sweet tooth.
To top it all off, we held a door prize drawing that added even more excitement to the evening.
It was an event full of laughter, learning, and, of course, chocolate. We can’t wait to see everyone at our next Muster & Mingle! For more info on where you can catch us next, visit our Upcoming Events page by clicking here!