Landies Sweets & Treats in Buffalo

About six years ago I had this heart "scare". I was 22 at the time, and while it turned out to be nothing major, I was told to basically cut caffeine out of my diet completely. "Chocolate has caffeine in it, what?" were my exact words to the cardiologist. He just smiled and said, "eat it sparingly." Knowing my family's history with heart disease, I obliged and months went by without having a piece of any chocolate.

Over the years my desire for chocolate faded, but once and a while I still get a craving. So, if I was only allowed to have it "sparingly", the real question was, WHAT was I going to have?

Living in Buffalo, I was raised eating sponge candy, and I've tried pretty much every brand or candy company out there. In Buffalo, we know how to do sponge candy, and there's a lot of great kinds out there, but my favorite is from Landies Sweets & Treats. (The bad news, for my heart anyway, the storefront is within walking distance to my work).

Landies Sweets & Treats has been in Buffalo for 25 years and with a tagline of "finest quality around and best price in town", owner Larry Szrama makes sure he delivers. Larry's parents owned a supermarket and the family began making chocolates to sell when he was younger. He continually tries new products out, and even ran a contest for fans of Landies to come up with a new candy bar flavor in November. His team is always hard at work in the chocolate factory on Main Street. They are located in the Tri-Main Building (2495 Main Street, Buffalo), Suite 350, and as you make your way off the elevator on the third floor, all you can smell is chocolate. The brightly colored doors make way for candy heaven!

They offer pretty much anything chocolate covered you would want, have truffles, buttercreams, sponge candy, different flavored chocolate bars and seasonal products for the holidays. They also offer gummies, hard candies, suckers, and more! With the holiday season upon us, they have so many cute holiday baskets and packages for the chocolate lovers in your life. My top pick, which would make great stocking stuffers, are the sponge candy Christmas trees ($4.99) which are super cute, and well, delicious! They are great for any former Buffalonians who will be coming home for the holidays. The prices are comparable to other candy makers in Buffalo, and they frequently run specials and great discount offers! (The last one I saw in store was double up for $2.00 - buy a pound, the second pound is only $2.00. While that special is up, there are more on the way!)

If you are a big fan of chocolate, they are hosting a "sweet" holiday promotion event. On Thursday December 15th from 12pm - 1pm they are offering an all you can eat truffle lunch for just $3.00 per person! How can you possibly go wrong with that deal? Grab your co-workers, and get down there for a great lunch time treat!

Landies Sweets & Treats is open Monday - Friday from 9am - 3pm. They offer tours for schools and community members alike, and also offer a chocolate academy. Stay in the loop on everything going on at Landies by "liking" them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/landies. They have been known to sometimes run contests via their Facebook page for prizes too, so definitely check them out today!

As the holiday shopping crunch draws to a close, get down to Landies Sweets & Treats to check off those last few hard to buy for shoppers on your list. Bring some extra money with you though, because you won't be leaving empty handed!