For most people, opening their own successful business is a dream come true. But for two Dunedin residents, it’s twice as sweet. For Sweet Treats Week in Kelly’s Kitchen I made a stop in downtown Dunedin on Broadway at The Candy Bar, the creation of Marsha Goins and Patty Coleman, who also own the Enchanted Branch right around the corner on Main Street. It’s not your typical candy store. The girls opened the shop about two years ago after they saw the need for something different downtown, and the proof is in all the neighborhood kids who drop in for their favorites, along with more vintage candy that Mom and Dad surely remember from Turkish Taffy to Sky Bars, Boston Baked Beans and Marshmallow Cones that make me think of the store I used to go up to in Garfield Heights, Ohio. McKenzies was a family run business that was where I headed when I had a little babysitting money to use for a treat for myself! They find many of their customers like to share their childhood memories as well of what they loved growing up, and how happy it makes them to find it once again in The Candy Bar.The Candy Bar also features locally produced specialty items like Gourmet Organic Sugar from Organic Sweetness, a coffee blend by a local master blender, and Viktoria Richards Chocolate from New Port Richey. They recently added cupcakes from Sugardarlings, with locations in Palm Harbor and New Port Richey, and they rarely last the day. Oh, and for the guys that walk in looking for the coveted Chocolate Covered Bacon? Yes, they can get that! They also have a thriving business with their creations showing up at weddings, parties and other events, and they're always happy to make sweet dreams a reality for you.  The candy mosaics are very popular, like the owl you see here.

    So what’s up for Christmas? Mouth-watering Sugar Plum Candies, Hazelnut filled pralines, caramel candy canes, and some chocolaty good hedge hogs. Really, hedgehogs! When you check out with your bag full of memories, you might like to take one of their new The Candy Bar postcards, created by another talented local artist. Kathy Lerche is a nurse at Clearwater’s Morton Plant Hospital. In her bio, Kathy says she uses her photography to share the simple, quiet moments in life with others emphasizing the beauty of local surroundings, turning places like Honeymoon Island and downtown Dunedin into colorful wonderlands .She started her photographic journey with classes at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center 10 years ago.

   We hope you’ve enjoyed sweet treats with me in Kelly’s Kitchen as much as I’ve had doing the research! We’ll be announcing the three finalists in the Homemade Holidays with Dixie Crystals Cookie Contest this weekend. Our grand tasting will be next week, when one lucky winner will walk away with a prize pack that includes a family four-pack of excellent seats to enjoy the 20^th Anniversary production of the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker December 28^th or 29^th at the Mahaffey Theater in St Petersburg. I’ll be joined by Janet Keeler, St Pete Times Lifestyle Editor and author of "Cookielicious," and Jessica Beebe, owner of Sugardarlings Cones ‘n Cupcakes. Each of our three finalists will also receive a special gift basket from Kelly’s Kitchen with Janet Keeler’s book, a special treat from Sugardarlings along with a special selection from Kelly’s Kitchen.

   This is the first Sunday of the month, and we'd like to invite you to join us for the Hyde Park Fresh Market from 10 am 10 3 pm. It's such a vast improvement with more vendors and the street closed to traffic. It's a wonderful place to shop local for those holiday gifts. The Hyde Park Fresh Market is the official sponsor of Kelly's Kitchen!

 WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN

What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and everything nice. That's what little girls are made of!