A little background

Candyland started in 1932 under the name Flavo Korn on Wabasha St. in downtown St. Paul. In 1938, Arnie Kelsy took over the business. By 1950, he added a more extensive line of candies and renamed the store ”Candyland”.

In 1981, Arnie sold the business to Doug and Brenda Lamb. It was a natural transition for Doug to take over the store, since he had already worked there for many years.

In 1988, Brenda and Doug created the Chicago Mix® blend of popcorns which has become a favorite, not just in the midwest, but throughout the United States.

A lot of time has passed since Candyland started as Flavo Korn, however, the recipes have remained the same. Candyland still believes in excellent customer service and the “mom and pop” atmosphere.

Want to find a Candyland near you?
Check out their website to view locations in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Stillwater.

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 My thoughts

Thanks to the awesome recommendation by the staff of Candyland, my husband and I, much to our delight, were able to enjoy a gallon tin of their Chicago Mix ®.  I couldn’t help but smile at our good fortune.  My husband and I were getting ready to host a football party, which is pretty close to every weekend, and we were looking for something unexpected to nosh on instead of the standard chips and dipping sauce.  Hello Candyland Chicago Mix ® to the rescue!  The Chicago Mix ® is an even blend of Candyland’s traditional seasoned popcorn mixed with a sweet caramel popcorn and cheesy popcorn. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought of adding a popcorn mix to the game day spread, but after sampling the Chicago Mix ®, how could I not make this a standard for our parties?  Really, it’s that good, just take a look.

Now, I’m sure I’m not the only one who can’t stand the fake taste of cheese powder that often covers chips or similar snacks.  Let me assure you, I had no complaints with the cheesy popcorn included in this mix.  I don’t know if what Candyland’s secret is, but I didn’t get the impression that they skimped on the flavor and quality of this popcorn in the slightest.  The whole mix was so good, we became addicted by the first handful.  We later discovered that Candyland makes their popcorn fresh every day in-house, which, I’m sure, added to the punch of flavors we so adored.

Why was this a perfect snack on game day?  For starters, you get a lot of bang for your buck when you purchase one gallon worth of the Chicago Mix ®.  We had a group of six at our place (mostly guys) and everyone was able to have a bowl full.  Like I figured, it was a smash hit and left the chips and salsa high and dry.  Is it ironic that we were munching on the Chicago Mix ® while we were watching the Chicago/Steelers game?

I mentioned that we had a gallon tub of the Chicago Mix ® and one of the first things that crossed my mind was wondering what I was going to do with the tin tub once we were finished with the popcorn.  Having a background in public relations and learning the basics of graphic design, I didn’t want to simply toss the tub out.  So what did we do?  I decided to fill it with ice and shove a couple beer bottles in, that’s what I did!

Worked like a charm too.  No one had to miss a play or wait for the commercial breaks to get their beer thanks to our new ice bucket.  Thanks Candyland!  As for the beer, we kept things local with Grain Belt and Summit.  This is a blog about all things Minnesota, would you expect anything else?  I didn’t think so.

On top of being a great way to change up your game day snacks, Candyland has a wide variety of designs on their tubs to fit most holidays and occasions.  I’m considering getting a tub around Valentines day.  Yes, it has hearts on the tub; yes, I’m going to chill wine in it.  Probably this wine from Sovereign Estate Winery.  Don’t judge. 🙂

For a full view of their popcorn mixes, check out the link below:
Popcorn Mix