Find Something Sweet And Twisted At The Annual Candy Cane Festival
Hammond's Candy Factory is something of an institution in the Denver area. Started in 1920 by Carl T. Hammond, this factory has outlived many of it's competitors. Carl Hammond spent only one day in high school when he decided education was not his chosen path. His mother told him that was ok, but he needed to get a job. He found one as an apprentice at a candy factory and the rest is history.
December is a busy month. So many things to do. There's the new Star Wars movie, the whole Christmas thing, and of course, Hammond's Candy Cane Festival.
For two amazing days, Hammond's hosts a delightful extravaganza that focuses on what they do best. CANDY CANES!!!!
Hammond's is known for their traditional ribbon candy, and it is just out of this world. It comes in many flavors, our favorite being clove, and is just as beautiful as it is delicious. However, our most favorite creation of Hammond's is without a doubt - the stuffed candy cane. Cherry stuffed with chocolate, Pecan stuffed with cream, Mango stuffed with Habanero! The possibilities are endless.
The festival has grown so much over the years. This year, it was actually snowing which really got people in the Christmas spirit. Carolers sang a myriad of Christmas carols and even had the crowd joining in at times. Kids were running around with their mouths stained from the candy and sky high on a sugar rush. A carriage with two beautiful horses took people on rides around the neighborhood, and a tiny train ran serpentine formations throughout the parking lot as kids and adults giggled and laughed. There were even bouncy houses for kids to play on. A few food trucks were there and Celestial Seasonings also made an appearance serving hot tea to help the parents warm up as their children played.
Hammond's offers factory tours every day, excluding Sundays. On the tour we got to watch the candy cane making process. This starts with the molten candy being kneaded by hand to incorporate color. Next the candy is moved to the puller, a three armed machine that stretches the semi-solid sugar by incorporating air, cooling the candy, and at the same time altering it from a clear candy to opaque. It is almost magical to watch the transformation The piece of candy we saw on the tour started out a deep red and in seconds after being placed on the puller, had beautiful raspberry colored ribbons developing in the candy. When the candy was finally removed from the puller, it was twice the size and was a satiny pink. Finally, we got to watch them hand cut and shape the newly formed candy canes.
Hammond's makes Christmas candy year round and they are already preparing for Valentine's Day and Easter
In the next section of the tour, we watched marshmallow hearts being dipped in chocolate. While the enrobing machine is automated, each heart receives a personal inspection to ensure the coating is complete, and then it is hand wrapped in foil. In fact, all candy is made by hand - hand wrapped, formed by hand, and one person will follow each batch from start to finish.
Very impressive for a company that started out with about 10 employees. Today, they employ around 120 candy makers plus staff. 90 years and still going strong!
We attended the festival on a Saturday and according to the employees, they were expecting approximately 7000 people to walk through their door. We love to see Colorado companies succeed. Be sure to visit any time throughout the year. As we said, they are open every day except for Sundays and tours are available during business hours. In addition to candy canes and ribbon candy, Hammond's offers taffy, popcorn, fudge, chocolate bars, hot cocoa, and of course their homemade caramel wrapped marshmallows. All of these are delicious and make wonderful, unique gifts for any occasion.
Hammond's Candy Factory is located at 5735 N Washington Street in Denver. You can also shop online as well and their products are sold in several stores such as King Soopers.
On a side note, a friend of ours placed an order online to be picked up at the factory. There was a mix up with their order which is understandable when dealing with the vast numbers of people at an event like this. They corrected the issue and overnighted it to our friend at no additional charge to her. Everybody makes mistakes, but a company's true value is found in how they correct those mistakes. Excellent customer service is very important to a business and their actions explain why they have stayed in business for the last 90 years.
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Please visit Hammond's. It is important to support local Colorado businesses. It's even more important to keep them open to support our sugar addiction.
On a side note, we would like to wish all of our Maniac's a very Merry Christmas and we thank you all for your support. Have a wonderful holiday season, everybody!
Pellegrini's is tucked away in the Cottonwood Square shopping center on 23rd Avenue and 16th Street. The owner, Carlo, is from the old country of Italy and is passionate about bringing authentic Italian flavors to the thriving metropolis of Greeley. The restaurant is a moderately sized building, and it can accommodate both large and small parties. We found it to be nicely appointed and it smelled like food! You would be surprised how many restaurants we visit that smell like nothing. It is a very strange phenomenon. However, Pellegrini's is like going to a friend's house for dinner and experiencing the wonderful aroma meeting you at the door. As usual, we were the last to arrive and the rest of our party was already seated. Our server, Mandy, greeted us right away, let us know the specials, and took our drink order first thing. 
It is SO hard to find good gnocchi and Pellegrini's did a really good job. The pasta was soft and creamy with a vibrant tomato cream sauce. Boscaiola, a pappardelle pasta sauteed in white cream sauce with Cremini mushrooms, home made sausage and tomatoes was one of the stand out dishes. This was one of Carlo's recommendations and he certainly didn't steer us wrong. The fresh sausage and handmade pasta really gave this dish a truly unique taste. Rounding out our favorites, was a classic lasagna. The noodles were thin and delicate between a layering of rich bolognese sauce and gooey cheeses. Nothing fussy here, just classic deliciousness. There were a lots of other dishes warranting an honorable mention including Ravioli, Salmon e Pesto Genovese, Risotto, Pomodoro, and grilled chicken; however, the three mentioned previously were the dishes the table enjoyed the most.
