The French Pastry School at City Colleges of Chicago plans to double in size by adding an 11,000-sq.-ft. hands-on teaching kitchen, two theater-style kitchens, a research and development center and administrative offices to the school.

Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate has opened a new plant dedicated to the production of chocolate coatings and fillings.

Barry Callebaut’s new ProBenefit chocolate lets consumers have their chocolate and health benefits, too.

Cocoa, sugar and corn sweetener prices are near historic highs. Consumer spending has declined and commodity prices have risen. Thanks to the worldwide recession, confectioners are not only presented with new challenges, but also with opportunities.

Melissa Joan Hart, best known for her acting in “Sabrina The Teenage Witch” and “Clarissa Explains It All,” has opened her own candy store called SweetHarts.

Deborah Cassell Executive Editor Candy Industry casselld@bnpmedia.com getting fresh: Taxation without justificationMembers of some generations may well-remember those five-and-dime stores that offered “penny candy” for, well, mere pennies. Confections may

Sept. 21-23
Marriott’s Lincolnshire Resort
Lincolnshire, Ill.

Bernard Pacyniak Editor-in-Chief Candy Industry pacyniakb@bnpmedia.com getting fresh: Splitting Cocoa Beans, Part 2Regular readers of Sweet & Healthy are probably wondering why my plain mug is showing up where Deborah

Bernard Pacyniak Editor-in-Chief Candy Industry pacyniakb@bnpmedia.com getting fresh: Splitting cocoa beansWhen I first joined Candy Industry in 2001, moving over from sister publication Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, the challenge

Deborah Cassell Executive Editor Candy Industry casselld@bnpmedia.com getting fresh: Worthy new products, causesThis week, I was contacted by an editor at a national consumer magazine for guidance on an article