All Posts

January 31, 2026 Love is in the air — and so is the smell of toffee. We’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with three in-person events, and we hope to see you at one of them. February 11 we’re at UMASS Medical Center’s Memorial Campus (Belmont Street), and February 12 and 13 you can find us at their University Campus (55 Lake Ave). On February 13, we’ll be joined by my friend and flower farmer Robyn from Blair House Blooms , who’ll bring dozens of her glorious winter tulip bouque

December 28, 2025 What a year! 2025 was full of firsts for Candied Optimism, and we're so grateful for the community that made it all possible. A Few Highlights: Kickstarter Success: We launched our Kickstarter campaign and you showed up beautifully. Thank you to every backer who believed in Candied Optimism from the start. Find the list of backers here . Online Store Launch: Our online store  opened in October, making it easier than ever to order your favorites from home. If

January 22, 2026 We want to tell you something about our chocolate-dipped pretzels, because we think it matters, and one or two folks at our in-person events have asked why our pretzels cost what they do. Fair question, so we thought we’d share the answer here too. Our pretzels are made with real Ghirardelli milk chocolate — not melts. If you’ve ever wondered why some dipped pretzels (and other candies) taste a little waxy or flat, it’s often because they’re made with candy m