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Feature article
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Ratliff Candy has holidays all wrapped up
By Fred Sauceman
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| Mike Ratliff (pictured) and his father Ken sell about 600 candy cane baskets each year for Mardi Gras. (Fred Sauceman photo). |
One of the joys of writing this column is the chance to meet people who are passionate about their craft and dedicated to it, whether that craft be hamburger making, sorghum cane squeezing, or aging cheese.
Two of my favorite food folks are Ken and Mike Ratliff, owners of Ratliff Candy Company on the Tennessee side of Bristol. They embody so many of the qualities I admire in the food world.
Back in November, I took my Appalachian Foodways class on a field trip to Ratliff Candy so the students could see the 50-year-old art of making baskets from candy canes. When we got back to the classroom, we talked about why the Ratliffs were good subjects for the class.
Longevity: The business has been around since 1952, inherited by Ken from his parents.
Handwork: The stick candy and the baskets themselves are all made by hand. Ken says his son Mike is the best candy braider in America. Basket handles are braided helixes of candy.
Family: It’s gratifying to watch a father and son work so well together and laugh so readily.
Knowledge: Making candy requires an understanding of the interaction of heat, sugar and humidity, and the Ratliffs have mastered those variables.
Irony: Visiting Ratliff Candy, I always note the contrast between the dungeon-like, mad scientist laboratory feel of the shop versus the beauty of the final product.
History: Ratliff Candy shares in the century-old tradition of candy-making that helps define the twin cities of Bristol.
Pride: Ken and Mike are proud that their products have been displayed in the White House and sold by Bloomingdale’s, but they’re equally proud that candy cane baskets are brought up from basements and taken out of closets every November and December to brighten family Christmas celebrations all over the country.
The business operates almost in anonymity, except for its presence on the Web. Drive by the Shelby Street shop and unless a Ratliff van is parked near the building, you’d have no idea candy was being made there. Mike says Tennessee accounts for only about five percent of basket sales.
Few candy cane Christmas baskets are made in January at Ratliff, but on a recent trip to the shop, I learned that all is not quiet in midwinter. Once Christmas is over, Ken and Mike trade red and white for the green, gold, and purple of Mardi Gras.
Alicia and Marty Himel, owners of M & A Baskets in Plaquemine, Louisiana, get in their van each year, drive to Bristol, and bring back over 100 cases of candy cane baskets in the colors of Mardi Gras.
“Many of the baskets are given to Maids and Dukes at Mardi Gras balls in south Louisiana,” says Alicia. “I fill mine with pillows of Ratliff candy. People love the baskets down here. They last well, travel well, and the handles hardly ever break.”
Alicia says she just convinced Ken and Mike to start making baskets in the purple and yellow of Louisiana State University this year. And with the football team’s Bowl Championship Series victory over Ohio State, the Ratliffs will be braiding Tiger colors for a long time.
For more information on Ratliff Candy, call 423-764-2271 or visit ratliffcandy.com.
--------GoTriCities--------
Food writer Fred Sauceman, author of the book “The Place Setting: Timeless Tastes of the Mountain South — from Bright Hope to Frog Level,” is senior writer and executive assistant to the president for public affairs at East Tennessee State University. E-mail him at sauceman@etsu.edu.
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