Tom Ehlke, The Candy Man

Affection for Confections

The Candymaker Candy Store in Destin is full of sweets. The entrance display case is overflowing with some of the biggest sellers: giant peanut butter cups, toasted coconut clusters and critters — pecans layered with caramel and topped with either white, milk or dark chocolate. The pretzels are dipped in homemade caramel and submerged in yummy chocolate.

Not surprised? What will amaze is the genuine affection the Candymaker, Tom Ehlke, has for making his homemade confections delicious. The lyrics from the 1972 hit song, “The Candy Man,” sung by Sammy Davis Jr., describe what’s best about this proprietor:

Who can take the sunrise?
Sprinkle it with dew
Cover it with choc’late and a miracle or two
The Candy Man, oh
The Candy Man can
The Candy Man can’ cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good.

Follow the trail of chocolate-covered creations into the old-fashioned store, and discover bags of chocolate-colored seashells, double dipped malt balls and trays of Southern pralines and fudge. “I’ve made a million batches of fudge,” said Ehlke. “All homemade, good ingredients.”  

Looking over his fudge station counter, he eyed two young boys popping Jelly Belly’s into their mouths from a bountiful display of every flavor the company makes. “You’re supposed to weigh ’em and pay for them before you eat them,” he said crossly to the boys. “And not spill them in these troughs.” 

His cranky disposition awarded him the nickname of “grouchy ol’ candy maker” years ago, when he worked long hours in his Miramar Beach store located in The Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin. “I would just unmercifully pick on the customers when they came in. I was kind of like the Soup Nazi of candy,” he said. “‘No candy for you.’” When someone would say, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing in here, I’m diabetic.’ I’d say, ‘Then go stand on the porch.’” When kids slammed the plastic bins he’d yell from behind the display, “Quit slamming the bins! You’re driving the Candy Man crazy!” 

Near the wall of jellybeans, a self-serve frozen yogurt station takes center stage offering creamy, smooth flavors. “This is Florida’s largest candy store,” said Ehlke, who advertises his opinion on billboards hoping to spin up controversy and draw attention to his business. 

He converted the first floor — 7,000 square feet of a former Destin restaurant space across from The Back Porch — into the store, gift shop and breakfast nook open seven days a week. He refurbished the front doors for display covers and refinished the wooden floors. Mermaids, seashells, toys and nautical gifts are offered along with a touch of nostalgia. 

“All of the fixtures are genuine antiques from Savannah, Ga.,” said Ehlke, turning to introduce his wife, Joyce, who runs the gift store. How long have you two been married? “She’ll say too long,” he joked of their 19 years together. 

His favorite fixture, besides his wife, is the jukebox. “You know what the most popular song on any jukebox in America is?” Ehlke asked, adding that when a man over the age of 40 steps up to select a song, he knows it’s going to be number 809 — Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.” 

What his stores became famous for is prominently staged in wooden bins next to the jukebox’s bright neon flashing lights — fresh, salt-water taffy. An in-house mixer combines corn syrup and sugar, vegetable oil and a little bit of sea salt to make the base. This 50-pound batch is rolled into six-foot candy striped logs, which are then cut and wrapped by a 1911 machine. Each store cuts and wraps its taffy — all 16 flavors — from the batch he makes in the main location in Destin. There’s key lime, tangerine, watermelon, butter rum, cinnamon and much more to enjoy. 

The Candymaker’s favorite sugary treat is one he makes — the pecan log. “If Stuckey ever ate one of these he’d wear a paper sack over his head out of shame for what he’s been selling all these years,” said Ehlke of the Stuckey Corporation, which makes a pecan log roll and sells confections in many travel plazas across the Midwest and Eastern states. “This is all homemade. It has a white divinity type center, so it’s not too sweet. It’s just perfect. A perfect piece of candy.” 

The caramel apples, dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts are customer favorites as are chocolate covered frozen bananas. A popular after-dinner item is the turtle or an oversized critter. “Years ago when we started out we made a regular-sized turtle.  People would come over from The Back Porch and all they were looking for was something for desert,” said Ehlke. “All they would buy was one little turtle. So we supersized the turtle.” 

For the holidays the stores make Ting-a-ling or white chocolate bars with crushed peppermint. “We box a lot of this and package it differently for Christmas,” he said. “We ship anywhere in the world.”

From the breakfast nook, the 73-year old sits to rest, pointing out the view diners have of the breaking waves of the Gulf of Mexico across the street. Born and raised in northern Wisconsin, Elhke’s early career centered around working at small and medium radio stations as the sales and marketing manager. He moved around the country. While on vacation from his work in Nashville, he often stayed in Panama City Beach. During one of his visits he learned from a hotel owner that she could no longer afford the mortgage. He assumed the loan and ownership. Over the next few years he bought a couple more hotels before getting into real estate developing. 

In the late ’80s, the self-proclaimed born salesman noticed tourists were coming into the local supply store looking for salt-water taffy. The taffy was awful. He thought he could do better. After researching how to make the chewy candy, he launched his own recipe and full-line candy business and moved to Destin in 1992. Of his locations in Destin Commons, The Village of Baytowne Wharf and Pier Park, breakfast is served seasonally only in the Destin location, across from The Back Porch.

Everything the Candymaker stores make are from the best ingredients. Fresh. The old fashioned way. “You don’t have to order candy online,” said Ehlke. “This is the best American chocolate.”

Who can make some taffy
Wrap it in a bow,
Place it on the counter and make a bunch of kids crow
The Candy Man, oh
The Candy Man can

Talk about your wedding wishes?
Who can add some sweetness to your dream?
Coordinate the chocolate, gathering pecans with cream
The Candy Man, The Candy Man, The Candy Man can ’cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good.