{The original Hendel’s Market in 1937}
For 20 years, diners have flocked to Hendel’s Market Café & Piano Bar in downtown Florissant for farm-fresh dishes like grilled trout and Pasta Fleurissant. Now adults and children will line up for another reason: the restaurant’s new candy counter, debuting the week of Valentine’s Day.
Before it was a restaurant, Hendel’s was a family-owned grocery store with a candy counter that tempted residents with sugary treats. Children clutched pennies and agonized over which brightly wrapped candies they would buy.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, manager Christina Bennett said Hendel’s owners wanted to pay tribute to its rich history with a new candy counter stocked with old-school favorites like Swedish fish, saltwater taffy, root beer barrels and Zotz (thought they will cost a bit more than 1 cent today). Bennett said Hendel’s pastry chef Lia Weber also plans to stock the shelves with house-made truffles, wrapped caramels and macarons. Weber also will offer packaged bags of cookies and baked goods for purchase.
The candy counter be will open during restaurant hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This article appears in January 2014.