Tour Details 
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| The Fudge House | |
| Pier 39 San Francisco, California 94133 | |
| Details: It all began in a tiny shop in Ketchum/Sun Valley, Idaho way back in 1972. That's where (and when) Tom and Sally Lowe opened their first fudge shop. As a college student, Tom got his first exposure to the art of gourmet fudge making on Michigan's Mackinac Island. Ten years, thousands of pounds of fudge and two young sons later, Tom and Sally packed up and headed for San Diego. It was there in 1981 that they opened their doors in Seaport Village, the new 14-acre theme mall in a historic section of the city. Ten years and many more thousands of pounds of gourmet fudge later, Tom and Sally pulled up stakes again, heading north toward picturesque San Francisco. Since 1991, their new location along Pier 39 has enabled them to introduce folks from all over the world to their burgeoning assortment of incredible pleasures. What generally draws first-time visitors in to the Fudge House is the alluring aroma of chocolate fudge bubbling away on the stove but it doesn't take long before they discover the shop has far more to offer: a panoply of treats like white chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge and dark chocolate fudge. Today, after more than 35 years in the business, Tom and Sally are still as active in the making of their homemade treats as they were when they first opened up shop in 1972. Tom retains his position as principal confectioner; he manages to produce up to 350 pounds of homemade chocolate fudge each day all made by hand. He also makes the gourmet caramel-dipped apples, chocolate caramel apples, divinity and homemade caramel corn. Sally spends her days creating the other candy treats: dipped fresh strawberries, nut bark and clusters, truffles, peanut butter cups and more. Over the years, The Fudge House has cultivated a loyal following; they credit the pride they take in their products with their overwhelming success. Using only the freshest ingredients and time-honored recipes, and overseeing every step of the candy-making process ensures top-quality chocolate fudge and other homemade confections. We get asked a variety of questions every week. A lot of these questions are about the process by which we make our homemade chocolate fudge, candy treats and other delectable confections. Why do you use a copper kettle to cook the candy? We cook our gourmet fudge in copper kettles because copper distributes the heat evenly. This eliminates "hot spots" that could scorch the candy. Why marble tables? Marble is extremely dense. It cools the freshly poured fudge but doesn't retain heat, an important factor when we're cooking batch after batch. A hot table would slow the process down and impact how much we can make in a day. What does paddling the fudge accomplish? Paddling helps cool the fudge and makes it creamy. It's the same process home cooks use when they beat their homemade chocolate fudge in a bowl... but when you're working with 25 pounds of candy, a big chrome paddle makes the job easier. How long can I keep my gourmet fudge? Properly wrapped, it'll stay fresh for 10 days to two weeks if you manage to keep from finishing your gourmet fudge before then. Plastic wrap or Tupperware is good. Keep the candy at room temperature. Refrigerating our fresh homemade chocolate fudge will dry it out. Of course, chances are really good your fudge won't hang around that long... Can I freeze fudge? Fudge freezes very well. Again, make sure it is wrapped appropriately and it will keep for months. What is penuche? Penuche is an especially tasty, old-fashioned gourmet fudge made from a brown-sugar base. It's a real favorite among our customers - many of whom remember their mothers or grandmothers making it. At The Fudge House, we offer our penuche with or without walnuts. What is the most popular fudge? By far, the most popular fudge is our gourmet fudge without any extras... no nuts, no chips, no caramel. Obviously there are a lot of homemade chocolate fudge purists in the world and the lucky ones have discovered The Fudge House! Who gets to lick the table? Why, anyone with a 'licker license,' of course! |
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| Last Tour Update: May 15, 2012 |
