Preston's Candy and Ice Cream Serves Art with Tradition

There was nothing artificial about the flavors of the golden age of candy. Before kids could simply skip to the corner 7-Eleven to grab a plastic-wrapped sugar high, was making world-class treats with pristine artistry.

“Art was an artisan before there was a word for artisan,” said Preston’s Candy owner Irene Preston of founding owner Art Preston. “We’re continuing that kind of tradition.”

Though the two owners have no blood relation, they share a love for perfecting candy making using traditional styles.

After Art Preston returned home from the Pacific during World War II, he took his GI Bill to Burlingame and opened a candy store. With the help of his mentor, famous candy man Douglas Shaw, the shop officially opened its doors in 1946, making this year the sweet shop’s 65th anniversary.

“We’ve been dedicated to preserving traditional confections, the methods and techniques that Art had originated,” Preston said.

The founder of the candy shop passed away in January of this year at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy of delicate and delicious candies.

“Art was considered one of the master candy makers in the country,” Preston said.

Expert candy maker Jason Huntzinger continues these traditional methods with knowledge that he is one of the last.

“There’s very few stores like us in the U.S,” he said. “We’re finding out no one else makes candy in that fashion anymore.”

From the complicated recipe for thin mints to the highly sophisticated French candies, Huntzinger has seen the complexities of creating sweets, sours and everything in between.

“I honestly never thought of candy making as a job,” Huntzinger said. “I never thought people made candy. I thought it’s done in machines and in mass factories.”

Huntzinger, who now considers candy making an art form, is not the only person who has held this belief. Preston said many candy lovers are not aware of the dedication required to make quality candies.

“A lot of people have not experienced what a fresh candy tastes like,” she said. “People are so far removed from what the product is and how it was made.”

But for Preston’s Candy and Ice Cream customers, all the magic happens on the spot. Just behind the shop, candy makers toil away each day to bring mouth watering confections to sweet-toothed customers.

Ten-year-old Laurene Bishop sat on the benches in front of Preston’s sharing ice cream and laughs with other Burlingame locals.

“I love their bubblegum ice cream,” she said with an ear-to-ear smile. “It just tastes different; I’ve never had real bubblegum in bubblegum ice cream.”

But even though the store wishes to maintain the traditional style of candy making that has kept the shop in business for generations, this doesn’t stop Preston from creating new, innovative candies.

“We’re not stuck in the mud,” Preston said. “We’re really creating new candies, also.”

Preston said the candy store also incorporates different cultures, including flavors like lychee and fruits from all over the world.

“We’re trying to be sensitive to a more sophisticated palette that is on the Peninsula,” she said.

One example, Preston said, is the use of a very specific orange peel imported from Spain or Italy to give the most pristine taste.

“The candies that we make use the very best ingredients we can find, and we use very small batch methods,” Preston said. “It’s very much an old style.”

But when gearing up for the holidays, Preston’s is busy preparing the traditional peppermints, caramels and massive amounts of chocolate.

“If chocolate is out of temper it can get quite ugly,” Preston laughed.

As the candy makers of Preston’s hustle to bring Halloween goodies and fill Christmas stockings, the store continues to induce nostalgia for many Burlingame families.

“We have a lot of customer loyalty here, and we’re a part of many family traditions,” Preston said.

In their 65th year, Preston’s Candy and Ice Cream hopes to continue the traditional vision of Art Preston while bringing sweet sophistication for years to come.