Cherry Mash

 

   St Joseph, Missouri is famous for three things: It was the jumping off point of the Pony Express, it was the city where Jesse James was killed, and it's the home of the Chase Candy company, maker of the beloved Cherry Mash chocolate and cherry candy bar.

   The Pony Express only lasted 18 months. but it had a glorious run. It cut the time for a letter to reach San Francisco to ten days, a record at the time. It cost five dollars ($180 dollars in today's money) to send a 1/2 ounce letter by Pony Express. It was subsided by the government but lost twice as much as it earned and was put out of business by the telegraph.

   The house where Jesse James was killed in St Joseph is just a ten minute walk from the Pony Express Museum. James had moved to St Joseph after the disastrous raid on the Northfield, Minnesota bank, planning to give up crime. He got restless though and took on new gang members, one of whom shot him in the back of the head while he was dusting a picture.

   As a young man during the Civil War, James joined a band of Missouri guerrillas who sympathized with the South. I like to picture the day James and his fellow bushwackers arrived at the Chase Candy Company factory planning to burn it down because of rumors it was supplying the Union Army with candy. The commander of the guerrilla troop, Bloody Bill Anderson, was diverted from his plan by his second-in-command, Isaiah Walton, grandfather of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart.

   Sam grew up hearing the story of how his grandpa saved Chase Candy, though no one knew what Isaiah's motivation was. He may have felt sorry for all the men who would have been thrown out of work. Anyway, when Sam was building his first store in Bentonville in 1962, he contacted Chase Candy about becoming Walmart's main candy supplier. This relationship had continued until last August when Walmart declared  the Cherry Mash bar was underperforming and was being replaced by the latest Reese's product.

   Sam Walton and his grandfather must be rolling in their graves. Chase Candy will take a hit, but the company will survive. Cherry Mash is still available at Hy-Vee grocery stores, at Hobby Lobby (at the cash registers), and from Amazon. My Civil War story above does not stand up to scrutiny. Research reveals that Dr. George Washington Chase did not open his candy factory in St Joseph until 1876. Jesse James was probably a customer. His dates and Chase's coincide. Cherry Mash was not sent to soldiers during WWII. That job was given to M&Ms which don't melt in tropical conditions.

   Chase Candy Company expanded to several factories around the US over the years and produced 500+ different kinds of candy. Cherry Mash has always been the company's best seller and that is now the only candy it makes in the factory it built on the edge of town in 2005. The company does not offer factory tours, nor is there a retail outlet on site, but if you enter the lobby you can see historical photos and smell the candy being made. If you must have a Cherry Mash, there's a Hy-Vee a short drive away. 

   I had my first Cherry Mash the other day at the Reynold's home. It features a soft, maraschino cherry-flavored fondant center covered in a double layer of milk chocolate mixed with chopped roasted peanuts. It's massive, weighing 2.05 oz. compared with Snickers at 1.86 oz and the lean and aggressive Reeses's at 1.5 oz. I liked it. It pairs well with scalding hot coffee. I could only eat half at one sitting. I have no hobbies, but if I ever crave another Cherry Mash, I'll pop into the nearest Hobby Lobby.

Feeds a family of two