By Jacqueline Kimball
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Sweeten the holidays with fourth-generation hometown chocolatier Anthony-Thomas Chocolates. Its Candy Kitchen factory sits just a few miles from Hickory Chase.

Treat the grandkids—and yourself—to a free Candy Kitchen tour. Surrender to the company’s annual "two-pound sale" of deluxe assorted chocolates. Or purchase Anthony-Thomas Buckeyes to score gift-giving touchdowns without the mess and effort of making them yourself.

A tour might well begin in the factory parking lot. "Some days you can smell the chocolate even before you enter the building," says Retail Supervisor Kathy Robbins.

Open tours take place year-round on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the 152,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art factory. As a rich chocolaty aroma fills the air, visitors walk along a glass-enclosed "catwalk" and observe every aspect of the candy-making process. Eight production lines turn out 25,000 pounds of chocolates per shift.

An elevator makes tours accessible to all, and a guide answers questions. The tour ends at the factory’s Retail Shoppe. Yum!

Anthony-Thomas Candy Shoppes throughout the Columbus area offer holiday specials and honor Golden Buckeye cards. There’s also a "Sweet Tooth" loyalty card.

The factory is located at 1777 Arlingate Lane, off Wilson Road. For more information, visit the website www.Anthony-Thomas.com.