The lifestyle plan of eating healthy ─ organic, gluten free, keto, vegetarian and more ─ seems to be everywhere these days, but many calorie and carb counters alike still enjoy the occasional sweet treat.
And if the craving for that treat includes something new or unusual, the farmers market is a good the place to find it.
After all, food court vendors are innovators who combine foods and flavors to create new taste sensations both sweet and savory.
We recently met Denise and Johnny Griffin, owners of the Sweet & Salty Snack Shack. Their impressive canopy houses snacks of all kinds, including candies popular years ago.
The Griffins are snack lovers themselves and understand that Nostalgia has a sweet place as well. Finding a favorite childhood candy makes kids of all ages feel young again.
Canopies come in all sizes
Don’t let the word “shack” fool you.
The Griffins’ particular snazzy “shack” is a super-sized canopy displaying tables loaded with clever, eye-catching containers of sweet and savory items.
It opened for business in November 2023 after the Griffins, 32-year residents of the High Desert, decided to start a business centered around their favorite pastime ─ being candy shop tourists.
“Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life” is a saying the Griffins took to heart.
Sweets and more
In addition to stocking their shelves with old-time fun candy, the Griffins make some of the sweet snacks including colorful cotton candy sold in plastic cups on a stick ─ very user friendly.
They also offer marshmallow pops ─ three large, flavored marshmallows on a stick, $2 each. Ask about the unique “lollies,” lollipops in fun flavors including lavender as well as seasonal Summer Lollies, refreshing on a hot day.
Their hand-crafted treats complement an impressive inventory of nostalgic sweets displayed by decade. Think root beer bottle-shaped hard candy and other “portable” sweets like ring pops.
If you cannot make up your mind, grab a “Nostalgic Bag” and fill it with candies of your choice for $20.
Honey sticks are available for three for $1. Flavors are clover, vanilla, blackberry and orange.
And now for the salty side
The Griffins’ salty snacks are imaginative twists on traditional trail mix. Their handcrafted “salty stuff” comes in Snack Cups or Snack Packs.
There are more than 20 flavors like But First Coffee and Lime Salsa, each aimed to satisfy your salty side and perfect for grab-and-go. The cups are $4 each.
Snack Packs are hand-mixed bags of sweet and savory combinations like Seedy Blend, corn flax seed crackers, sunflower seeds, and goldfish; No Melt Blend of chex mix and mixed nuts; and Summer Blend with peanuts, sunflower seeds, goldfish and butter twist pretzels.
Another choice is Pacific Vacation with flax seed crackers, goldfish, dried pineapple and Wasabi peas.
The Snack Packs are $4 each or three for $10
You can also purchase soft drinks and bottled water.
That’s not all
To give youngsters a place to play, the Griffins also operate an inflatable “rock wall,” complete with harnesses for young climbers and trained operators working the safety lines. Tickets for this activity as well as the basketball toss on the other side of the rock wall are available at the Shack.
More information is available on Instagram @hdsnackshack along with photos of special items available during the holidays and their new “candy cake.” Message them to discuss your own special celebrations, church and youth events, school fundraisers and more.
They are also on hdsnackshack.etsy.com.
When you go
- Where: Hesperia Community Farmers Market, 15833 Smoke Tree St., Hesperia, is co-sponsored by Hesperia Parks and Recreation Department.
- When: Every Saturday, weather permitting, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Information: Vendor application process: www.tfsoakhills.com. Live DJ, petting zoo, pony rides and more. Parking on Juniper and Smoke Tree Streets.
Food Truck Sundays, first and third Sunday of the month, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. with vendors, drinks, raffles, live music. Facebook and Instagram, @hesperiacommunityfarmersmarket.
If you would like your restaurant profiled in Dining Around, text/call 760-953-8682 or email kaynhuey@aol.com.
Most Popular
Comments / 0