FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – CLEVELAND OH
Mitchell’s Fine Candies Founded in the Depression
Celebrates 70th Anniversary
By 1939, Greek immigrant and entrepreneur Chris Mitchell had founded three
businesses, all of which failed as The Great Depression tightened its grip on
the U.S. economy. Undaunted, he formed a fourth one in 1939, a candy shop
at the corner of Euclid Heights and Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights, and
this time, the business thrived.
During the Golden Age of Cinema, there were as many as 17 Greek-owned
candy stores operating alongside movie theaters in the Greater Cleveland
area. Mitchell’s Fine Candies, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this
year, is the only one to have survived under its original name and ownership
across the succeeding decades. It did so despite the demise of the movie
theater next door to its original location, and the store’s subsequent move to
Lee Road.
Today, Mitchell’s Fine Candies remains a vibrant part of its Cleveland Heights
neighborhood, with Mitchell’s widow Penelope, and son, Bill, maintaining
Mitchell’s original formula for success. The mother/son team and a staff of up
to ten seasonal workers combine fresh ingredients in small batches to create
hand-crafted chocolates that honor old-world standards of craftsmanship
while keeping pace with changing trends and evolving palettes.
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Mitchell’s Fine Chocolates
NEWS RELEASE
August 31, 2010
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According to Bill, who entered the business after college in the 1970’s and who visits his
parents’ native Greece every year for inspiration and relaxation, “Sweets play a big role in
Greek culture. Immigrants like my parents took advantage of what they already knew, then
combined that with their experience of America to create candies that, even today, seem
comfortable and familiar - yet special.” Penelope, who still works behind the counter most
days, has developed an extended family of enduring relationships over the years and is
now serving a fourth generation of Mitchell’s customers.
Core to Mitchell’s legacy is a smooth dark chocolate with a full-bodied taste without the
bitterness that is associated with high-cacao-solids European-style dark chocolates. Bill
explains, “ My father was selling high anti-oxidant dark chocolate way ahead of the curve.
His formula has been tweaked a bit over the years, and we’ve introduced some modern
machinery to enhance our ability to produce it — but essentially, it is the same chocolate
my father pioneered. Once milk-chocolate lovers taste our dark chocolate, there’s no
turning back.” The store also offers candies hand-dipped in a milky light chocolate, and
uses a fine bittersweet chocolate to concoct a number of its premium candies.
Through the years, Mitchell classics such as frothy, melt-in-your-mouth Marshmallows in a
variety of flavors, Marzipans dipped in dark chocolate, Pecan Turtles, Raspberry Jels, and
various Nut Clusters and Barks remain popular with each succeeding generation of
customers. For the chocolate connoisseur, Mitchell’s offers Australian figs and other
delectable fruits dipped in dark chocolate, elegant dark-chocolate truffles, and
The Graecia Collection of premium handcrafted chocolates, which combine unique
ingredients such as ouzo, masticha, and Earl Grey tea in celebration of the Mitchell family’s
Greek cultural heritage. Although the popularity of individual candies is somewhat
seasonal, Bill reports that Spanish Orange Peels, Raspbery Jels, Marshmallows, and the
giandujas that are at the heart of many of the Graecia chocolates, are perennial favorites.
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Mitchell’s Fine Chocolates
NEWS RELEASE
August 31, 2010
Since corporate and special occasion gifting are critical to a chocolatier’s long-term
success, Bill is continually introducing innovative upscale packaging to add value to every
chocolate selection. The Mitchell family store is located at 2285 Lee Road in Cleveland
Heights, Ohio. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on
Saturdays, with extended hours - including selected Sundays - before major holidays.
Plans are currently underway to develop satellite locations on the far East and far West
sides of Cuyahoga County. For more information, call (216) 932-3200 or visit
www.mitchellscandies.com.
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