Sarris Candies, Inc., is a specialty

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civil ...

and candies company based in

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town lies in a rich coal distri ...

, approximately 18 miles (29 km) southwest of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. It was founded in 1960 by Frank Sarris.

History

Frank Sarris (September 22, 1931 – March 1, 2010) of Canonsburg, the son of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...

, started his candy business in 1960 by making chocolates in the basement of his

Washington County, Pennsylvania Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington. Washington County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county ...

, home.Cato, Jason
Canonsburg 'Candy Man' Sarris dies at 78
''

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Although it transitioned to an all-digital format on December 1, 2016, it rema ...

'' (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). Tuesday, March 2, 2010. Sarris learned how to produce chocolate from lifelong friend and mentor John Macris, a fellow Greek and founder of Philadelphia Candies. By 1963, Sarris had outgrown his basement, so he built a small candy shop next door to his house, and five years later the house was demolished to make room for an even bigger candy shop.sarriscandies.com history
/ref> Over the years, the company grew to include more than 350 employees and $16 million in annual sales, according to the company's Web site. In 1982, with the help of his son, Sarris created his very own old-fashioned

Ice cream parlor Ice cream parlors (American English) or ice cream parlours (British English) are places that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream (also called hard-packed or hard ...

complete with period-style, red and brass booths and shimmering crystal chandeliers. Today, the Sarris Chocolate Factory and Ice Cream Parlour fill an area the size of a football field with over 100 yards of chocolate, penny candy, ice cream and lifelike plush toys. Sarris' candies can be found at hundreds of annual fundraising events to kiosks in more than 500

Hallmark stores A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term '' hallmark'' c ...

around the country.Bradwell, Michael
Frank Sarris dies at 78
'' Observer-Reporter'' (Washington, Pennsylvania). March 3, 2010. On February 3, 2012, the factory caught fire shortly before 7AM with 20,000 pounds of chocolate but has since been restored.

References

External links

Sarris Candies corporate website
*Map: {{DEFAULTSORT:Sarris Candies Chocolate companies based in Pennsylvania Ice cream parlors in the United States Canonsburg, Pennsylvania American companies established in 1960 Food and drink companies established in 1960 Retail companies established in 1960 1960 establishments in Pennsylvania Companies based in Washington County, Pennsylvania