Patty Chmara-Shirley digs through a broad selection of freeze dried candies and snacks at her new store WODOX Freeze Dried Treats on Erie Boulevard in Rome. Free samples are available. “I don’t want people to get something they don’t like,” she said.
A handful of different freeze dried candies at WODOX, located at 701 Erie Blvd W. They use snacks like Nerds, Skittles, gummy bears and more and turn them into new treats through freeze drying. is freeze dried candy healthy
A selection of freeze dried candy samples at WODOX Freeze Dried Treats on Erie Boulevard West in Rome.
Patty Chmara-Shirley, center, has opened her own candy store in Rome, with her friend Alicia VanLandingham, left, and her husband, Bob Shirley, right. WODOX Freeze Dried Treats is open now at 701 Erie Blvd. West in Rome.
The outside of WODOX Freeze Dried Treats was hand-decorated by the owners.
Patty Chmara-Shirley digs through a broad selection of freeze dried candies and snacks at her new store WODOX Freeze Dried Treats on Erie Boulevard in Rome. Free samples are available. “I don’t want people to get something they don’t like,” she said.
A handful of different freeze dried candies at WODOX, located at 701 Erie Blvd W. They use snacks like Nerds, Skittles, gummy bears and more and turn them into new treats through freeze drying.
A selection of freeze dried candy samples at WODOX Freeze Dried Treats on Erie Boulevard West in Rome.
Patty Chmara-Shirley, center, has opened her own candy store in Rome, with her friend Alicia VanLandingham, left, and her husband, Bob Shirley, right. WODOX Freeze Dried Treats is open now at 701 Erie Blvd. West in Rome.
The outside of WODOX Freeze Dried Treats was hand-decorated by the owners.
ROME — Get your sweet tooth ready because a new candy shop has opened in Rome: WODOX Freeze Dried Treats on Erie Boulevard offers a unique way to snack.
Freeze-drying food has been around for a long time — remember Astronaut Food ice cream? — but when applied to popular candies, they puff up into a new eating experience. Skittles, Milk Duds, gummy bears, marshmallow Peeps, salt-water taffy, and many more snacks are transformed into crunchy, air-puffed treats while maintaining their regular tastes.
“Freeze drying just automatically changes the dynamics of the candy. It’s taking all of the water out, it enhances the flavors,” explained Patty Chmara-Shirley, who opened WODOX with her husband, Bob Shirley, and their friend, Alicia VanLandingham, at 701 Erie Blvd. West in Rome. It’s located right next to DiCastro’s Brick Oven, in the former boat repair shop.
“I just felt like we needed something to smile about, something that would make you happy,” said Chmara-Shirley, noting that a lot of people seem “grumpy” these days. “No matter what mood I’m in, when I come in here I smile, and I don’t think I’m much different from anybody else.”
WODOX is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and is closed Monday through Wednesday while they make more product. Free samples are available.
“We don’t get it anywhere. It’s fresh, we make it,” Chmara-Shirley said. “Freeze-dried is also good for people who have dental issues because it doesn’t stick to your teeth.”
Veteran-ownedChmara-Shirley and her husband both served in the U.S. Air Force in the 1980s in Rome and Plattsburgh. They moved to Utah when their service was up, where Chmara-Shirley worked as a police officer and her husband ran his own aviation business. It was there they discovered freeze dried candy, which was popular among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She said Mormons are “very big” into food storage of all kinds, and freeze drying machines are very popular. But when they moved back to the Rome area in the late 1990s, she saw that freeze-dried food was practically nonexistent.
“It’s really not that prevalent out here, so I thought it would be great to bring it out here,” Chmara-Shirley said. “I’d been thinking about it for a couple of years, and then last summer I took it seriously.”
Making candyThe name “WODOX” comes from a business Chmara-Shirley used to run in which she made wooden tables with epoxy resin designs. That business has closed, but she liked the name and brought it over to the new candy shop. “I wanted it to provoke thought. And I just loved the name,” she said. They’ve also named their panda bear mascot “Dox.”
They have purchased three freeze drying machines but are waiting for some red tape to clear from the State of New York before they can start using their in-house kitchen, she said. Until then, they’ve rented the use of a local commercial kitchen to make the candy.
According to Chmara-Shirley, they buy the name brand candy themselves and put batches in the freeze drier, then give them a legally distinct name when bagged and sold. Some candies take a few hours, some take several hours and some snacks, like cheesecake and ice cream, can take days to completely freeze dry. It’s why they need to take several days to resupply. She said they hope to open for more days in the future once their kitchen is cleared for use.
They are also hoping to host birthday parties in store, with plans for holiday events for Halloween and Easter. Chmara-Shirley said they made many of the decorations themselves, including the ones they put on the outside of the building. She said she was inspired by classic book and film candymaker Willy Wonka.
“It tastes good. It’s sustainable,” she said. “And it’s really fun to be here.”
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