10/04/2026
You never know who is going to walk through the door....
Roger has been talking to us for more than a year about making black walnut taffy, he's a loyal customer and we see him regularly. He had a source for the walnuts and remembered the taste of black walnut taffy from many years ago, and he's always wondered if we could make a batch that would take him back to that flavor. This week he actually showed up with enough black walnuts for a half batch, the smallest amount we make when we're testing a new flavor. So now we're committed, although we didn't make any guarantees, but we're gonna try it.
While we were talking about the walnuts, Roger reminded me about the old bottle of anise he had teased me about last year. I do like old things related to the business, and I remembered him telling me about a 'really old' bottle of 'really good' anise. I didn't realize what he actually had until he went back out to the car and returned with it, and set it carefully on the counter in front of us.
It is a large bottle that his family has used for longer than I have been alive, from when they were in the meat business in Iowa. They bought their spices from B. Heller & Company, and they used this anise in a German cookie called Pfeffernüsse, which his family made at home. They didn't sell them. They just made a lot of them and ate them.
The label on the bottle is dated 1924 - B. Heller & Company, and the artwork is something you don't see on a bottle anymore. Roger remembers that label from when he was a kid, and I can understand why. It certainly would have made an impression on a young boy in those days. It also explains why Roger likes our anise taffy so much. Sometimes a flavor has a pretty good memory attached to it, and then Roger started telling me about his family and his own life, and I quickly realized we were going to chat for awhile.
His family had been in the meat business for generations. His father was a twin and the youngest of five brothers. They butchered for farmers in Iowa. Roger eventually went to Iowa State and studied industrial education and science, but when it came time to decide between an academic career and getting some real-world experience, advisors pointed him to a job at the Iowa Women's Reformatory. That led to a career in education in corrections and eventually to some pretty interesting ideas he had with work-release programs.
Roger told me about getting kicked out of the Legislature. He was working on bill with an Iowa representative and went to the Capitol to provide advise as they made the case. The first day went fine. The second day the officer wouldn't let him onto the House floor because his hair was too long and he refused to wear a tie. So he sat out in the hallway and passed notes back and forth to the representative he was working with. The bill passed.
Eventually Roger decided he had enough of the corrections business. He had watched the alcohol and stress take a toll on people around him, and he made the wise choice to step away from that environment. He went back into the meat business with his father, and some other chapters along the way to another retirement, including sales, financial services and eventually ending up in Colorado. Somewhere along the way, he also found his way back to his high school sweetheart, Kay, 37 years later. She was sitting in the car outside The Taffy Shop while Roger and I were inside negotiating the details of 2,500 pieces of black walnut taffy.
Roger has also spent a good deal of his time involved in small businesses and community events, including supporting Honor Flight and veterans. I especially like that part of his story because it seems to fit the rest of his life. Whatever he was doing, he seems to have found a way to add in a positive way to others lives.
Maybe that's the common thread in all of his chapters, and why it was so interesting to hear. Education, helping people get a second chance, recognizing when it was time to walk away from something unhealthy, building businesses, supporting veterans and community organizations, and now bringing us a bag of black walnuts because he remembers a piece of candy from many years ago. When Roger had arrived at present day in his story, I asked if he was 175 years old? It seemed like he had done so many things in his time on Earth, but he assured me he was just in his 80s.
That's one of the things I like about the Taffy Shop. We sell saltwater taffy, but over the years we've learned that people bring a lot more through our front door than just a few dollars and a sweet tooth. They bring their stories. Thanks for all of yours, Roger. We've got the walnuts, and we'll give you a holler when the Black Walnut Taffy is ready for you to sample.
We'll block some time on the schedule :-)
We have our own anise flavor most days (it's quite popular), and you should try it. People compare it to black licorice, but as we say- it's "sweeter and cleaner" than black licorice, and something special if you like that kind of flavor... We also have many others flavors- something for everyone!
Visit us at 121 W Elkhorn Ave, or place an order online at www.OriginalTaffyShop.com
