The University of Wisconsin Department of Food Science wrapped up its two-week Confectionery Technology Course, affectionately known as “Candy School,” Friday, Aug. 2.
The course was established in 1963 and has become a must-have experience for those aspiring to succeed in the candy industry.
UW Food Science Professor Rich Hartel, the current director of the course, has developed a reputation for excellence in confectionery among his students.
Jennifer Fox, a student in the course and a food scientist at the Mars Wrigley Global Innovation Center in Chicago, said most of her colleagues at Mars Wrigley attend the course to learn from Hartel.
“Everybody that goes through Mars ultimately ends up at this course because it’s taught by Dr. Rich Hartel,” Fox said. “Many of our Ph.D. students went through Rich.”
Students, almost exclusively industry professionals, spent their last day operating a chocolate laboratory in room B120 of Babcock Hall.
After she finished filling a chocolate ball mold with the rest of her group, Samantha Straka, a student and food scientist at Ferrara Candy Company in Chicago, told The Badger Herald why she wanted to attend UW’s Candy School.
“Confectionery science is a lot more complicated than you may think,” Straka said. “It’s really important to understand the science behind what’s happening with your candy in order to achieve the results you want, whether it’s texture or flavor.”
Straka, Fox and most other students in the lab were in high spirits while hearing from their instructors.
The lab hosted nearly 30 students, offering them a rare and exciting opportunity to connect over their shared passion for candy science, Straka said.
“The other thing is the excitement, it’s a lot of fun to get to learn alongside other people in the industry,” Straka said. “It’s been a great experience to be surrounded by so much excitement around candy and science.”
The course cost per individual is $3,995, but Hartel says the knowledge students take away from the course is worth the price.
“The main thing that they [students] walk away with are the course materials,” Hartel said. “Slides and lab books — you know, I hear people say they still refer back to their notebooks years down the road when they have a question related to one of their candies.”
The Confectionery Technology Course is just one of 12 outreach programs offered to students and professionals through UW’s Department of Food Science, another being a one-week candy basics course that began this March.
The outreach programs are designed to carry out the “Wisconsin Idea”— that a student’s education is meant to extend beyond the classroom.
Straka said her experience at Candy School will inspire and influence her work at Ferrara Candy Company.
“It’s a lot to do in two weeks, but it’s been incredible,” Straka said. “Hopefully I can bring it back to Ferrara and put that into my work and innovation.”
