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Take a sweeter journey
to the land of chocolate

Johnny Depp was on the television the other night talking about his new movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They showed clips of the movie with this magnificent chocolate waterfall and river. Those pictures sent me over the edge. Movies with Depp and movies about chocolate are right up there with Brad Pitt in Troy with just a trifle less bloodletting and head removing.

With my chocolate taste buds demanding attention, I loaded up the PT and off we went looking for a chocolate factory, which has been in my mind for the 20 years I lived in Hawaii. Every year, at least 10 people I knew took off to make a cash deposit in the casinos of Las Vegas. They never returned to Hawaii empty-handed (although many returned empty-pocketed). They would bring everyone a box of candy. Wonderful chocolates wrapped around many things, all of them guaranteed to make the mouth water before, during and after devouring them.

Since this candy has such a strong relationship to Hawaii, I went looking. And there, in the middle of what used to be called a desert, was the very candy factory I was looking for.

By now you might have guessed that the chocolate factory is Ethel M. The history of Ethel M. is as fascinating as its placement and surroundings in Nevada. Many people are not aware that the "M" stands for Mars, and who among us has not bitten through the chocolate skin and into the delicate innards of a Mars bar? Ethel and her husband, Frank Mars, began making candy in Tacoma, Wash., in 1911. Their son Forrest Mars founded Ethel M. as a tribute to his mother. That is one fantastic Mother's Day, Christmas and birthday present all tied up in one. You can have your diamonds and flowers and other holiday gifts; who do you know who builds a candy factory for his mother?

The powers that be behind Ethel M. have created a most magnificent setting for the factory. They have a botanical cactus garden. There are more than 300 species of cactus and other succulents. A friend who cooks used to say, "Why call them succulents if you can't eat the damned things?"

The chocolate factory does not offer you a river or waterfall of chocolate, but you can watch some interesting things being done to sugar and nuts with a few other ingredients. They pour tubs of liquid pecan brittle down onto stainless steel tables. Then they push it about with spatulas and as it cools and hardens, they begin the cutting process. They cut and then they change positions with these rolling pins with round knives. Eventually the pecan brittle is hardened. Then the pieces are rushed across the hallway to a lovely lady who hands out samples of both chocolates and pecan brittle candies. I have found that if you take a couple of different hats with you, you can actually change hats after you eat your candy and go back for thirds ... yes, I already had seconds.

Then you are led into a huge candy store. Yes, there are T-shirts lying about, but the main product is on display, gaily foil-wrapped liqueurs, crèmes, nuts and apples, all wrapped in delicious chocolate, and there are lovely ladies there also who delight in handing out samples. Las Vegas is actually more than a sister city to Honolulu, she is more like an elderly aunty. Vegas is 100 years old this year.

There is one secret that a lot of Hawaii visitors know and I found out quite by accident. Ethel M. opened a retail store in Ala Moana Center. And some quite devious Vegas travelers discovered, quite by accident, that they did not have to purchase the obligatory gift of Ethel M. chocolates in Las Vegas. They just hustled on down to Ala Moana, purchased the chocolates and pretended that they remembered to buy you chocolate in Vegas. While this might appear deceptive, take heart in the fact that you are right now eating Ethel M. chocolates and they were made here in the mother lode of chocolatedom, Las Vegas. And yes, it is 115 F here today, but it is air-conditioned in the chocolate factory.

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