Pictured Michael Frontier, Dean Carvalho, Terry Opalek and artist Michael Bonfiglio with their 2006 Academy Awards Dot Boxes. Jessica Halem .
Terry Opalek and life/business partner Michael Frontier know how sweet life can be: Terry's Toffee, with a store on the Near West Side that's been open for more than a year, is doing incredible business. However, it's not just the locals who are snapping up the delicious products. Because the products have been part of the Academy Awards gift bag for the past two years, celebrities are also discovering the toffees, which come in such flavors as Lemon Paradise and Peppermint Pistachio Crunch.
Opalek recently talked with Windy City Times about everything from making toffee to getting spiritual.
Windy City Times: How are things?
Terry Opalek: Busy. We're working on re-introducing our toffee ice cream and our biscotti. With the Beyond Biscotti, we blend the flavors that go into the toffee into it, then we layer the biscotti with toffee, bake it and then cover it with chocolate. The ice cream has a vanilla or chocolate base with crushed-up toffee in it.
WCT: Wow. How did you get started?
TO: It's not a [ standard ] business formula. It was a spiritual project. My partner, Michael, and I were taking a class at Unity Theological Seminary based on the book The Artist's Way. We learned about what really connects with us—and about who we are and what excites us. Through this class, I learned that I needed to leave my job that I had for 20 years. I wasn't unhappy; I just took a leap of faith. I eventually started writing about my grandmother's toffee and, nine months after quitting my job, I started making toffee.
WCT: What are the busiest times of year?
TO: The holidays [ are definitely busier ] . McCall's Classic, named after my grandmother, is a top seller.
WCT: What are some of your other flavors?
TO: We have Lavenilla [ French lavender and Madagascar vanilla bathed in white chocolate ] ; it causes a lot of moaning and groaning. Mazel Toffee is cool; it has bits of matzo crackers in it. Chai-cago Spice has cinnamon, ginger and pepper [ among other spices ] in dark chocolate.
By the way, we also do logos in tinted cocoa butter inlaid onto the chocolate. That's gone over huge.
WCT: How were you selected for the Academy Awards gift bag?
TO: It was kind of a process. I contacted the executive director of The Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences and asked about carrying our product. They responded favorably. I sent a proposal and they selected us. Then, this past year, they contacted me. It was a good opportunity and gave us lots of exposure. It connected us with lots of cool celebrities like Halle Berry and Mike Myers. Our toffee was in boxes painted by the artist Michael Bonfiglio [ in his signature dot style ] .
WCT: I have one more question. How is it that you don't weigh 300 pounds?
TO: [ Laughs. ] I don't know. I find the time to go to the gym a couple times a week.
Terry's Toffee is located at 1117 W. Grand; the phone is ( 312 ) 733-2700. Also see www.terrystoffee.com .