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Sometimes you can’t go wrong with a pairing.
Starting Feb. 2, 2024, pair your favorite glass of Chatham wine with fudge from Cape Charles Candy Company. Flights of fudge are $6.
The fudge is made onsite at the candy company that is a 20-minute drive from Chatham. The flights are one piece of three different varieties of fudge:
- Marsh Mud or chocolate fudge made with Eastern Shore Coastal Roasting Co., cold nitro coffee that is steeped overnight. The coffee is the liquid ingredient in the fudge. Coffee grounds are sprinkled on top.
- Dark Chocolate with Barrier Islands Sea Salt is being specially made for Chatham. This fudge subs sea salt for caramel. The salted darks chocolate combines well with red wine.
- Raspberry Vanilla, an aesthetically pleasing sweet that can be complemented with a glass of Chardonnay.
Cape Charles Candy Company is a family business owned by Phillip and Jordan Dail, whose introduction to Virginia’s Eastern Shore came after a planned vacation for the Outer Banks in 2013 fell through, leaving the Dails scrambling for another destination. They had driven along Route 13 often but had never strayed to any of the towns. On a whim, they selected Cape Charles, a far sleepier town a decade ago with only a handful of shops and restaurants.
“We ended up just loving it,” Jordan says.
In 2018, they and another family restored a rundown Victorian three-story house — the project was featured on HGTV’s Beachfront Bargain Hunt — to use as a vacation rental. During that time, the True Value Hardware store in Portsmouth started by Phillip’s grandfather, Albert, some 60 years earlier, closed, leaving the family open to new entrepreneurship opportunities.
“We lost what we thought we were going to be doing for the rest of our lives,” Jordan says. “It was a huge mindset change to take the skillset we had in retail and apply it to something else.”
Jordan didn’t fancy herself a baker, but candy was doable. Fudge sounded fun.
Cape Charles Candy Company opened in 2018 using real cream and butter in its fudge as well as ingredients local to the Shore. Shortly after, the Dails moved to the Shore full time, investing in a second vacation rental that stayed full during the summer months. So, Jordan, Phillip and their three sons that she home schools lived in their RV during the warmer weather and returned to the house from October until April. They made that work for three years until buying their current home in Machipongo.
“We opened the candy store around the same time, so we all spent time there, too,” Jordan says. “The RV was right on the beach, so we were outside all the time. Rainy days were hard. It was definitely an adventure!”
Cape Charles has since expanded with specialty businesses. The candy store, which has a second location in Norfolk, is open year-round and also sells retro sodas, saltwater taffy, truffles and an array of delicious treats to satisfy any sweet tooth.
Cape Charles Candy Company is at 300 Mason Ave. Drop by going to and from the tasting room at Chatham where your flight of fudge awaits!