I have spent the last several days in Toronto, where it is brutally cold for this Southern boy. While escaping the elements in a mall the other day, I saw a Laura Secord chocolate store I had seen elsewhere on other trips up here and asked my wife about it. “Looks like a big company,” I commented. “They must have good chocolate.”
“Yes,” my wife said. “It’s like our version of Russell Stover.”
“Who is Laura Secord? Was she the founder?”
“No. She was like our Betsy Ross.”
This sparked my curiosity and I started thinking about the comparisons she had made. The chocolate comparison was pretty accurate – high-quality chocolates and lots of gift boxes and assortments. The people at the store did not know who Secord was, except to say that she was a great patriot. Russell Stover was an actual person as well. I am not sure of his nation-saving activities during times of war, but he did invent the Eskimo Pie in 1921 and that is probably about as good, at least in my book.
When we got back to our hotel room, I did a bit of research. It turns out that Secord was a woman in the Niagara region who helped the British troops during the War of 1812 at great sacrifice to herself and her safety. No, Secord did not invent chocolate and there is no mention of her confectionery skills, if she had any at all. What I was really curious about was why the company was named after her. Unfortunately, I am still in the dark on that score. However, I highly recommend the chocolates, even if they are named after someone who helped the British halt the American advance into Canada.
According to Wikipedia:
Laura Secord Chocolates, founded in 1913, was named in her honour. “Laura Secord Chocolates” is now all around Canada, and is known for its ice-cream and dark chocolates, shaped in the pendant with Laura Secord’s face in white chocolate as its logo, as seen on the monument of Laura Secord in Lundy’s Lane (Niagara Falls, ON).
So they named the company after her about 40 years after her passing. It seems a little strange to me. Do you know the rest of the story? Why would they name the candy company after her? Regardless, I am hoping to find some good Boxing Day discounts at the store. You can never have too much yummy chocolate around!
1:51 pm on December 26th, 2008
That is a great chocolate mystery if ever I heard one! It seems that they are having better luck imortalizing her in chocolate than we are having with Susan B. Anthoy and coinage. Just another example of the power of chocolate. And she looks pretty good on there!!
4:15 pm on December 26th, 2008
Very interesting. If there are any deals to be had, bring some into the office. I’d love to try it. I’ll see if I can find any key lime confectionery in Miami and we’ll have a North and South party to compare our finds.
10:53 pm on December 26th, 2008
From the Laura Secord company:
“In 1913 Frank P. O’Connor began a small, Toronto-based candy business selling hand-made chocolates. He adopted the name Laura Secord, after the Canadian heroine because she was an icon of courage, devotion and loyalty.”
http://www.laurasecord.ca/history2.php
11:02 pm on December 26th, 2008
Believe you me, Susan, I am bringing Great White Northern candy back for us to revel in and enjoy and compare.
6:27 pm on December 30th, 2008
You guys are just taunting us now. We all want to hang out with you guys and eat candy!!!
2:45 pm on March 6th, 2009
Laura Secord (Ingersol) was actually born in Massachusetts. Just another tidbit. Her story is well known to me and I LOVE her chocolates & ice cream…yum
5:02 pm on March 6th, 2009
Was she really? I must have missed that. Great Barrington, I see, from Wikipedia. That’s a nice little town, and just far enough away from Lee that you would never know about the massive outlet mall and constant traffic jam. My wife and I used to enjoy getting away to that area. Lovely place.
Do you have a relation to Laura Ingersol?
6:50 am on April 2nd, 2009
Another history note. Laura Secord (the person) was a Canadian heroine – not so in the USA, so when Laura Secord (the candy shops) expanded into the USA (Rochester NY) they changed the name to “Fannie Farmer”.
9:51 am on April 2nd, 2009
I’m not sure I came across that Fannie Farmer connection before. Thanks for the information, Jim!
3:54 pm on April 2nd, 2009
More Laura Secord/Fannie Farmer connections. When the Fannie Farmer studio first opened in Rochester in 1919, workers thought their paychecks weren’t valid because they came from Toronto. My grandfather, Louis Coombs, was Laura Secord’s first candy maker. He worked in an apartment above the store on Yonge Street in Toronto. He insisted
“candies were not made in a factory but in a studio because candy making is an art.”
3:14 pm on June 26th, 2009
Hey Jim, it’s nice to see Gramps getting some recognition!!
The way the story was told to me by my grandmother (Barabra Scott), he was unable to read or write, so he had all the original recipes (which are still used to this day) memorized. I think he deserves to be mentioned in more than a random chatroom…
9:19 am on July 1st, 2009
[...] to visit my in-laws and will be reporting next week from Canada’s candy capitol and home to Laura Secord chocolate company. I am assuming that’s Toronto. Wish me luck. I will try to bring home some souvenir extra [...]