When we were younger my mom would often take us to Lexington Market.  There used to be this Japanese food stall that had incredible teriyaki chicken kabobs that we would always eat, and inevitably we would stop by Rheb’s Candy for their Jimmy Truffles.  Unfortunately a few years ago, the once famous location at the market closed however their main store on Wilkens Avenue still makes some of the best and most iconic chocolates in the city.

Hope, William and I traveled there just before Valentine’s Day, right as a forecast of snow came about and we were met with a huge crowd of mostly men.  I heard one person even drove all the way up from Annapolis.  With the holiday and pending snowcast, the window to surprise their wives and girlfriends was swiftly closing.  Despite the crowded and impatient sea of sausages, once our number was called the lady helping us (who I heard say was a granddaughter of one of the original founders) was nothing but helpful and patient.

We had in the past almost only gotten the Jimmy Truffles, and one time my brother Mik got a bag of delicious milk chocolate caramels but I didn’t know what else was good.  The buttercreams, peanut butter cups, chocolate covered nuts and sea salt sprinkled caramels were all recommended.  Hope also was drawn to the colorful and shiny foil wrappings of the Valentine hearts.

So we got our goodies, intended not only for Mamom and Mommy but also for us!  Just as I remembered, delicious and silky smooth, with the compelling aromatic of freshly made chocolate.  Baltimore has a long tradition of candy and chocolatiers, and Rheb’s is definitely one of the cornerstone’s of that legacy.