White fluffy clouds of sugary goodness... I had no idea that marshmallows could get any better. Turns out, they can. Thanks to my #tscsummit friend and native Hoosier Jill, I was introduced to 240sweet in Columbus, Indiana. I finally made it their sweet shop and was invited to participate in a marshmallow making class!
240sweet is the brainchild of Chef Alexa Lemley and Samantha Aulick. Caterers by trade the pair started making marshmallows for their catering clients and the response was so positive they decided to have a go at the craft marshmallow biz.
What makes them different: "We craft our treats in small batches with local, all-natural and organic ingredients. First, we look for local foods to flavor the marshmallows. If we can't find items locally, we make sure to use organic. We don't use any preservatives, stabilizers, artificial colors or artificial flavors. 240Sweet treats include Michigan beet sugar, Ohio glucose and Indiana corn starch. We use organic Tahitian beans to make our own vanilla extract." They also limit excess waste in their packaging: there's no outside box, the ribbon is made in the USA, and their labels are printed locally. As far as flavors go, it seems they can do it all. From Sriracha puffs to Creme Brulee, 240sweet isn't afraid to whip up even the strangest flavors. Dill Pickle, a crazy experiment, has turned out to be one of their most popular sellers.
Upon arrival, we checked in and made our way into the 240sweet kitchen. Chef Alexa walked us through the process with a batch of Chai Tea marshmallows.
Chef Alexa did her thing while we watched with wonderment. Pouring, cooking, and whipping, making marshmallows isn't nearly as complicated as I thought and really cool to watch. Another perk of this class was sampling the product! While Chef Alexa cooked up the chai tea marshmallows we were able to sample key lime, creme brulee, and bourbon sugar churro puffs. Conveniently, they had an indoor burner to toast puffs for that crispy texture and smokey flavor taste taking me straight back to my days at summer camp.
After the demo, we were unleashed to cut, powder, and bag our very own Very Vanilla Bean marshmallows.
The 240sweet gang were so much fun to spend the afternoon with and their sugary treats were an added bonus! This class is great for all ages and no experience is needed; but a love of sugar is a must! To see a schedule of their classes and demos click here.
P.S. These would make an awesome Valentine's Day gift. Shop online here. One other thing... they have a Marshmallow of the Month Club... score.
All photos were taken by Ryan Hines.
