LOCAL CANDY MAKER PROVIDING SWEET DREAMS FOR OVER 139 YEARS

WORDS BY STACEY INGRAM KALEH | PHOTOS BY LAMMES

In the Local Legends series, we shine the spotlight on a business that’s been serving our community for three decades or more. These iconic spots have become part of the fabric of our shared culture, with multiple generations of Central Texans fondly reflecting on memories made and delicious bites consumed. In a rapidly growing and changing region, they’ve stood the test of time. Yet, they still need our support so that they can be enjoyed by future generations. It’s time to rediscover the restaurants and shops that keep Austin authentic, vibrant and resilient.

Courtesy of Lammes Candies

Keeping Austin sweet for more than 139 years, Lammes Candies has achieved what might be the highest realm of “legend” status in the city where we both love to wax nostalgic about the past while also embracing the new. Whether it’s making our holidays happier with their chocolate covered strawberries, our celebrations more uniquely Texan with their Pecan Pralines and Longhorns (pecans, caramel and chocolate) or our everyday moments a bit brighter with a morsel of Dark Chocolate Almond Bark, Lammes Candies has been Austin’s go-to shop for candies and chocolates, and for good reason.

“Lammes stays true to its roots, providing quality confections and top-notch customer service,” says Lana Schmidt, Lammes co-owner and director of sales. “We strive to provide the traditions that families can count on — the kind of service and products our customers are proud to share.”

If there’s anything Austinites respect, it is authenticity. We also take pride in local ingenuity and high quality, locally made food and goods, tenets Lammes is founded upon. “Austin is a city that supports its local businesses,” Schmidt says, emphasizing this neighborly support as key to Lammes long-term success.

Lammes has a storied past, like something out of a folktale. While the Lammes logo incorporates the year “1885,” Schmidt says the business was actually started by William Wirt Lamme prior to 1885 and operated out of the 800 block of Congress Avenue under the name “Red Front Candy Store.” William, however, would end up losing the business in a poker game! His son, David Turner Lamme, then moved to Austin to buy the business for his dad’s gambling debt of $800. David kicked his dad out of the business and renamed the company Lammes Candies Since 1885. Ever since that date, Lammes has been owned and operated by the ‘Lamme’ family, which includes Schmidt. Today, the business is owned by Schmidt and her siblings Bryan D. Teich and Pam Teich, fifth-generation owners.

Courtesy of Lammes Candies

Shortly after David took the helm, the business moved to 919 Congress Avenue where it served ice cream and a frozen fruit dessert called “gem” to customers on horse-drawn wagons. Then, in 1892, after seven years of recipe tasting, David created the customer-favorite Texas Chewie Pecan Praline, using pecans from trees growing along the Colorado River. Today, the ingredients for the praline remain the same: Texas-grown pecans, corn syrup, sugar, mild butter and salt.

What started out as a by-request-only item — customers would place orders and Lammes would fill the orders once they had enough requests to make a minimum batch of 25 pounds — is now a top-selling product, with over 2,000 pounds of Texas Chewie Pecan Pralines produced daily. What’s more, Lammes is now a full-line candy company making more than 1,000 different items.

David was an Austin innovator by any definition. According to Lammes’ website, he installed the first ammonia refrigeration unit in the Southwest, had the first soda fountain in Texas and put up the first neon sign in Austin — a lamb designed to help people pronounce the family name correctly.

Beyond the Lamme family, the Lammes brand is shaped by its dedicated staff and customers — both who Schmidt considers family. “They are loyal, fun-loving and appreciate quality in product and service. We rarely have a customer that isn’t personable, and we LOVE that about our customers.” Schmidt draws a close association between the business’ values and the characteristics of its customers, which blend together to create a friendly atmosphere in true Austin spirit. “I’ve experienced times when our customers would help us out in the retail store by answering our phones while we are busy assisting customers inside the store!”

As a fourth-generation Austinite, I first came to appreciate Lammes through my Nana and Opa. My grandparents made special trips across town each year to pick up treats for our Christmas stockings and Easter lunch. Today, the cute little lamb logo still signifies cherished times with family for me. I also remember taking an elementary school field trip to the Lammes Candies on Airport Boulevard to take a peek behind the scenes at how their team makes the candy. It was a dream for any kid, like something seen on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” or “I Love Lucy!” right here in our hometown. It’s special that now, even though my grandparents have passed on and the Austin I grew up with reveals itself in smaller pockets, I can return to Lammes or eat a delicious praline and feel a sense of home. I’m confident I’m not alone in this. It is our collective appreciation that keeps businesses like Lammes thriving. When all around us gets a bit harder to recognize, we can take solace in the places like Lammes that have seen it all — businesses and the multiple generations of passionate families behind them who serve the community longer than any one person can. They create legacies — and legends.

Courtesy of Lammes Candies

Looking to the future, Schmidt shares, “We look forward to continuing the tradition of providing the highest quality confections and introducing our products to the influx of people moving to the Austin area.”

Lammes has been here for us, and we’re still here for Lammes. Let’s keep cultivating that beautiful, authentic Austin warmth and kindness — I can’t think of a more fun way to do it than by sharing some locally-made chocolates!

ORDER UP

Revisit Lammes Candies or try their delicious treats for the first time to create your own celebratory memories with quality, locally made confections.

For a delectable anytime treat, try some of Lana Schmidt’s personal favorites (though she says she doesn’t limit herself to just these treats!) including the decadent Texas Chewie Pecan Praline, crunchy Peanut Brittle and Dark Chocolate Almond Bark.

Looking for beautiful bites to set out in your candy dish? Consider an assortment of Lammes’ Kisses, individually-wrapped taffies that are a bit firmer than salt water taffy. Flavors include cinnamon, molasses, chocolate, peanut butter and peppermint.

Courtesy of Lammes Candies

And, don’t miss customer favorite Longhorns — rich clusters of Texas-sized pecans, Lammes’ “secret recipe” caramel and premium chocolate. Longhorns are handcrafted in small batches in Austin.

View the “Berry Calendar” at lammes.com to see when chocolate-covered strawberries are available!

Lammes has four Austin-area retail shops located at 5330 Airport Blvd., Lakeline Mall in Cedar Park, 2927A W. Anderson Lane in Hillside Center, and 620 and IH 35 at the Market at Round Rock.

About the Contributor

Stacey Ingram Kaleh is a native Texan and writer and editor for Edible publications. When she’s not eating at local restaurants and drinking Texas wine, she’s spending time outdoors in the Hill Country with her husband and two young daughters and soaking up as much live music and art as possible.