Candymaker doesn't even begin to describe.

• Position: WHAT'S NEW? - Southern Candymakers

We got hooked on the scrumptious fare of Southern Candymakers, New Orleans, as most people do, by the 18-year-old confectioners' award-winning pralines--handmade in small batches with absolutely no preservatives added. Then we moved on to the Yucatan truffles (featuring a lace of cinnamon and Louisiana cayenne suspended in chocolate ganache and dipped in Burgundy semi-sweet chocolate). Creole glazed pecans were up next before we just had to have more pralines, this time the sweet potato variety. Still wanting more, we hit a box of Tortues (French for turtle), which is small-batch caramel that is made from scratch each morning in the Crescent City.

So, just how do these people do it? Well, head candymaker Jill Demeny swirls artisan honey from Algiers, La., with culinary-grade lavender to flavor decadent truffles enrobed in milk or dark chocolate. She spends all day steeping a deep brew of Cafe du Monde coffee with chicory as a base for NOLA Mochaccino Fudge, which features a mind-blowing base of CDM coffee-laced mocha fudge topped with airy marshmallow foam and a dusting of Saigon cinnamon--while a berry-picking expedition by Demeny resulted in rush-on-over worthy clusters of Louisiana blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries soaked in silken chocolate. There simply is no way to eat just...