The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITBURG – Having overcome the many obstacles that arise from a lifetime of addiction – both his mother's and his own – Nathanial Murphy has finally hit a sweet spot in his life, literally and figuratively. Murphy publicly debuted his Mary's Candies caramels at last year's Hometown Christmas in Waitsburg, and the business, named in honor of his grandmother, has grown steadily since.

Murphy, assisted by his wife Erin, sells his gourmet confections at the Blue Mountain Station on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and the couple is currently in negotiations to lease a permanent space at BMS.

Murphy describes a difficult childhood growing up with a mother who was a drug addict, dealer and alcoholic. When his mother couldn't care for him, he stayed with his grandmother Mary.

"Basically, all the happy memories I had were from being with her," said Murphy. "I was three the first time she put me on a counter and started cooking dinner and showed me how to do stuff. I obviously don't remember that, but she loved to talk about it - how I was immediately interested in what she was doing."

Murphy spent his early 20s fighting his own demons, including bouts with drugs and alcohol. "My grandma passed away during a hard time in my life, and I was so high that I didn't cry or feel anything," he said.

That was a wake-up call, and Murphy said he was clean within a week and has remained so for the last seven or eight years.

Murphy moved to Waitsburg from New Mexico just over three years ago and married Erin, a lifelong friend of over 20 years, two years ago in June. The couple is working hard to make their dream of owning their own business a reality.

Murphy works as a full-time line cook at South Fork Grill in Walla Walla and Erin is the manager of Walla Walla's Eastgate Subway. Murphy graduated WWCC's culinary arts program with an Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences in Culinary Arts last summer and just finished a final make-up class last week. Between work and school, the couple make the candies that they sell on Tuesdays and Saturdays at Blue Mountain Station.

"I entered the culinary arts program with the goal of owning my own restaurant," said Murphy. "When I started making candy for sale it was about raising money to buy a food truck. But we got such a great response from the candies that I genuinely believe we have a marketable product. I'm not a fan of mass produced candies. I don't taste any love in those candies," he added.

The Murphys believe in making candies that are additive and preservative free with no artificial colors or flavors. "We try to use local, natural ingredients. We are working on Klicker strawberry marshmallows and lollipops," said Erin. Nathanial says he would love to find local mint to use in Belgian chocolate peppermint patties and plans to purchase local apples to use in an Aplets & Cotlets style candy.

"Caramels are my specialty," said Murphy. His first candies were caramels, salted with a pink Himalayan salt, which he says has less sodium and a higher nutrition value than other salt. The caramels sell for $10 a pound, which is roughly 70 individually wrapped pieces. Dark, milk and white chocolate caramel-filled truffles sell for 60 cents each. Murphy says his peanut and cashew brittles are also customer favorites.

For Easter, customers can preorder caramel-filled chocolate rabbits in white, dark or milk chocolate, for $10 each. Murphy said he can make a dark chocolate bunny filled with coconut milk caramel for those who can't have dairy. They will also offer Klicker strawberry and chocolate marshmallow bunnies and candy eggs.

The Murphys are excited about the possibility of operating a Mary's Candies storefront at Dayton's Blue Mountain Station as early as May. A smaller front bay – currently occupied by Gypsy Girl Granola, which plans to lease a larger, middle suite in the near future – will provide the perfect opportunity. The bay includes a window that would allow for candy sales even when BMS is closed, and the FDA-approved kitchen would allow Mary's Candies to ship their products out-of-state. "We are definitely going to pursue the space," said Erin.

Courtesy Photo

Mary's Candies truffles.

"It's only been the last month or so that we decided that candy is where we're going to stay. We're just having fun. There's been such a great response. My whole thing with food is that I like to feed people because I like the responses I get. I like to make people happy," said Murphy. "I think my grandmother would be proud of the man I am and what I'm trying to do," he added.

Purchase Mary's Candies in person at the Blue Mountain Station (700 Artisan Way, Dayton) on Tuesdays (12-6 p.m.) or Saturdays (10a.m.-2p.m.). (Check Mary's Candies on Facebook first to make sure they will be there that week.)

Purchase online by using the order form on the Mary's Candies Facebook page (under the "Menu" link in the left sidebar) and calling in or messaging your order.

Easter orders must be placed by March 27.