By Laura Lyon

A few years ago, I found myself living in a neighborhood where fall festivals with trunk-or-treating were preferred to the house-to-house trick-or-treating. After several Halloweens left me saddled with massive bowls of candy that would take forever to eat and adversely affect my fitness goals, I went to work on a concept that would be festive and tailored to my bite-sized holiday needs: a candy charcuterie. 

The first iteration of the candy charcuterie involved chopping these candies into bites and arranging them on a plate. But why stop there?

A well-rounded candy charcuterie has a mix of flavors, including chocolate and fruit, with a range from sweet to sour. Now, my creative candy quest brings me to Downtown Duluth, which has two sweet spots steps away from each other on Main Street. I began at Rocket Fizz, a 1,600 square-foot shop featuring 2,500 varieties of wall-to-wall candy from all over the world and across decades. Classics like Zots, Mary Janes and Goo Goo Clusters are stocked alongside global sweets like KitKats from Japan and Milka from Switzerland.

For those with a more refined interest in treats, the second leg of the journey involves a short walk to The Chocolaterie. Approximately 100 flavors of truffles, turtles and fudge line the pristine glass cases. One friendly face behind the counter recommended the Ruby Raspberry truffle, which was shaped like a gem and bright pink. For me, I couldn’t resist the boutique peanut butter cups.

After making the sugary haul, all that’s needed is a cutting board, a serrated kitchen knife and a small festive plate for arranging the bites. Pair it with your favorite witches brew and a classic horror film and you’ve got yourself a fully customized Halloween treat!