(Photo: Brad Paris)

Do you get cavities working here?
I have perfect teeth. I have a toothbrush and toothpaste at my desk. Every day I taste-test candy, drink two cups of coffee, and then brush my teeth.

What have you learned?
Oh, my God, it’s overwhelming—the history behind all candy, from Australian licorice to Canadian Clodhoppers. Pez started as a twenties candy for smokers. They’d pop the little tablets instead.

What kind of special requests do you get?
We sculpt chocolate, anything from a life-size palm tree to customized lollipops. One guy wanted to propose to his girlfriend, so we scattered the party room with rose petals, made her a two-straw peanut-butter-chocolate milk shake, and baked a big fortune cookie—and put the engagement ring inside.

What candy are you really into now?
I just discovered mini-jawbreakers, and, oh, now my favorites are the chocolate Scottie Dogs.

Are you hopped-up on sugar?
No, everyone is excited here! There’s constantly something cooking—cookies, popcorn, cotton candy. It’s hard not to be excited when you live in a perpetual world of candy.

What kind of music do you play?
All candy-themed music: “Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch,” “Tootsie Roll.” My favorite is “I Want Candy.”

What about “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent?
We’re trying to find an edited version. Obviously. There are kids in the store.

Related:

• Archive: “Ask Shop Clerk”
• Articles by Denise Penny
• Table of Contents: Mar 6, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!