NYC's "Candy Warhol" Makes Wonka-Inspired Halloween Treats

The machinery in the back of Eugene J. Candy Co. in Bushwick starts whirring in the wee hours of the morning. Nearly every day, the shop's eponymous proprietor—who fans have dubbed "Candy Warhol" and "The Wonka of Bushwick"—spends hours behind a purple velvet curtain, cooking up zany new confections before opening the shop. Sure, you can grab a bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans or a pack of Twizzlers from the shelf, but the real treats at this Halloween-themed shop are Eugene J.'s custom creations, from chocolate-covered Nerds clusters to his signature F.G. Freaks.

Eugene J. Candy Co. doesn't look like a candy store from the outside. "I call it a backward candy store," Eugene told Untapped New York, "Other shops are bright and bubble gum pinks and blues, and mine's just all black. It's not marked, there's nowhere outside that says candy." A smiling jack-o-lantern painted on the window and a sign with Eugene's name beckon the curious passerby inside.

"Most people think it's a tattoo parlor or vape shop from the outside. So either you get sheer excitement that it's a candy store or utter disappointment," says Eugene. He garnered a loyal fan base as knowledge of the candy store spread by word of mouth when it first opened in 2016, but the clientele isn't what you'd expect either. "I get no kids. I get 20-year-old kids," says Eugene, "It's kind of the best though, no sticky fingers. And it's a huge cast of regulars."

Once inside, visitors are surrounded by shelves bursting with candy. Orange and black pendants hang from the ceiling entwined with garlands of fall leaves, crepe paper flowers, and pumpkins. An entourage of skeletons sit like sentinels atop the dark wood shelves whether it's Halloween, Easter, or Christmas.

The inventory includes all the name brands you'd expect to see like Razzles, War Heads, and Reese's, as well as a few international finds. The key to picking out Eugene's handmade creations is to look for a special wax seal on the label. You'll find this stamp on items like Waffle Crisp Caramels or Milk Chocolate Cinnamon Toast Crunch, his most popular product.

Another favorite among Eugene's fans is his selection of F.G. Freaks, his take on Willy Wonka's Nerds. The name was inspired by one of Wonka's rivals from the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. "I had this idea to make candies for Wonka's enemy. Wonka thinks his rivals are sending in spies to steal his secrets. So I'm stealing the secrets. In the book, there are three rival names: Slugworth, Fickelgruber, and Prodnose. At that time, Fickelgruber.com was not taken so I snatched that up, and I went about to create these knock-off Nerds, and sticking with like alliteration, I called them 'Freaks.'"

Eugene's Freaks are puffy, tart, and crunchy candies, like Nerds, but bigger. The most popular flavored Freaks are citrus flavors like lime, lemon, orange, and pink grapefruit. Eugene takes meticulous notes on every recipe he makes; at this point he's made over 600 "Freaks" recipes, trying different flavors and colors and perfecting the composition.

When he first set out to make "Freaks," fifteen years ago, Eugene says he "had no clue what I was doing." The candy maker studied chemical engineering at Cooper Union and, during his undergrad studies, started to make candy in his free time. He started with gummy bears. "When I was exploring how to make gummy bears, it was like doing lab work. I was doing little experiments and keeping a moleskin notebook with all the different recipes I was coming up with," he shares.

After school, Eugene moved to Berlin for work where he continued toiling away at candy making in his spare time. "I made a lollipop that was double-sided, and I called it 'The Duet.' It's very gimmicky. I sold that out of a briefcase," Eugene recalls. He'd set up shop at flea markets, in cafes, or right outside some of Berlin's hotspots, like the legendary nightclub Berghain.

When Eugene returned to New York, he dropped his chemical engineering work to focus full-time on candy. He briefly worked in corporate at Dylan's Candy Bar before pursuing his own candy venture. Now in his own shop, Eugene has the freedom to try any crazy idea he, or his customers, might dream up.

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♬ original sound - Eugene J. Candy Co.

Eugene's most popular product, Milk Chocolate-covered Cinnamon Toast Crunch treats, was suggested by a customer who thought they'd taste great with a pinch of cayenne pepper, "like a Mexican hot chocolate." "I wasn't sure exactly where to put the cayenne," Eugene remembers, "So I created this powder coat with cocoa powder, cinnamon, and cayenne, and that seemed to work." Chocolate-covered Nerds Clusters were another customer suggestion. "Even to me, that sounds really bizarre," Eugene says, but it worked out! He also once had a customer bring in a box of Waffle Crisp to experiment with.

"The funny thing is, people say I'm the Willy Wonka of Bushwick, but
I've always said I'm the Oompa Loompa because I'm the worker," says Eugene. The mad scientist confectioner puts in 18-hour days to make sure his shelves are stocked and his customers' sweet tooths are satisfied. "I like experimenting, making something. Some recipes are complete, but I like to still tweak along the way to make it fun for myself, make a little discovery, and keep learning."

If you want to try some of Eugene's sweet creations, you'll have to make a trip to his shop at 16 Wilson Ave in Brooklyn, since you can't get his small batch products online. The shop is open seven days a week. Celebrate Halloween anytime by stopping in all year round, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the candy-making process on Eugene's Tiktok.