Gnarly and the Chocolate Factory
May 7, 2010
For the first time ever, yesterday, I embarked on a trip to the famous Ethel M Chocolate Factory.
For those of you who are unaware, Ethel M is kind of a big deal for those who like sweets. It is a gourmet candy factory which just happens to be located about 10 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, and is a mecca for chocolate lovers from all over the country.
Given its popularity, it’s somewhat odd that I had never been to Ethel’s before. The reason for this is that I am not a huge chocolate lover. I like it just fine, but I’m generally not willing to brave travelling to Henderson to consume it. Having kids, however, means that what you want is often completely and utterly irrelevant. You are going to do and pay for whatever you are told to do and pay for. It’s a lot like being an Apple user.
This being the case, after being advised that we would be spending the afternoon at the candy factory, I aimed my Porsche Carrera GT with dual-seatbelts toward Henderson and off we went.
Wayne Newton's Casa de Shenandoah
On the way there, I passed Wayne Newton’s ranch which is called “Casa de Shenandoah”. I had heard of this place, but this was the first time I had ever seen it with my own two eyes. I just don’t hit the southeast part of town very often. I’m sure that this ranch was a little slice of rural paradise when Wayne first built it, but now that it is surrounded by strip malls, it seems a little ironic and out of place.
When we got to Ethel’s, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. When I was a child, I went to the Hershey’s chocolate factory in Pennsylvania, but I remember little of it. Ethel M offers what they call a “self-guided tour”, and that was our first stop.
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Ethel M Chocolate Factory Tour Entrance
Ethel M Chocolate Factory Tour
Ethel M Chocolate Factory Tour
Ethel M Chocolate Factory Tour
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Within a few minutes, I came to realize that the self-guided tour at Ethel’s is not a “tour” per-se. Rather, it is a long hallway, about 200′, lined with large picture windows. These windows allow you to see the candy being made inside of the chocolate factory, but unfortunately, this in and of itself is not terribly informative.
While staring through the windows, I found that I had way more questions than answers.
Such as, “What does that machine do?”
and
“How about that other machine, what does that one do?”
and
“Look at that machine over there, what does it do?”
You get the idea.
The problem is … nobody was around to answer these questions.
I am one of those “thirst for knowledge” kind of people. As a child, the encyclopedia was my favorite book to read, and even today, my leisurely reading typically involves surfing obscure topics on Wikipedia with my laptop. On this day, I was hoping to learn all kinds of obscure facts about candy making, such as:
White chocolate is made from the sperm of bull elephants and is collected by dosing them with 12mg of Phencyclidine three seconds before ejaculation.
I wanted to learn something cool that someone who had not been to Ethel M would never have known.
Alas, this was not the case.
For the duration of my self-guided tour, the factory floor was damn near empty. There were less than ten people making candy in the whole place, and most of the machines were sitting idle.
Ethel M Chocolate Factory Sample Lady
Fortunately, there was food to be had. At the end of the hallway, a woman allowed us to choose two samples, and I selected the pecan brittle and a dark chocolate coin. Of the two, I preferred the pecan brittle. It was quite good. As soon as I audibly praised the candy, the sample woman informed me that I could buy some in the store. Subtle.
After spending some time walking up and down the hallway, looking at the candy machines, and consuming a couple of samples … we were routed to, you guessed it … the aforementioned Ethel M’s candy store. Actually, the tour is anchored on both sides by stores where you can purchase food and gifts, which I suppose makes sense. I do get a little cynical and put-off when I’m trapped like a tourist in these kinds of places, but given that selling stuff is their entire business, it’s hard to complain. Instead, when I am in these circumstances … I just roll my eyes, mumble something sarcastic under my breath, and smile politely.
Ethel M Candy Store
Ethel M Candy Store
Now, before leaving for Ethel’s I had budgeted $20 with which to purchase candy. This seemed quite reasonable. When I was a kid, I used to take a crisp dollar bill to a local bodega and walked out with a package of Reese’s peanut butter cups and a Hershey Bar. To me, that was high living.
Upon entering the Ethel’s store, however, I quickly learned that twenty dollars was incredibly naive.
I don’t mean to sound like a penny-pinching, coupon-clipping blue hair … but when did candy become so expensive?
For instance, $5 for a chocolate covered strawberry???
Ouch.
Ethel M Candy Store - Chocolate Covered Strawberries
I once ate twelve of these things in one sitting at the Bellagio Buffet. Apparently, I really got my money’s worth.
Seriously, I walked around the Ethel’s store with a perpetual case of sticker shock.
Remember the pecan brittle I was fond of? I looked around and finally found it in the store. The cost? $10 for three pieces. I was with six people. This means that, for each of us to get a single square of pecan brittle, it would have cost twenty dollars.
Ethel M Candy Store - Pecan Brittles
Ethel M Candy Store - Gourmet Chocolates
Ethel M Candy Store - Gourmet Chocolates
Ethel M is hardcore when it comes to pricing.
I didn’t completely cheap out, though. We bought some random stuff which totalled $39 when all was said and done … but the quantity of our loot was really meager for that expenditure. Since the store was so far away from Rexville, I probably should have purchased more, but I just can’t see spending that much for candy. I ate some of the Ethel’s “gourmet” chocolate, and it was good, but honestly … I don’t think I’ve ever had “bad chocolate”. When I get a chocolate craving, I’m completely satisfied with a Hershey Bar from 7-11.
I think the taste difference between a $10 chocolate bar and a $1.29 chocolate bar is largely a placebo effect. It’s been shown time and again that humans “taste price”. This is the very basis for expensive restaurants. The more people pay for food, the better they will swear it tastes. It’s psychological. People will pay a high premium for something if they are convinced that it is “better”, even if there is no evidence supporting the superiority. I’m sure you’ve seen the hidden-camera specials on TV where people are given water out of a garden hose and told that it comes from a small village in the Swiss Alps at which point they exclaim “it taste’s so clean”.
Despite our technological advances as a species, the sad fact of the matter is … we are still dumb, insecure animals. Most of us will spend our lives trying to buy an identity, and we will continue to measure ourselves against others by the amount of money we spend on equivalent goods.
Ethel M provides a good opportunity to further this endeavor.
Please, don’t get me wrong. Ethel’s candies are good. Very good. They are quite tasty and I enjoyed them.
However, are they, say, 5 times better tasting than working-class convenience store candies?
Eh, probably not unless your taste buds are super-sensitive.
Anyway, after paying forty bucks for loot that fit in a single bag, we headed out to the Ethel M’s Botanical Garden. Now this place … was kind of cool. Ethel’s maintains a variety of desert plants adjacent to their factory, and they invite visitors to stroll the grounds and hang out for as long as they wish. Not only are there plants, but we also spotted various forms of wildlife such as lizards, birds, and even a rabbit. We spent a solid hour browsing around and relaxing on the benches, and fortunately, this particular part of the Ethel’s experience was absolutely free. The Botanical Garden was so interesting and stress-free that it really took the sting out of $39 worth of chocolate.
Ethel M Chocolate Factory - Cactus Garden
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Cactus Garden
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Cactus Garden
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Lizard
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Cactus Garden
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Cactus Garden
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Cactus Garden
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Rabbit
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Cactus Garden
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Cactus Garden
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Cactus Garden
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Lizard
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Cactus Garden
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Cactus Garden
Ethel M Botanical Garden - Rabbit
For me, the Botanical Garden made the trip, and when I polled my companions, they all concurred. The candy was good, but the garden was better. Because of this, the overall experience actually turned out to be quite positive, and I was glad that we went.
As far as recommendations …
If you are considering a trip to Ethel M to see how candy is made, I would highly advise you to spring for in-room Wi-Fi and search “making candy” on YouTube instead. It will probably be much more informative.
If you want to actually eat candy, then a trip to Ethel M is absolutely recommended.
Like every place else in Las Vegas, however, bring money … and lots of it.
Written by Casino Barred on May 7, 2010 at 9:59 pm
I went to the Ethel M factory quite a few years ago, Rex. It doesn’t sound like its changed a bit. Even back then the tour itself was pretty lame, and the prices expensive. For some strange reason they seem to think that just because there’s a link between Ethel M and Mars that they can charge outrageous prices to visitors. It’s crazy. You can buy similar tasting candy and chocolate in any supermarket for a fraction of the price. Like yourself, I’m not a huge coupon clipper (but I will do so where there’s an edge to gain), but I certainly think $10 for 3 bits of candy is EXCESSIVE.
The cactus garden I visited seemed a little smaller w hen I went going by your photos. Let;s be honest though – are people really into those cactus plants? Is that why they’d go on that tour? Personally, I went to see the chocolate being made, and only because the stop was part of a Hoover Dam tour day I took when I was a first time naive visitor to LV. You can see desert plants all the way along the route from LA to Vegas etc. The chocolate tour disappointed me, so not surprisingly, I didn’t buy a single thing in their overpriced “store”.
One thing that’s always impressed me about your writing Rex is that you’re happy to try the tourist stuff, despite being a Vegas local. That’s cool. You live the brand. I like that, it gives your writing honesty and credibility, and it’s just one of the reasons I enjoy reading your blog.
“Casino Barred” – come read my blog at http://www.howtobeatthecasinos.com – always happy to hear your opinions Rex, good or bad!
Written by ColinFromLasVegas on May 7, 2010 at 11:49 pm
Rex said: “White chocolate is made from the sperm of bull elephants and is collected by dosing them with 12mg of Phencyclidine three seconds before ejaculation.”
Gee. Thanks for that visual.
I can just see my next visit to the commissary on base at Nellis AFB to pick up groceries. I walk down the cookie and cracker aisle, pick up a package of Keebler’s, turn it over, intently peruse the ingredients, looking for cancer causing agents. But, then to my astonishment…..
There it is! IT SAYS IT! Right there! White chocolate! Rex told me about this shit! I remember!
I fling the package of cookies back on the shelf, wipe my palms on my pants and then run out of the commissary screaming at the top of my lungs waving my hands around in wild panic…totally grossed out.
Written by Hunter on May 8, 2010 at 12:34 am
The last comment about the WiFi and YouTube made me laugh out loud.
Written by Lon on May 8, 2010 at 2:18 pm
The ice cream counter is where you should have plunked down your $20. Quite good. Having a heaping cone while wandering around the cactus garden is the way to go. Figured that out the 2nd or 3rd time there, although my wife still likes buying the liquored candy and bringing it home for unsuspecting friends. (Bourbon in chocolate – who’d a thunk it?)
Written by Scooby on May 8, 2010 at 7:38 pm
“Despite our technological advances as
a species, the sad fact of the matter
is … we are still dumb, insecure animals.
Most of us will spend our lives trying to
buy an identity, and we will continue to
measure ourselves against others by
the amount of money we spend on
equivalent goods.”
Reminds me of someone who charges $29.95 for
an annual subscription to a message board. Or is it
the ‘dumb insecure animals’ that actually pay it?
“I just roll my eyes, mumble something sarcastic
under my breath, and smile politely.”
LOL!
Rex, you are brilliant!
Written by beth on May 8, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Jealous much Scooby? What not having free access to 1 of 5 forums on Rex’s message board frustrating you that much? Is it annoying you that much that Rex doesn’t plaster his message board and blog with ads instead? You really are pathetic. You’ve been complaining about this same shit since the beginning and that’s been a couple years or so. Get over it already and move on. You’re not going to get more people to read your site by shitting on Rex.
Written by Scooby on May 8, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Not jealous Beth, just calling it as it is. You know, like pointing out when someone calls for a boycott of a casino and then doesn’t back it up by patronizing said casino. And, no, I don’t have a site, never have. No alterior motive here.
Like I said, I think Rex is brilliant in that he provides something that is found pretty much for free anywhere else and gets people to spend $30 a year for it. One of you ‘dumb insecure animals’, as he calls you, paid for his candy at Ethel M and I am sure he thanks you.
Written by Andrew on May 8, 2010 at 10:14 pm
I’ve been reading Rex’s blog and message board for free for years. I was never forced to pay anything so not sure what Scooby is upset about.
Written by Scooby on May 8, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Just pointing out the irony in Rex’s post! Not “upset”!
Sheesh, you all read way too much into it!
Like Rex said…
“It’s psychological. People will pay a high
premium for something if they are convinced
that it is “better”, even if there is no evidence
supporting the superiority.”
And I again say, REX IS BRILLIANT!
Written by MaryAnn on May 8, 2010 at 10:59 pm
I love chocolate but even I can’t see myself spending that much on them. Even the fancy chocolates that I buy like Lindt and Toblerone are enough for me and I thought those were overpriced. They’re a bargain compared to Ethel M. Now I don’t feel so guilty for indulging in them. Haven’t been to Ethel M but after reading your review I don’t feel it’s necessary to do it IRL, your review was enough for me. Thanks.
Written by carmen on May 9, 2010 at 5:58 am
Scooby – You are wrong. You cannot get Rex’s content anywhere else. Free or otherwise. No one even comes close to his quality of writing. I am not a subscriber to his forums but I have been reading his blog for free for over a year now. No one else provides his quality and frequency of photos, updates, articles or videos.
Written by tully on May 9, 2010 at 2:10 pm
FWIW, the private forum is just a place where people can goof off without being bothered by drive by trolls and people getting their panties in a wad over—well, whatever they think is offensive.
As for the membership fee, well, it helps defray some of the cost of the equipment and servers for the site. Note, I said some. Scooby, you’ve been around as long as I have, and how many times has Rex upgraded the servers, to accommodate all the content that is freely available to anyone who wants to access it? Three? Four? I’ve lost count. Do you really think these membership fees are sufficient to pay for all of it, and still put cash in his pocket to buy chocolate?
I’ll admit, I was initially bothered by the membership fee, and didn’t pay it for about six months. I decided his content was worth me chipping in a bit for the good of the cause. To each his own.
Written by J. Louise on May 9, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Great article Rex and the photos were fantastic.
It says something about the economy when very few workers were there, although it could be that they are just a very cyclical company. I remember when I lived in Vegas, a temp agency used to supply holiday workers for the Ethel M factory. I always regretted that I didn’t apply (Lucy in the chocolate factory?) but given the treck out to Henderson, maybe it was just as well.
Written by BigRedDogATL on May 10, 2010 at 1:34 am
I always try to visit the Ethel M factory when in Vegas. I have been going there for years and when I was there last time, they had videos running and sound via P/A, that described what happens in each section of the factory and what alot of the equipment does. Were the TV monitors not turned on when you were there Rex?
As for the candy store, the only thing I buy is the chocolate liquors. Unlike lots of the liquors out there, the Ethel M ones use full strength alcohol in them. My Mom loves the chocolate covered cherries and I always get a pound of them to bring back to her.
The Catus garden is also a big draw. One thing Rex didn’t mention is the water recycling ‘plant’ they have for the gardens. Again there is a self guided tour, with sign plaques that describe each part of the system and how all the water used there is cleaned and recycled back into the gardens. For those ‘treehuggers’ out there, they would love what Ethel M is doing.
And while the prices for the candy seems to have gone up, based upon Rex’s price quotes, so hasn’t everything pretty much gone up in price. And if you are willing to pay $25 for a $5 hamburger at a Casino restaurant, then what is wrong with paying a few bucks for unique candies like the chocolate liquors.
Written by Gary Mccracken on May 10, 2010 at 1:45 am
Why didn’t you grab that Lizard and have em dip him in chocolate….MMMMMM Lizard roll!!!
Written by tunadz on May 12, 2010 at 3:20 am
Sounds like walking down a two hundred foot long hallway netted you six bucks worth of free stuff. That’s $156 dollars per mile, pretty good walking money.
Written by BC on May 18, 2010 at 9:39 pm
I’ve heard that the Christmas light display in the cactus garden is supposed to be a good one. Never seen it myself, though. Maybe that could become another holiday tradition for you and your kids, Rex, much like the Bellagio Conservatory.