Chay J's New Orleans Candies

Mobile caterer, Candy store, Service establishment in Atlanta, GA

Address

Atlanta, GA

Phone

(678) 439-6652

Website

chayjs.com

About Chay J's New Orleans Candies

Chay J's New Orleans Candies is a gourmet confections business founded by Channon 'Chay' Powell, who moved to Atlanta in 1999 after graduating from Xavier University of Louisiana. A native New Orleanian, Powell launched the business in 2001 after being laid off from a job, deciding to turn her culinary talent into a small business by sharing homemade confections with local Atlanta businesses. She drew her recipes and inspiration from time spent working at Sugar Dolls Candy Store in Metairie, Louisiana, alongside her father, where she learned techniques she still uses in her kitchen today. The business is best known for its award-winning original Creole Pretzels, described as sweet-and-salty, buttery pretzels coated in praline caramel-toffee and pecans. Chay J's also offers gourmet popcorn in four flavors and a rotating selection of other New Orleans-style candies, all made to order in small batches with quality ingredients and no additives or preservatives. Powell's father dreamed of nationally distributing his confections, especially the Creole Pretzels, while 'creating smiles along the way.' After he died of prostate cancer in 2006, Powell adopted that vision as her own mission, building Chay J's into a tribute to her family's New Orleans culinary legacy. She has spoken about what the business means to her as a Black woman entrepreneur, saying it means a lot to her 'to be able to be strong in the business field' representing both her New Orleans roots and her identity, and her brother now works alongside her carrying the family legacy forward. Chay J's has been featured as part of Black History Month business spotlights recognizing local Black-owned businesses and their role in the Atlanta business community. The company can be reached at (678) 439-6652 or by email at [email protected].

Chay J's traces its roots to New Orleans, where Channon 'Chay' Powell grew up immersed in the city's food culture and Creole confectionery traditions. She later worked at Sugar Dolls Candy Store in Metairie, Louisiana, learning candy-making techniques directly from experienced confectioners while working alongside her father, who dreamed of one day distributing his recipes nationally. After moving to Atlanta and graduating from Xavier University of Louisiana, Powell was laid off from her job in 2001. Rather than see it as a setback, she treated the layoff as an opportunity to pursue what she loved, launching Chay J's New Orleans Candies to sell homemade confections, starting with local Atlanta businesses. Her signature product, the Creole Pretzel, became an award-winning hit, blending sweet and salty flavors with buttery praline caramel-toffee and pecans in a nod to her New Orleans upbringing. In 2006, Powell's father passed away from prostate cancer, and she chose to carry his dream forward as her own life's mission, growing the business as a tribute to him and to her city's culinary heritage. Today her brother works alongside her, continuing the family legacy together. Powell has described the business as a source of pride tied closely to her identity as a Black woman and New Orleans native, and Chay J's has since been recognized during Black History Month as an example of Black entrepreneurship and excellence in the Atlanta business community.

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