NUECES
WINTON’S ISLAND CANDY STILL SWEET AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY BY LAURA GARCIA lgarcia@vicad.com
PORT ARANSAS — Rows of fresh fudge, caramels and nut clusters, a hard-to-find line of licorice, all flavors of saltwater taffy, more sour candies than your taste buds can handle and much more. Winton’s Island Candy is long considered the ultimate destination for sweet treats in the area by tourists and locals. And for many years, there was a rattlesnake named Jake living there. The unique confectionery was started by Mark Winton more than 20 years ago on the tiny island. “I think it was a stroke of luck that we ended up in this location,” he said. The 58-year-old owner also said getting into the candy business was kind of an accident. He was inspired by his father, who used to make trail
mixes to sell at flea markets in the late ’70s. He was looking for something to sell after another business fell through and he was left with some rental space. Over the years, the candy shop became a must-stop on the island. It is the kind of place where you walk in and almost feel overwhelmed with options. But last summer, a Category 4 hurricane made landfall, destroying the iconic shop. Winton, along with most of his neighbors in town, got the chance to prove that they weren’t going anywhere. There were too many candylovers counting on him. Many of their loyal customers are from San Antonio, Houston and Austin, but thebusiness also ships candies all around the world. Many families also have the business ship packages of
Evan Lewis/elewis@vicad.com
Winton’s Island Candy in Port Aransas is open almost every day of the year.
treats to those serving in the your teeth. “You can really military. taste the butter and vanilla The family rebuilt the in it,” he said. shop and officially reopened The Wintons said there’s just two months after Hurri- something for everybody. cane Harvey. For Ian Johnson, a 16-year“We have a lot of history in old Port Aransas High school here and a lot of memories,” junior, who works the front said Kim Winton, 45, who counter, this is the best sumwas raised on the island. mer job on the island. Now things are most“It definitely beats workly back to normal with ing at a restaurant,” he said, Mark’s son, Thomas Win- although he admits that it ton, making most of the in- can be hard not to want to house treats from the old eat candy every day. family recipe. “There are people that The 23-year-old fish- live here (on the island) that ing guide arrives at 4 a.m. come in three times a week,” almost every day to he said. make fresh batches of fudge and caramel. IF YOU GO They don’t do a lot of measuring in the kitchen. Each WINTON’S batch is not exactly the ISLAND CANDY same; still, people like the 601 S. Alister St., Port Aransas consistency of their candies. 361-749-4773 The owner’s favorite is their caramel, which is HOURS // smooth and doesn’t stick to 9 a.m.-9 p.m. every day VICTORIAADVOCATE.COM
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