Run by a mother-daughter trio in Los Angeles, California, The Frosted Petticoat breaks the boundaries of chocolate making with uniquely designed, hand-painted candies. Roberta is the mama bear and master chocolatier who taught her daughters the art of yummy confections. Trish is the eldest daughter and skilled artist whose brush paints edible delights on the sweet treats. Sam is the baby of the family and the eccentric mastermind behind the company's whimsical brand. The dreams of these three women have come together to create The Frosted Petticoat.
The Petticoat Girls relish in creating edible works of art without sacrificing the yumminess factor! Made from high-quality chocolate, the candies come in surprising shapes and are individually hand-painted with edible glimmers. Their favorite thing to hear from a customer is "That's chocolate?!". Like a "frosted petticoat", from afar the candies look like real items (vintage buttons, autumn leaves, rusty gears), but up-close they are actually made from chocolate. With sugar inspiration from the likes of Willy Wonka, Marie Antoinette, and The Brother's Grimm, the chocolates mesh reality with the whimsical. The designs are sure to surprise and delight the imaginations of all those looking for a sugary adventure.
Since the shop's launch in October of 2011, the sugary sweets have won acclaim from Real Simple Magazine, Huffington Post Weddings, Weddings Unveiled Magazine, Quiltmaker Magazine, the U.K.'s Weddings Magazine, and The Perfect Palette... just to name a few! See the Press & Praise section for all the sugary details.
Meet Sam, the eccentric mastermind behind the chocolate...
Want a peek into the mind of an offbeat candy maker? Well, then meet Sam, the baby in the Petticoat Family and head sugar designer. Learn below how she went from defending criminals in a Manhattan courtroom to running a whimsical candy company... all while forever cementing the bonds of family in sugary sweetness!
How did you come up with the name "The Frosted Petticoat"?
The name "The Frosted Petticoat" came to me while I was getting chocolate design inspiration from a Marie Antoinette painting. In her ridiculously opulent outfit, the Queen appeared to be made out of candy. It was as if she was wearing a petticoat made of frosting. A light bulb went off in my head! The company must be named "The Frosted Petticoat". It perfectly represented the whimsy and illusion at the heart of our sweets - from a distance you see a lace petticoat, but up close you come to find it's actually made from sugar!
Where do you get the inspiration for the unique chocolate designs?
From The Brothers' Grimm to pastel fish to a vintage chair, I find inspiration everywhere! It's actually become a running joke with my husband that I can't walk a single city block without pulling out my iPhone to take a picture of something that inspires me. Mainly I like the challenge of taking an item that wouldn't normally be candy and figuring out a way to make it out of sugar. Because let's face it, wouldn't the world be a happier place if everything was made out of chocolate?
Has your family always been in the chocolate business? Is this what you planned to do as a profession?
As children, my big sister Trish and I would sit intently next to my mom Roberta for hours, learning to create chocolates and paint them with edible glimmers. It's some of my happiest childhood memories. As the years passed and all of our skills improved, we would give out the decorative treats as gifts or bring them to parties as favors. The three of us had promised each other that someday we'd open a shop, but as often happens life got in the way - Trish became a teacher and had two gorgeous kids; Roberta became a full-time grandma, babysitting while Trish worked; and I went off to law school and became an attorney. Our sugary dream was put on hold indefinitely.
It wasn't until about two years ago when I was working in a Manhattan courtroom that the catalyst occurred. Miserable as a criminal defense attorney and working for free in the recession-hit city, I found myself daydreaming about our sugary plan. I looked down at my legal pad and realized I had been scribbling chocolate designs on it - vintage buttons, Marie Antoinette lollipops, steampunk gears, skeleton cameos. And it just hit me! I knew then that I needed to trade in a world of crime and heartache for a world of sugar and sweets. I immediately called up my mom and sister and told them that I thought it was time to finally make our dream come true.
Luckily it wasn't just me who wanted something new, it was the change all three of us were looking for. We decided right there and then that we were going to take the plunge and we haven't looked back. Not only have we been able to create the company of our dreams, we're having a blast doing it! Most importantly we're having a blast doing it together, as a family.