Emerald Confections: Irish Potatoes, Candy and Gifts located in Philadelphia

Carrier Pigeon & Uptight Suburbanite Feb 2008
Jodi Boylan's Emerald Confections is a bit of Irish heaven right here in Northeast Philadelphia.
Filled with homemade candies, the star of which are here infamous Irish Potatoes, you can find
anything "Irish" your lassie or lass desires within its four walls.

A busy mother of five children... that's it FIVE - Mary Kate, 17, Conor, 16, Patrick, 14, Sean, 12
and Liam, 9 - Jodi started out by volunteering her candymaking skills to the fundraising efforts of
the area Catholic-Irish Organization. "I made my Irish Potatoes and at 100 boxes, that's about 1200
pounds of Irish Potatoes, we sold out. That's when at some some point I decided to go "commercial"
and open my own little candy store."

I asked Jodi to explain exactly what is an "Irish Potato." "It's indigenous to Philadelphia. Sure, you
may see them in candy stores elsewhere, but their roots are here. They're basically a mixture of butter,
coconut, cream cheese and powdered sugar. Every candy maker may have their own take on the
ingredients, but you get the idea. Labor intensive to make, each "potato" has to be hand rolled.
There's nothing high-tech in making them."

You mean they're not really "Irish"? "The story goes that there was a local candymaker who had
leftover coconut cream used to prepare Easter Eggs. Not wanting to waste the confection, they got
creative and rolled small bits of the mixture into bite-size balls, rolled the balls in cinnamon and
Voila! The new candy was called an "Irish Potato" because that's what it looked like... a potato. So
yes, it's not Irish at all. It's Philadelphian!!!!" That's what you call marketing!

Jodi's recipe has her own little twist. Preservative-free freshness is paramount and for that reason,
while you can get your fill of these rich little delicacies year-round, at Emerald Confections no Irish
Potato is more than 2 weeks old! Dipped in chocolate, rolled in cinnamon, a hint of mint, Jodi's
treats are sweet beyond compare.

To add to the "Irish" in her "potato," Jodi's sweet shoppe offers beautiful Beleek Crystal from
Ireland, linen, wool sweaters and scarves, jewelry and a wide variety of gift possibilities for any
celebration. And you don't have to be Irish to appreciate these bits of the Emerald Isle!

As I usually do, I asked Jodi what she does with her free time. With five children in tow I felt a
little silly asking the question... so we both laughed instead. I did comment that perhaps she had her
own personal workforce available and she agreed that at times it was fortuitous that she could call
on some extra hands if need be! She confessed to relying heavily on her husband Denny. They've been
married 18 years. A detective in the Philadelphia Police Department, I'm sure his talents help in
keeping her crew in control and under roof!

Needless to say I enjoyed talking to Jodi Boylan. It's not often that I speak to a fellow "cook" who
has pursued their dream of going "commercial." And I loved hearing the story of how what I
thought was a real "Irish Confection" is really part of our hometown Philadelphia lore!

Skeptical? Well, stop in and visit Jodi at her deliciously green oasis on Endicott Street and she'll tell
you, you don't have to be Irish to enjoy Irish... and that's no blarney!

15004 Endicott St, Philadelphia, PA 19116
(215) 676-7180