The History of James' de Luxe Confections

Shop James' classic candies

A confectioner by trade, Enoch James had been tinkering with a recipe for Salt Water Taffy for years on end, and in the 1880s, he relocated with his family to Atlantic City, eager to sell his signature confection.

His recipe was different than most, designed not to pull out one's teeth. It was smooth, creamy, and wholesome and available in a variety of flavors and a new "cut–to–fit–the–mouth" shape.

For the first few years, James continued to create his taffy the old-fashioned way. It was cooked in copper kettles over open coal fires, cooled on marble slabs, and pulled on a large hook on the wall. As the taffy stretched to five or six feet in length, it was folded onto itself to help it remain light and smooth. By 1907, James and his family had improved the process. They introduced taffy–wrapping machines, candy pulling machines, electric ovens, and vacuum cooking kettles, many of which are still used today.

The success of his signature taffy inspired him to introduce other recipes he'd developed over the years. These include forever favorites like chocolate–dipped Salt Water Taffy, filled center Salt Water Taffy, chocolate taffy pops, macaroons, and boardwalk fudge.