Candy maker's sweet edge stems from her upbringing

Since she was old enough to wield a mixing bowl and wooden spoon, Adrianne "Dre" Bernal has had a sweet spot for making candy.

The Beyer High School graduate is a third-generation candy maker. Her mother and grandmother had businesses, including a venture called Sugar Bakers.

Before the family moved from San Jose to Modesto years ago, Bernal remembers how her mother and grandmother spent weekends cooking and baking, then would take their sweet creations to San Francisco's big flea market to sell.

Bernal, now 27 and a mother herself, is following in their footsteps. She recently started her own candy-making business: Sugar Mama Candies. She designs, creates and sells an assortment of confections, including truffles, candied apples, petits fours, turtles, peanut butter cups and mint patties.

It's a big departure from her previous career as a medical assistant.

Working in the medical field "was not making me happy," Bernal said. "I wasn't able to see myself doing it forever."

Making candy, on the other hand, is fun -- "and I love how people smile when I give them candy that was made from the heart."

When she's not making candy, Bernal stays busy caring for her 7-year-old son, Rylan. She also enjoys gardening, another activity she learned from her late grandmother, Judy Martin.

"She was my inspiration," Bernal said. "When I do something and it turns out well, I think, 'Grandma would have loved this.' "

Q: What are some of your earliest candy-making memories?

A: I always wanted to have my hand in the mixing bowl. There's a picture of me (labeled) "Adrianne's First Cake." It's me and my grandma in the kitchen, and I'm standing by one of those big KitchenAid mixers, looking into the mixing bowl. I was about

4 years old. Every kid in my family paid special attention to the process of baking. Everyone in my family loves food.

Q: Where do you get your ideas for candies and flavors?

A: I do not know. My grandma would always come up with the craziest stuff. She loved flavors. She had these jars with flavors in them that she used. I got my taste for flavor from her. If a recipe calls for 30 drops of flavor, I'll use 60. You have to have that "wow" factor when you bite into it.

When I come up with ideas, I think about what would be a good flavor combo. That's how I came up with my tropical cheesecake truffle. I started with a cream cheese filling, added crushed pineapple, cheesecake flavoring and rolled it in coconut. I made it up on the spot.

When I'm (making truffles), I'll get several different fillings and roll them together, just to see what works. I bounce my ideas off my family a lot and use them as guinea pigs.

Q: What is your specialty?

A: The truffle. But I'm really leaning toward the apples because they get a lot of attention. Everyone can relate to a caramel apple.

Q: How much time do you devote to candy making?

A: I try to do a bit every day. Being a mom, sometimes it's hard with my schedule. I can do 12 hours of work and not blink. The hours I put in are like a full-time job. Right now, I'm working out of my home.

Q: How do you stay so physically fit when your business is candy making?

A: Actually, I've lost 100 pounds since 2003. I really had to change how I eat. After I had my son and separated (from my husband), I was depressed. I wasn't exercising. I needed a lifestyle change. I go on walks and I try to eat (foods high in) protein and healthy things.

I realize now that everything has its place. You can eat candy, but you have to balance it. You can't just go crazy. When I'm working on my candy, I'm tasting it but not eating it all. At the end of the day, I don't even want to look at another piece of candy.

Q: You also inherited a love of gardening from your grandmother. What's growing in your garden now?

A: Vegetables and herbs. I've got two different kinds of mint, oregano, Italian parsley, basil, green and white onions, leeks, cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, carrots, golden cayenne peppers and lettuces. I've made fresh homemade salads for weeks.

Q: What's the best thing about living in Modesto?

A: You can pretty much find all kinds of people here. And if you can find your niche, you can make something work. Also, there are a lot of things going on, stuff to do and a great community spirit.