ADRIAN — On the second Thursday of every month, a sweet and tempting aroma fills the air at The Buzz Cafe and Marketplace in downtown Adrian. People gather around a big marble table in the front of the shop while chocolatier Ben Rosebrock takes them step-by-step through the process of making the perfect batch of fudge.
Rosebrock — who is co-owner of The Buzz along with his wife, Deveny, and their business partner, Joyce Miller — first learned the craft of confectionery as a teenager, when he worked in the sweet shop at Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio.
“I learned how to make artisanal chocolate and caramel and fudge,” he said. “I was one of two fudge makers at the time, and it took me about a year to master.”
When he and Deveny married in 2008, he mentioned to her that he’d always wanted to open a fudge shop. That dream led first to a home-based business making things like chocolate-dipped pretzels, although the constraints of Michigan’s cottage food law limited what they could do.
Later on, Rosebrock, who works at Siena Heights University, was collaborating with Miller on a project to bring more students downtown, and learned that she had ambitions of opening a downtown coffee shop. The idea that eventually would become The Buzz was born.
In the back of the 110 E. Maumee St. store is a marketplace with locally and regionally made foods. At the main counter, people can order sandwiches, soups, salads and beverages. And in the front of the store — right behind a large window that overlooks the street — is the candy making area, complete with a large copper kettle and a 3-foot by 5-foot marble table for preparing fudge.
The Rosebrocks have both been active in community theater for many years, so maybe there’s a certain theatrical instinct at play in the layout. Far from being hidden away in back, the work of making candy is the most prominent thing about the cafe, easily visible to anyone who happens to walk by.
And not just visible: “We also have a fan that blows right out onto Maumee Street,” Rosebrock said. That way, the aroma of whatever they’re making that day can tempt passers-by to stop and take a look.
There’s a real art to making fudge turn out with the smooth, creamy texture that people expect.
“It can be temperamental,” Rosebrock said. “You have to know what to look for — the weight, the sheen, the color, the texture.”
The Buzz started putting together fudge classes a few years ago — not for the public at first, but as something they could donate to charity auctions.
“The first one was awesome,” Rosebrock said. “We had so much fun. There were 12 people in here, they were laughing and joking, and they really had a good time.”
The classes were so well received that they decided to go public, offering sessions once a month for $60 per person. It’s a participatory experience: In addition to explaining how the process works, Rosebrock makes sure everyone has a chance to try it out for themselves.
“People have really enjoyed it,” he said. “Even though there could be up to 12 strangers around the table, everybody’s going to have a chance to put their hands on something. Whether it’s stirring or kneading or working the fudge, if you want to have a chance to do something, you’ll be able to do that during the class.”
And, of course, everyone will take home a box of the fudge they made.
Each class highlights a different type of fudge. They’ll take a break over the summer, but right now The Buzz is planning classes for the second Thursday of every month through May.
The Buzz is at 110 E. Maumee St., Adrian. More information: 517-759-3289 or thebuzzadrian.com.
