Clark Bars are back in time for Valentine’s Day
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They are as much a part of the taste of Pittsburgh as Iron City Beer, Primanti’s sandwiches and Heinz ketchup.
The Clark Bar, with its crispy peanut butter and spun taffy core, coated in milk chocolate, is back. The bars are returning to Steel City candy stores on Valentine’s Day as part of an exclusive Pittsburgh rollout. And if you’re lucky, you can snag a free one this Friday.
“There is no better place to relaunch it than where it started. We’re working specifically with different candy stores, different locations on free giveaways as a Valentine to Pittsburgh,” said Anthony Forgione, president and CEO of Boyer Candy Co., the Altoona-based confectioner that has added Clark Bars to its roster. “It really is a thank-you to Pittsburgh, to an area that has supported this bar for so long.”
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Clark Bars were born and raised in Pittsburgh, where Irish immigrant David L. Clark founded the D.L. Clark Co. on the North Side in 1886. It was sold to a food conglomerate in 1955, and the Clark Bar was produced by a succession of candymakers over the years.
Boyer purchased the rights to make and sell Clark Bars in September 2018 after the most recent manufacturer, Necco (the New England Confectionery Co.), went into bankruptcy. Based near Boston, it was famous for making Necco Wafers.
It took Boyer more time than it had anticipated to move the equipment to its headquarters, a converted brewery in Altoona. Once the machinery was up and running, the company went through a tedious process of trial and error.
“We are famous for Mallo Cups, which is chocolate and marshmallow, so we had to learn how to cook and produce an item such as the Clark Bar. It’s a different skill set, so it took some time,” Forgione said.
Over a year went by, and a great many Pittsburghers found themselves craving a Clark Bar. Forgione and others worked feverishly to produce and get the candy tasting the way its creator intended.
“It took a lot of work. I was down there moving the equipment and cooking this thing myself for the better part of the last seven months,” Forgione said. “I can’t tell you how many dress shirts and ties I’ve ruined, but that’s how important this thing is to myself and my family to make sure this bar comes back at full strength.”
Forgione said they dug into the files and spoke to people who worked at the old headquarters on the North Side. The Clark Bars coming out Friday are made with the original Pittsburgh recipe.
“People are going to remember this when they taste it.”
So, while there may have been a sense of loss since Clark Bars disappeared from store shelves, it’s sounding like the yearlong wait for their return will be worth it.
Forgione would not disclose specific locations where the free Clark Bars will be handed out on Valentine’s Day. Apparently, that’s part of the surprise. He’s just happy that Pittsburghers will be able to enjoy a Clark Bar once more.
“This is an iconic candy that people grew up with. What we really heard from people was a sense of loss. That’s why we made it a priority to bring it back in the way that it was originally made and to focus on where it was born and where it was supported for 100 years.”
And that’s why, Forgione promised, every Clark Bar wrapper will proudly say on the back of it, “Born in the ’Burgh.”