Although American Inheritance officially launched in 2019, its story began years ago. Notably in May of 2015. Owner Ronnie Watchhorn’s wife was killed by a drunk driver, leaving him and their son behind. In an instant, Watchhorn’s life was coming undone. To keep his mind busy, he accepted a position at a local chocolate shop. Little did he know, but he would be discovering a new frontier. A new American dream.

The years that followed were a time of self-discovery for Watchhorn as he balanced single parenting with school and entrepreneurship, but time and time again, he found himself drawn back to that shop. He was falling in love with chocolate and its versatility; how it is at once a delicacy and a comfortable reminder of home. In those years behind the chocolate counter Watchhorn had the opportunity to talk to hundreds of customers and learn all about the classic American confections they grew up with and were hoping to find, even if they weren’t readily available in a Belgian chocolate shop. When the shop was sold, he departed with his knowledge, determined to bring this vision to life. That is when American Inheritance was born.

“I worked at my friend’s chocolate shop for about the last three years, and when the shop sold I learned that I really had an emotional connection to it. I wasn’t ready to stop, and so I started American Inheritance,” said Watchhorn.

American has a long and diverse confectionery heritage, but these aren’t just recipes. These are stories waiting to be told. Confectionery tales picked out long ago by a generation long passed and perfected over the years. Family gatherings wouldn’t be the same without them, and we’ve all looked forward to them since we were kids. They bring us together as family and friends and forge communities from strangers, leaving us with memories that will last a life time. These recipes are the foundation of our great nation. They represent the cultures that brought them here, the culmination of the communities they created, and a legacy left by those who came before us. These recipes are our American Inheritance, and we couldn’t ask for more.

“I found this emotional connection to chocolate because of everything I was going through at the time, but I feel like a lot of people can connect with this. These are your recipes, these are the things that got handed down through your family, the desserts you looked forward to at Christmas time,” said Watchhorn.

Watchorn is on an exploration of America’s confectionery heritage with his new candy company. He seeks to honor these time-honored recipes, and in turn pay homage to them crafting his own unique confections in their likeness. Watchhorn is collecting the recipes and flavor combinations and has created a truffle line out of them.

“I am traveling and talking to people and making things with people, from recipes that have been handed down from mothers and grandmothers just over the years. I really feel like they are more than just a recipe. Honestly I think they are a backbone of the community because they are what bring us around a table together,” said Watchorn.

American Inheritance Confectionery aims to combine traditional Belgian techniques with America’s rich confectionery history to give customers a truly unique chocolate experience. They’ve taken the distinguished history of Belgian chocolate and combined it with the confectionery traditions of the most diverse country in the world, truly setting the standard for chocolatiers the country over.

Right now American Inheritance offers several handcrafted candy bars, including salted toffee, caramel pecan and cookies and cream. They also have a variety of flavors of whiskey caramels, chocolate dipped caramel pecans, ready made s’mores, and the truffles.

In addition to the delicious flavors they come in, the chocolates and candies are beautiful works of art as well. You can see the beauty in the details and the care that goes into making them. The confections are all listed and displayed on the website at https://americaninheritanceconfectionery.com/ and can be found in a few different locations now including Ida Red on Main Street in Tulsa, and 1907 in Broken Arrow, as well as the Rose District Farmer’s Market in Broken Arrow. They just partnered up with Antoinette’s Baking Company in the arts district in Tulsa to make chocolate dipped macaroons as well. They are currently expanding the locations that they can be found in and are in talks with several businesses.

The website also has a blog with some great posts about the history of the candy bar and marshmallows, and there are sure to be more interesting reads coming soon. You can find American Inheritance on Instagram and Facebook as well.

Make sure to go check them out and try out the delicious confections.