She’s one sweet lady

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    By Amelia Nielson-Stowell

    Some say women are born chocolate lovers.

    But Ellen Ingerson, the BYU Bookstore ?Fudge Lady,? prefers vanilla praline.

    ?I?m not really a chocolate person,? Ingerson said, pouring hot fudge into a pan for a five-pound Heath Bar-flavored slab. ?It?s really fun when you tell other women what you do. Their eyes get wide.?

    Ingerson has worked at the Bookstore for 15 years, the last seven making the famous BYU Bookstore fudge. She works part-time as the sole employee who makes the fudge. But during the busy times ? Christmas, Women?s Conference and Education Week ? her schedule can get intense.

    ?Sometimes, I?m here every night,? she said. ?People get cranky when they don?t have their fudge.?

    Twice a week, Ingerson makes a five-pound slab of the 12 flavors regularly sold in the Book-store, regardless if the fudge sells out or not. And that workload doesn?t count the special orders or flavor of the month.

    The fudge recipe isn?t a secret ? it?s actually the same kind of fudge made across Utah. Numerous Utah retailers get their fudge mix from Calico Cottage Inc., the world?s largest provider of fudge-making ingredients. But the BYU fudge is unique, Ingerson said, because of the way it?s poured: nearly two inches thicker than the other brands. Plus Ingerson will, and can, make any flavor requested.

    ?Everyone seems to know this fudge,? she said. ?It just makes me amazed to see how much people want it in their lives.?

    Ingerson, a Highland resident, received her degree in retail from BYU. She has three children, who are always asking mom to make a special fudge flavor for their birthdays.

    ?They tell their friends ?Mom?s the ?Fudge Lady,?? she said. ?They think mom has a cool job.?

    And Ingerson?s children aren?t the only ones. Ingerson was asked to sign a ?People That Should Be Famous? book and loves the positive feedback she receives from customers.

    ?It?s kind of hard to be upset about candy,? she said. ?People are always happy to see me.?

    Although Ingerson said she hardly feels stressed at her job, she does remember a ?panic? moment when the fudge machine broke during Women?s Conference.

    ?We had to air flight one in,? she said, laughing. ?It took two days to fly it in, and they never told me how much it cost.?

    Ingerson said she enjoys her part-time schedule. The flexible work hours allow her quality time to spend time with her family.

    ?If I have to be a mom and work then I want to do something fun,? she said. ?It?s my ideal job because I get to be a mom. I get my own schedule. I feel appreciated.?

    Another perk of being the ?Fudge Lady? ? taste testing all the fudge.

    ?Nobody can have my job,? Ingerson said. ?Nobody.?

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