Dottie's organic lavender-infused caramels 

I met Patty Brown, the owner of Dottie's Sweet Delights at the Inspired Home and Gourmet Expo, in between rounds of the recent Chef Showdown. She had all her samples out, and my fav was her lavender-infused sea salted honey caramels.

Wrapped in colorful foil, the buttery, smooth caramels sweetly sink into your mouth and surprise you with a bouquet of lavender under your nose. What I love about all of Dottie's products is that the ingredients she works with are sweet, but they won't hurt your teeth with artificial sugars or preservatives.

Brown named her Santa Maria-based business after her mom, Dottie, who taught her and her four siblings how to cook when she was very young. All of her products are handmade to order in small batches at SLO's Finest commercial kitchen in San Luis Obispo. The homegrown company ships nationwide and delivers in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties.

A half-pound bag of lavender-infused sea salted honey caramels is $13.95 at dottiessweetdelights.com. Be sure to check out Brown's beautifully wrapped party favors and gift collections there as well. You can order by mail or look for her treats at specialty markets and boutiques. For custom orders, contact Brown by phone or text at (805) 607-9495 or email at [email protected]. Δ

Flavor writer Beth Giuffre can't get enough homegrown treats. Send your favorite snack stops to [email protected].