Rock star Gad de Combes of Shortstraw is South Africa's candy man. His sweet tooth led him to create legendary rock candy. This is his story.
He makes the world taste good, and Gad De Combes makes candies with love and passion, ingredients that you can actually taste.
Gaddles Rock Candy has been more than just a labour of love, Gad’s venture has turned one of South Africa’s biggest rock stars into a candy man.
Over the past ten years, Shortstraw has become one of South African rock’s hottest tickets.
“I am now a candy man with music as a side hustle,” joked De Combes. It started the other way around though, when his love for sweets provided a financial way out during the pandemic, when the performing arts flatlined. It was a pivot in his career that came unexpectedly.
“Candy has always intrigued me. When I was a kid, I enjoyed the variety of sweets I could find.”
‘Candy has always intrigued me’
Later in life, when he joined Shortstraw, his interest stuck. The band’s tours became an opportunity for him to sample a variety of candies from around the world. Every new city brought the chance to discover a new candy shop and an array of unique flavours to try.
“After a show, when the rest of the band went looking for a pub to chill, I headed off looking for sweet shops,” he shared.
When Covid sucker punched the creative industry, De Combes scoured the internet to find recipes and method to start making his yummies. Self-taught from various online sources, he made recipes his own, and developed Gaddles Rock Candy.
An artist’s artist
De Combes’s workshop, home jamming session quarters and general arty den are a welcoming, creative space. It has a lingering smell of cotton candy.
He’s a warm and inviting character whose self-drawn caricatures adorn the walls, drawn in black markers. There are Star Wars figurines, movie posters and, on the opposite side of a Gaddles Candy workspace, a drum kit and a keyboard.
It’s the kind of place you’d want your sweets made in, because it is authentic, comfortable, and created in a creative environment.
De Combes approaches candy making with the same dedication and passion he previously reserved for music.
He began with simple designs and a core focus on flavour.
However, as his skills improved, he incorporated more intricate designs into his candy creations, incorporating images, that he draws, embedded on the candy.
“When I compare my work today with when I started, I can see a considerable evolution in terms of taste and design,” De Combes said.
De Combes’ palette of flavours is impressively broad, encompassing traditional tastes such as humbug and sour bubble-gum through to salted caramel and ginger.
But the real magic begins when he starts mixing and matching these flavours to generate distinctive combinations.
His sour collection, inspired by his personal liking for tart candies, is especially innovative.
More remarkable flavours like salted liquorice with real sea salt, and cappuccino sets his candies apart from typical sweet homogeneity.
These candies are yum
Aware of the dietary needs of diabetic and hypoglycaemic customers, De Combes even added a sugar-free range made with Ocelot, a sugar substitute that doesn’t stimulate insulin production.
When De Combes started incorporating designs into his sugary rocks, he didn’t expect it to be as complex as it is.
As he explained, embedding an image or message in a candy requires three-dimensional thinking and modelling from the design stage onward. But the results, he believes, are worth the effort, as they provide a unique experience to the consumer and give him tremendous satisfaction.
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And his candies taste seriously good. From the ultra-sour to the ridiculously sweet, there’s no end to the flavour to savour. It’s moreish and the sugar rush is well worth it.
While his venture absorbs much of his time, De Combes continues to cherish his music. He sees a unique commonality between his dual pursuits.
“Music is meant to be consumed, and so is candy. They both come from a place of creativity, and they evoke emotions and responses in people,” he shared.
Emotional response
He packages his finished product in glass jars, a traditionalist approach to preserving taste and texture. Rows of sweetie jars evoke memories of olden-day general dealers, like Oom Samie Se Winkel in Stellenbosch.
It makes a great gift, too. With a chuckle, he suggested the practicality of candy as a gift compared to traditional options like flowers.
“Candies, unlike flowers, are edible. Hence, they make a practical gift. It’s a simple token that someone can enjoy,” he said.
He said that he’s still to write a song about his sweets, and his passion for making them.
Spending time with De Combes is inspiring. He is an example of how a change in circumstances can lead to the discovery of new talents and pursuits.
In times of adversity, he’s shown that it’s possible to segue into the unknown successfully, combining passion and ingenuity in a way that brings joy to others and puts food on the table.
Shortstraw will perform at Hangout Fest on 5 August. De Combes will also be selling Gaddles Rock Candy there. Tickers are available at Tixsa.co.za
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