CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Once you reach the seventh floor of the Water Tower Place, the smell of cotton candy becomes intoxicating.
"A lot of people say our cotton candy is the best taste that they've ever tried," said Shu Zhang.
Muah Cotton Candy is the newly opened shop that has recently gained viral acclaim. The owners, Sonya Song and Shu Zhang, said it all began with a vending machine.
"It's all because of that machine," said Zhang.
The couple was inspired by a cotton candy vending machine they saw online. After doing their research, they decided to buy one. It ended up sitting in their garage for months. Song decided she didn't want the machine to become a relic in their home.
"That motivated me to try to make some characters," said Song.
She began experimenting with different edible designs and creations. Now, Song is the self-taught artist behind all the cotton candy characters.
AnnMarie Welser
"She has a really incredible talent that was never discovered before," said Zhang.
Song's artistry transforms the sugary substance into lifelike figures. From Pikachu to Hello Kitty, the characters are adorable as they are delicious. Song said the designs came through trial and error after many home experimentation projects. The fire alarm went off a lot.
"A lot of practice to make something as pretty as this," said Zhang, "Everything in our kitchen was covered in sugar."
The couple met in Chicago, and although they are both originally from China, they now call Chicago their hometown. In their 14 years of marriage, they've never embarked on a journey quite like this.
"We've never done this before; we never opened a store," said Zhang.
The couple hope their store will carve out a place in Chicago's premiere shopping center. You can learn more about the store here.
Listen to our new podcast Looped In: Chicago
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
