Presented by Ann Flesor Beck
Author and Candy Maker

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Gus Flesor came to the United States from Greece in 1901. His journey led him to Tuscola, Illinois, where he learned the confectioner’s trade and opened a business that still stands on Main Street. Sweet Greeks sets the story of Gus Flesor’s life as an immigrant in a small town within the larger history of Greek migration to the Midwest.

Ann re-creates the atmosphere of her grandfather’s candy kitchen with its odors of chocolate and popcorn and the comings-and-goings of family members. “The Store” represented success while anchoring the business district of Gus’s chosen home. It also embodied the Midwest émigré experience of chain migration, immigrant networking, resistance and outright threats by local townspeople, food-related entrepreneurship, and tensions over whether later generations would take over the business.

Ann Flesor Beck is a third-generation Greek confectioner and independent scholar. With her sister, she co-owns and operates Flesor’s Candy Kitchen in Tuscola, Illinois.

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Tuesday November 10, 2020
7:00 to 9:00 pm
Via ZOOM

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