Kay Trosko, a former MSU employee, tells a story about a customer’s experience with one of Trosko’s wedding cakes. During the holiday season, Trosko makes many candies in her licensed kitchen.
Outside, deer and wild turkeys roam free, inside, Kay Trosko creates desserts that would put Entenmann’s and Hostess to shame. She works in a cathedral of a kitchen, which was added onto the Trosko’s Okemos home in 1989.
The $80,000 kitchen features a full house of cupboards, filled with a variety of equipment. A monster of a freezer sits on one wall. In the middle of the kitchen is a long granite countertop where Trosko sits quietly, hums a tune to herself, and creates her confections.
“I only do candies in the fall and early spring because working chocolate is difficult when it’s hot,” she said. The upcoming holiday season is when she makes candies for friends, family and clients.
Getting started
Trosko’s sweet tooth for candy-making began in 1974 while trying to determine a suitable birthday gift for her father.
“He had a lot of everything he wanted for his hobbies,” she said. “So I finally felt, well, he really does like sweets, I’ll make him some candy. And I did.”
This experiment became a revelation and launched a second career.
“It tasted pretty good, but it didn’t look very nice,” she said. “Over the years, I just kept doing it, experimenting and what not.”
Trosko sells her candies in assortments of four different sizes.
Because Trosko is the only member of her business, she doesn’t advertise. Most customers are friends, former colleagues or colleagues of her husband.
“It’s a cottage industry and a hobby business, (so) I don’t advertise,” she said.
“There’s no point in advertising and taking in more business than I can handle.”
Every year, Trosko’s husband, James Trosko, an MSU professor, gives her candy to his colleagues in the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development and at the National Food Safety & Toxicology Center.
“She’s an artist,” he said. “Her wedding cakes look amazing.”
Heather de Feijter-Rupp, a large animal clinical sciences research assistant at MSU, used to work for James Trosko, and remembers sampling some of his wife’s homemade treats.
“The first time I got candy was probably like 1989 or 1990. I worked for her husband, and for Christmas she would make everyone in the lab a box of candy,” she said.
“I don’t work for him anymore, but we live down the street so for Christmas she will come and drop off a box of caramel.”
Cooking at heart, chemistry on the brain
James Trosko is delighted that his wife has found another career.
“It’s an amazing thing that she has picked up all by herself,” he said. “She didn’t take any cooking courses or anything. Her background is in both science and art, particularly chemistry.”
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The Troskos met while studying science at Central Michigan University. Kay graduated in 1960 with a degree in medical technology. James attended graduate school at MSU, while Kay was hired to work on the original tuberculosis research project at MSU.
They were married in 1960.
Kay Trosko’s knowledge of science is a major tool in her candy-making.
“One thing that has helped me a lot is my background in chemistry, because I also studied physics and art for fun and all these things are applicable to looking at candies and pastries,” she said.
Trosko uses special thermometers and timers that are used in laboratories, ensuring that her candies are in top condition.
Betty Moore, a neighbor and old friend of the Troskos, appreciates the quality of Trosko’s candy.
“She’s a perfectionist, so she takes great care of her ingredients,” Moore said.
“She just has so much knowledge. I think it’s that scientific mind (of hers).”
Worldwide influence
In one corner of the Troskos’ professional kitchen sits a 2-foot-tall gold trophy with Japanese writing on it. It was awarded to Trosko in 1991 for winning an international cake festival.
From summer 1990 to summer 1992, Trosko was in and out of Japan because her husband was the director of research for the Radiation Effect Research Foundation in Hiroshima, Japan. While there, Trosko was hired by a local restaurant to teach them how to make Western-style desserts.
“Decorating and presentation for appearance is mostly what I learned in Japan,” she said.
During the summer of 2007, the Troskos spent six months in Sicily while James Trosko was doing cancer research in Palermo. While in Italy, Trosko kept up her cooking.
“The Italian people, they have excellent foods,” she said. “One of the things I did there was take cooking lessons.”
Due to the language barrier, Trosko was unable to take dessert classes, which were taught in Italian.
While cooking in Italy, Trosko discovered marzipan and decided to use it in her desserts.
Marzipan is an almond and sugar paste that can be shaped into candy or used as a cake decoration. Even though Trosko no longer lives in Italy, she has no problem getting her Italian marzipan.
“My husband is in and out of Italy all the time, so he brings it back for me,” she said with a smile.
Trosko also has spent time in France, South Korea and China.
Although many of her ingredients are from other countries, she tries to use domestic products.
“I am interested in doing candies that use Michigan products,” she said.
Trosko enjoys making new desserts each year. This year she is making fruit jellies. The new experiments are what keep her going every year.
“Creating new candies is what I enjoy most,” she said. “I try to do something new or different every year because just producing the same recipes over and over again I find to be ultimately boring.”
