"Houston candyman's legacy lives on"

STORYTELLING CATEGORY
07/10/2021

Jesse Bocanegra is a Houston icon, though his face and name may not be well known. Bocanegra's Mexican candy certainly was for generations of Texans who loved his treats that were sold at restaurants across the region.

While Bocanegra retired long ago, his family has resurrected his recipe and now, they sell his leche quemada online.

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We first learned about the Mexican candy from the hundreds of Facebook posts from people who remembered it while dining at the Monterey House chain of restaurants across SE Texas.

Once we found Mr. Bocanegra and his daughter, we couldn't wait to meet him. He was weeks away from moving to a memory care facility where he lives today.

Since our story aired, the family's business has steadily grown and the candy remained in high demand, decades after it first made its debut.

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Submitted by Charlie Haldeman.