"Where are the TURTLES!?!?"

I am a huge, huge fan of "The Office," and though Michael Scott has freaked out about a lot of things over the course of the show, this is one particular meltdown that stuck with me, both because it was amusing and because I didn't fully appreciate its meaning at the time:

What the heck are Turtles? That's what I remember asking myself.

Little did I know that moving back to Chemung County is what would end up answering that question for me. Because it so happens that this is their point of origin, since we're home to the DeMet's Candy Company factory that makes them:

The factory churns out several different kinds of Turtles (including sugar-free and ones with various types of nuts), and millions of pounds of them, a year.

 One guess what this dapper fella's name is.

    Yup. He's Mr. Turtle. 

I found out that you can't tour the inner workings of the facility; you CAN, however, go take a spin around "Turtle Circle." Which, for someone who once trekked to Rayne, La., the "Frog Capital of the World," was plenty entertaining.

 Just to be clear, no turtles are hunted on this circle.

So, if you want to support a locally produced product and simultaneously indulge in the cute, chocolatey deliciousness that inspired such an "Office" moment, you're good to go. Mystery solved!

DeMet's Candy Company, 1 Turtle Circle, Horseheads, NY 14845

(607) 562-8600, http://www.demetscandy.com/