The sizzle

of hot grease and the smell of seasonal favorites like

funnel cake and boiled peanuts are all part of the

sensory patchwork of fall fairs. Food is as much a part

of the scenario as pony rides and country crafts.

Some folks

go for the barbecue; others seek out the classic hot dog,

which always seems to taste a little better coming from

the window of that little white trailer. Salty pretzels

washed down with an icy Coke compete with the sweet

nothingness of cotton candy.

But that

cotton candy may come prepackaged instead of spun around

a paper cone these days. A four-year-old Lithonia-based

business called Dulce Foods Inc. now produces the pink

confection and bags it. According to the company, the

heat-sealed prepacked cotton candy has a shelf life of

several months and can be readily sold at snack food

venues without the mess and fuss of the old machine-made

variety.

The process

was developed by William Madden, president of Dulce

Foods, when he was a student at Georgia Tech. He sells

much of his product to church and school fairs, as well

as concession stands run by school booster clubs. The

company also sells to convenience stores and retail

markets. Madden's cotton candy is set to debut at the

world's largest candy show in Cologne, Germany.

Madden

estimated the company sold more than 30,000 bags of the

pink fluff during last year's Halloween week alone. For

more about cotton candy, visit their website at

www.cotton-candy.com or phone 770-978-2572.