Chelsae’s Confectionz Etc.: Chelsae and Simon Hanson
NatureKind Owner Angela Burton
Stuart Watkins
What is an African sulcata tortoise you may wonder? Well, most people call them tortoises, or big turtles.
Angela Burton raises them, and does other things that keep her busy, such as hiking, making her own lip balm, her own natural deodorant, and teaching an on-line art-mixer course.
Angela started NatureKind seeking a natural-based deodorant that does not use aluminum, among other undesirable additives.
After the lady she hired to mix her formula quit, Angela had to concoct it herself. She actually changed a couple of natural ingredients to make it even better. Angela had done all the research before she hired the lady to mix the ingredients.
She always packages her product after making the batches and then freezes them for longer life. In other words, she doesn’t wait to package them, she packages and then freezes.
Angela distributes her deodorant and lip balm to local Tucson markets such as Food Conspiracy Co-Op on 4th Ave., Spa Daze on Oracle Road, Sedona, and the Oracle Farmer’s Market on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m.
Her vendor’s table stays busy with customers.
As for the African sulcata tortoise mom and dad, they have about 20 to 25 eggs in each nest. There are a few nests in her yard, but not all of the eggs hatch. Angela adopts them out to caring persons for a small donation.
Her art-mixer course is for those wanting to learn art at home or in her studio. She has beginning students and adults in her classes.
Single, and on her own with one child, her business is her only source of income, so repeat customers are important. That means her product must be good, or her sales would diminish, and her sales are steady.
Her products are vegan and unisex. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and is just a hair short of a 2nd major in biological sciences. Angela has a minor in zoology from Eastern Illinois University.
Angela moved to Tucson in 2001 to pursue a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Arizona. She did not complete that degree, but got almost a year of that under her belt.
And, she collects rocks.
She has a huge collection of heart shaped rocks that seem to find her!
Come and meet more independent women vendors and others on Wednesdays at Jerry and Sue Parra’s Trading Post on American Ave. in Oracle, Arizona from 6 to 9 p.m.
Now, if you are in the mood for a sweet treat, go to the table where Chelsae’s Confectionz Etc. is and try a $6 frozen slice of cheesecake dipped in chocolate on a stick. Walk around and visit the various vendors, listen to the singer, tip him or her if you wish, and enjoy a treat that is home made by Chelsae Hanson. Her husband, Simon, may help her, but the recipe is all hers learned from her grandmother at the age of five on a farm in Indiana.
Simon and Chelsae live in South Tucson and have six rescue dogs and a horse. She makes various chocolate confections such as truffles, frozen chocolate-dipped cheesecake on a stick, and speciality ordered cakes. Last Wednesday she gave me a key lime pie-flavored dipped cheesecake on a stick and it was a wonderful treat. She may have other creations next Wednesday, but will probably have her speciality, the cheesecake dipped in chocolate on a stick. Try it.