Leila “Cricket” Azima never planned to open a candy studio. She spent decades teaching kids to cook and think creatively about food. Her cooking school, The Creative Kitchen, focused on teaching children about healthy eating. For years, she hosted classes and festivals that promoted whole grains and vegetables, partnering with organizations like the James Beard Foundation. She loved seeing kids gain confidence in the kitchen.
When COVID-19 shut down her programs, Azima found herself facing a challenge. Cooking classes moved online, but kids seemed uninterested in making brown rice salads on Zoom. Stuck at home, families needed a break — something lighthearted and joyful. So she decided to mix things up, literally. She started running candy-making classes instead. Kids made edible slime, candy sushi, and even “lickable finger paint” from sweet ingredients. The focus wasn’t on balanced meals. It was on having fun. Azima saw the difference right away. Kids were laughing, showing off their creations, and looking forward to the next session.
The success of those virtual classes made her wonder: What if there was a place just for this? A space where kids could be surrounded by candy, explore their creativity, and make edible art. The idea stuck. Azima started sketching out plans for a candy studio — a colorful, hands-on space where kids could make, taste, and play.
In mid-2023, Cricket’s Candy Creations opened in Tribeca. Azima designed it to feel like stepping into a candy wonderland. There’s an “edible slime studio” where kids mix up gooey, fruity slime that’s safe to eat. There’s a “candy kitchen” where they build mini pizzas and sushi rolls from gummy candies. A “lickable finger paint gallery” lets them create artwork they can taste. One area is set up just for making chocolate treats like hot cocoa bombs and chocolate tacos. Even the lamps and decorations look like oversized candy. One favorite spot is the “pinata passage,” where candy sometimes rains down from the ceiling.
Azima didn’t just want the studio to be visually impressive. She wanted it to feel like a place where creativity could flow. The workshops are structured but flexible, letting kids invent their own candy combinations. There’s a candy accessories station where they can make necklaces and keychains from sweets, and a shop where they can take home kits to keep experimenting.
The response was immediate. Families loved the energy and imagination of the place. Birthday parties started booking up quickly, and Azima introduced “Candy Cafe” drop-in hours for families who just wanted a quick project without scheduling ahead. She also created take-home kits so that kids who couldn’t visit the studio could still experience the fun.
Cricket’s Candy Creations isn’t just about making sweets. It’s about the experience of creating something fun and unexpected. Azima took something that started as a way to break up the monotony of lockdown and turned it into a real-world space where imagination and sugar go hand in hand. She says the best part is seeing kids light up when they realize they can play with their food — and eat it too.
The studio keeps evolving. Azima recently expanded into a larger location in Tribeca to accommodate more families and introduced franchise opportunities for those wanting to open a candy studio in other cities. She’s also developing more seasonal workshops and new kits for families to enjoy at home.
