Grayslake toffee heading to Sports Emmy Awards

It's likely that NBC's “Sunday Night Football” announcer Al Michaels will be chomping on a Grayslake product if he gets a toffee hankering while in New York for a special honor next week.

Michaels will receive a lifetime achievement recognition on May 2 at the 32nd annual Sports Emmy Awards. He's most remembered for his “Do you believe in miracles?” call on ABC when the U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the former Soviet Union in 1980.

In addition to the lifetime achievement kudos, Michaels' trip to New York will include English toffee donated by the Uniquely Sweet store on Route 120 in Grayslake. The shop's toffee will be among the products in 800 swag bags distributed to Sports Emmy participants.

Uniquely Sweet owner Linda Scholz, manager Erin Miller and a cast of friends and business associates have been busy assembling the treats that are expected to arrive in New York by Friday.

“We're very excited,” Scholz said during a break from the fast-paced production Monday.

Scholz said an email from New Hampshire-based Off the Wall Gifts requesting the 800 bags of Uniquely Sweet's toffee arrived April 20. She said she was told someone had tipped the company about the high quality of her toffee.

Off the Wall assembles gift bags for the various Emmy programs staged by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

After confirming the legitimacy of the request for 800 free bags of toffee, Scholz said she consulted a friend who has provided gratis cookies for an awards show's swag. She concluded the potential benefits outweigh the expense.

Scholz, who also owns Something's Brewing in Grayslake, said the toffee will be in gold metallic bags with drawstrings and a card with Uniquely Sweet's story, so it stands out among the other products the sports celebrities will receive before the May 2 show.

“So far, we're really happy about the bag we found,” said Scholz, who is handling her first celebrity candy requests.

In June, Scholz plans to ship 1,450 free bags of English toffee that'll be among the swag given to participants in the 37th annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards.

“Our English toffee is the tried and true,” she said.

Scholz said one benefit from the deal is permission to use the Emmy logo in promotional efforts for Uniquely Sweet's toffee.