Brooks was inducted into the NCSA Candy Hall of Fame in 2008. He acknowledges that what he learned from his father and co-founder had the most significant influence on his career, and he remains dedicated to continuing the Adams & Brooks tradition of producing distinctive, unique, quality candy.
Two of his three children, Cynthia Brooks Hoban and John Jr., are active in the family business, serving as vice presidents at the company.
Although Candy Industry’s 65th annual Kettle Award reception was held at a new venue this year -- the prestigious Union League Club of Chicago -- the recipient proved to be an industry veteran familiar to nearly everyone: John Brooks, Sr., president of Los Angeles-based Adams & Brooks, Inc.
More than 200 guests waited in anticipation as Kettle Committee Chairman Chuck Phelan opened the envelope before revealing the news. The room burst into applause as Phelan read the words, “And the recipient of this year’s Kettle Award is John Brooks, Sr. of Adams & Brooks.”
Brooks’ curriculum vitae, while steeped in confectionery, did have one out-of-candy experience. After graduating from the University of Southern California with a masters of science in biology, Brooks opted to work as a bio-technician with Northrop Space Laboratories. But the allure of participating in the family business, which was founded by his father and partner, Paul Adams, in 1932, brought Brooks back to confectionery three years later.
