Nearly 20 employees have begun working at Candlelight Curated, and hiring continues at the new company formed after the former Candlelight Cabinetry was purchased, according to Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. 

Jon Ebel, chief operating officer of Candlelight Curated Inc., told the newspaper that the company expects to operate at full production in several weeks.

"We're bringing people on as we can utilize them," he said. "We're assessing all the processes and ordering cycles to see where we put people in place. We're trying to be very methodical about this. We have to be good custodians of the money."

Ebel said the new company has hired managers who can get production lines running and fill other positions.

"We have a pretty good pool of applicants," Ebel said.

In May, the newly formed management group, Candlelight Curated Inc., acquired the operating assets of the former Candlelight Cabinetry facility, according to according to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The facility, located at 24 Michigan Street, went into foreclosure following sudden financial distress under its previous management, which led to a complete manufacturing shutdown and whole staff layoffs.

A joint partnership between three local investors — Aaron Santarosa, Peter Demakos and Jon Ebel — and Quebec-based manufacturer Cuisine Idéale will invest $11 million to modernize the site, immediately restoring 100 skilled manufacturing jobs that were lost during a sudden shutdown in January 2026.

The historic plant previously employed roughly 170 people before ongoing operational and lender disputes forced operations to halt, stranding unfulfilled vendor orders. Candlelight Curated Inc. acquired the factory’s operating assets via a Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) foreclosure sale and is mobilizing an immediate restart.