Ray’s Candy Store: Serving the Works Since 1974

In July 2011, after a decades-long process, proprietor Ray, whose real name is Asghar Ghahraman, became a naturalized U.S. citizen at a ceremony held at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan. Years earlier, he had jumped ship from the Iranian Navy, but anxiety about his status as an illegal immigrant led him to adopt a new identity in his new home — as a Puerto Rican named Ray Alvarez.