2nd of January was the feast day of St Macarius who is the patron saint of confectioners. I found the explanation on Nicholas V’s blog, so I quote:
The reason St Macarius is the patron saint of cooks, confectioners and pastry chefs is because he was a successful merchant in fruits, candies and pastries in Alexandria, Egypt. He was born in the 4th century in Alexandria and died about 401 BC. When he converted to Christianity he gave up his business to be a monk and lived as a hermit. After several years, he was ordained among other monks practicing severe austerities.
Nicholas also published a recipe for panforte di Siena, so if you have a sweet tooth and a soft spot for Italy, head over to his blog and try to cook this Italian sweetmeat.
There is a website dedicated to each day of the year, so it tells more stories about St Macarius.