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"title": "The True History of Irish Coffee and Its San Francisco Origins",
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"content": "\u003cp>When Sara Russell was a kid, her mom would bring her to \u003ca href=\"http://www.thebuenavista.com/home/home.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Buena Vista Cafe\u003c/a> across from Aquatic Park and regale her with stories of the bar’s history and its famous Irish coffees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Her and her friends would take the Hyde Street cable car, because back then [in the 1960s] it was a local thing, and she’d come here and get an Irish coffee,” said Russell. The small bar was a glamorous place filled with true stories and tall tales. As an adult, Russell has come back here on dates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And I was always told that the Irish coffee was invented here, in this place, in San Francisco,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, she wants to know if that story is totally accurate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Was Irish coffee invented in San Francisco?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a regular day, the Buena Vista serves around 2,000 Irish coffees—up to 2,500 on a busy weekend day, said Lea Hausherr, who has been a waitress there for 14 years and is the informal historian of the place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we watched, the bartender lined up hot glasses all the way down the bar, filling each with hot water. After pouring the water out, he replaced it with two sugar cubes and topped that with hot coffee, which the bar goes through so quickly that it always stays fresh. Then the bartender stirred up every glass, “like Bob Marley,” he added. As he stirred, he splashed a little bit of the drinks out here and there, to make sure each cup looked the same all down the bar. Irish whiskey, always Tullamore Dew, was next and then cold heavy cream spooned on top.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003cbr>\nAnd there you have it: the famous Irish coffee, reportedly invented right here in this bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11628105\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview.jpeg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11628105\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview.jpeg 2048w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-1180x786.jpeg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-960x640.jpeg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-240x160.jpeg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-375x250.jpeg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-520x347.jpeg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The coffee is poured over sugar cubes in a line of glasses. \u003ccite>(Kelly O'Mara/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Russell, Bay Curious host Olivia Allen-Price and I all sipped our Irish coffees, Hausherr told us the legendary tale of the drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was not originated in San Francisco. But it was introduced first in San Francisco to America,” she said, right here at the Buena Vista 65 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Myth, The Man, The Story\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“It was 1952, it was a dark and stormy night, Nov. 10 to be exact,” said Hausherr. “The owner of the Buena Vista at the time, his name was Jack Koeppler, he was behind the bar.” Sitting at the bar was the popular San Francisco Chronicle travel writer of the time, Stanton Delaplane, who had written many columns about this amazing drink he’d had at the Foynes airport in Ireland: Gaelic coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Click on the images to read Delaplane’s “Postcards from Shannon” in the Chronicle.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4174223-dela07081954-71506BCCF710EBA11-15062D6742A5E3F0.html\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11628126\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM.png 698w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM-160x248.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM-240x373.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM-375x582.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM-520x808.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That night, the two of them set about trying to replicate the drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They tried it, they tried different glasses, they tried different whiskeys, they tried everything they could think of,” said Hausherr, “but the cream kept falling down to the bottom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually, Koeppler became so obsessed with perfecting the Irish coffee that he even flew to the original source: the Foynes Flying Boat terminal, which later closed and was replaced by the nearby Shannon airport. It was at the Foynes terminal that cook Joe Sheridan reportedly invented the drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that brings us to the other half of the story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4174222-Dela-03171954-5068FC0214862A1-15062D936DAFB5EC.html\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11628144\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"359\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM.png 750w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM-160x230.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM-240x345.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM-375x539.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM-520x747.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.flyingboatmuseum.com/irish-coffee-center/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Foynes Flying Boat Museum\u003c/a> and the story Hausherr passed on, the drink was invented on another dark and stormy night a decade earlier in 1943. A Pan Am flight headed to New York was forced to turn back in the bad weather. When it pulled into the Foynes terminal, the cold and tired passengers disembarked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They wanted to warm up the Yanks,” said Hausherr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sheridan was a cook at the time, and whipped up the perfect drink to keep the Yanks warm and awake: coffee with Irish whiskey and a little extra sugar and cream for the American palate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is this, asked one of the passengers, Brazilian coffee? No, he said, it’s Irish coffee!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was Sheridan who Buena Vista owner, Jack Koeppler, visited 10 years later looking for help making his own authentic version to bring to San Francisco. Sheridan aided the project and even came over to San Francisco, though it’s unclear if he worked at the Buena Vista. Either way, Sheridan stuck around, and when he died, he was buried in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSC5JunFpc\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The final recipe Koeppler settled on used aged cream from the San Francisco mayor at the time, who also ran a dairy. To fluff up the cream and help it float, Koeppler added more sugar and a healthy dose of heavy whipping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We now have what they came up with in 1952. It’s been the exact same recipe all this time,” said Hausherr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or so the story goes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Another Take\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“That’s the most widely accepted version,” said Eric Felten, author of “How’s Your Drink?” and a former drink columnist for the Wall Street Journal. But Felten has two problems with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, Felten is not sure that Joe Sheridan really invented the drink to warm up passengers at an airport one night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s possible the drink was actually invented in 1940 or so at a pub called the Dolphin in Dublin,” said Felten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousbug]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is based on an account from a Harvard professor of Irish Studies, and on the argument that the cream and sugar were more reasonably added to disguise the taste of coffee during World War II than to warm up passengers one night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However it started, the drink likely spread quickly to the airport (or it’s even possible that Sheridan had the drink, or a similar one, while living nearby in Dublin and drew his inspiration from it). Ultimately, though, it was from the airport that Irish coffee went out into the wider world, as travelers like Delaplane brought back word of a special kind of coffee mixed with whiskey, sugar and cream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other hiccup in the Buena Vista’s tale, though, is that Delaplane isn’t the only traveler who brought word back to the U.S. There’s historical evidence that Irish coffee made its appearance in New York four years before that fateful night at the Buena Vista.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11628139\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM.png\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11628139\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-800x1070.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"669\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-800x1070.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-160x214.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-240x321.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-375x502.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-520x696.png 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM.png 894w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An ad in the Chronicle in 1956 for the Buena Vista’s Irish coffee. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The first instance I can find of the Irish coffee coming to the U.S. is the food critic for the New York Herald Tribune, named Clementine Paddleford. For her St. Patrick’s Day column in 1948, she talks up the Irish coffee and she gives the recipe. It’s clearly the Irish coffee we know,” said Felten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Felten does note that it wasn’t in New York that the drink really gained popularity or caught on. “It is the case that it’s in San Francisco that the Irish coffee really became a sensation,” he said, “thanks to Stanton Delaplane.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And thanks to the heavy marketing by the Buena Vista, like this ad they ran in the 1950s, the drink gained popularity. Felten was also impressed with how the cafe has maintained that recipe over the years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was in San Francisco and went to the Buena Vista to have an Irish coffee, and I was extremely pleased with how good a drink they were making,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11628172\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1549px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled.png\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11628172\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1549\" height=\"1350\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled.png 1549w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-160x139.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-800x697.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-1020x889.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-1180x1028.png 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-960x837.png 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-240x209.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-375x327.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-520x453.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1549px) 100vw, 1549px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Question-asker Sara Russell with her Irish coffee and her bartender at the Buena Vista. \u003ccite>(Kelly O'Mara/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Cheers!\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A confession: Our Bay Curious host, Olivia, had never had an Irish coffee before she was enlisted to drink many of them — for the sake of investigative reporting. She’s now a convert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s amazing,” she said, after sipping her first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Creamy, yummy, silky, good,” agreed Russell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And what did our question-asker think about the nearly true story of its origins? “I think it tastes great and it doesn’t matter what the story is. I was just curious,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cheers to that!\u003cbr>\n____\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>\u003cstrong>Make your own Irish coffee with this recipe:\u003c/strong>\u003c/h4>\n\u003col class=\"expanded\">\n\u003cli>Fill glass with hot water to heat it up, then dump out the water.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Drop in two cocktail sugar cubes.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Pour hot coffee over the sugar cubes, to fill about 3/4 of the glass.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stir until the sugar is dissolved and mixed.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Add Irish whiskey with a bit of room left in the glass.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Spoon heavy, cold cream on top.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When Sara Russell was a kid, her mom would bring her to \u003ca href=\"http://www.thebuenavista.com/home/home.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Buena Vista Cafe\u003c/a> across from Aquatic Park and regale her with stories of the bar’s history and its famous Irish coffees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Her and her friends would take the Hyde Street cable car, because back then [in the 1960s] it was a local thing, and she’d come here and get an Irish coffee,” said Russell. The small bar was a glamorous place filled with true stories and tall tales. As an adult, Russell has come back here on dates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And I was always told that the Irish coffee was invented here, in this place, in San Francisco,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, she wants to know if that story is totally accurate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Was Irish coffee invented in San Francisco?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a regular day, the Buena Vista serves around 2,000 Irish coffees—up to 2,500 on a busy weekend day, said Lea Hausherr, who has been a waitress there for 14 years and is the informal historian of the place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we watched, the bartender lined up hot glasses all the way down the bar, filling each with hot water. After pouring the water out, he replaced it with two sugar cubes and topped that with hot coffee, which the bar goes through so quickly that it always stays fresh. Then the bartender stirred up every glass, “like Bob Marley,” he added. As he stirred, he splashed a little bit of the drinks out here and there, to make sure each cup looked the same all down the bar. Irish whiskey, always Tullamore Dew, was next and then cold heavy cream spooned on top.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\nAnd there you have it: the famous Irish coffee, reportedly invented right here in this bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11628105\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview.jpeg\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11628105\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview.jpeg 2048w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-1180x786.jpeg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-960x640.jpeg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-240x160.jpeg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-375x250.jpeg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/0M6A0113_preview-520x347.jpeg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The coffee is poured over sugar cubes in a line of glasses. \u003ccite>(Kelly O'Mara/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Russell, Bay Curious host Olivia Allen-Price and I all sipped our Irish coffees, Hausherr told us the legendary tale of the drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was not originated in San Francisco. But it was introduced first in San Francisco to America,” she said, right here at the Buena Vista 65 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The Myth, The Man, The Story\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“It was 1952, it was a dark and stormy night, Nov. 10 to be exact,” said Hausherr. “The owner of the Buena Vista at the time, his name was Jack Koeppler, he was behind the bar.” Sitting at the bar was the popular San Francisco Chronicle travel writer of the time, Stanton Delaplane, who had written many columns about this amazing drink he’d had at the Foynes airport in Ireland: Gaelic coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Click on the images to read Delaplane’s “Postcards from Shannon” in the Chronicle.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4174223-dela07081954-71506BCCF710EBA11-15062D6742A5E3F0.html\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11628126\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM.png 698w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM-160x248.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM-240x373.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM-375x582.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.55-PM-520x808.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That night, the two of them set about trying to replicate the drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They tried it, they tried different glasses, they tried different whiskeys, they tried everything they could think of,” said Hausherr, “but the cream kept falling down to the bottom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually, Koeppler became so obsessed with perfecting the Irish coffee that he even flew to the original source: the Foynes Flying Boat terminal, which later closed and was replaced by the nearby Shannon airport. It was at the Foynes terminal that cook Joe Sheridan reportedly invented the drink.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that brings us to the other half of the story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4174222-Dela-03171954-5068FC0214862A1-15062D936DAFB5EC.html\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11628144\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"359\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM.png 750w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM-160x230.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM-240x345.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM-375x539.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.18.38-PM-520x747.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.flyingboatmuseum.com/irish-coffee-center/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Foynes Flying Boat Museum\u003c/a> and the story Hausherr passed on, the drink was invented on another dark and stormy night a decade earlier in 1943. A Pan Am flight headed to New York was forced to turn back in the bad weather. When it pulled into the Foynes terminal, the cold and tired passengers disembarked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They wanted to warm up the Yanks,” said Hausherr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sheridan was a cook at the time, and whipped up the perfect drink to keep the Yanks warm and awake: coffee with Irish whiskey and a little extra sugar and cream for the American palate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is this, asked one of the passengers, Brazilian coffee? No, he said, it’s Irish coffee!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was Sheridan who Buena Vista owner, Jack Koeppler, visited 10 years later looking for help making his own authentic version to bring to San Francisco. Sheridan aided the project and even came over to San Francisco, though it’s unclear if he worked at the Buena Vista. Either way, Sheridan stuck around, and when he died, he was buried in Oakland.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/QOSC5JunFpc'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/QOSC5JunFpc'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The final recipe Koeppler settled on used aged cream from the San Francisco mayor at the time, who also ran a dairy. To fluff up the cream and help it float, Koeppler added more sugar and a healthy dose of heavy whipping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We now have what they came up with in 1952. It’s been the exact same recipe all this time,” said Hausherr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or so the story goes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Another Take\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“That’s the most widely accepted version,” said Eric Felten, author of “How’s Your Drink?” and a former drink columnist for the Wall Street Journal. But Felten has two problems with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, Felten is not sure that Joe Sheridan really invented the drink to warm up passengers at an airport one night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s possible the drink was actually invented in 1940 or so at a pub called the Dolphin in Dublin,” said Felten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n What do you wonder about the Bay Area, its culture or people that you want KQED to investigate?\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Ask Bay Curious.\u003c/a>\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is based on an account from a Harvard professor of Irish Studies, and on the argument that the cream and sugar were more reasonably added to disguise the taste of coffee during World War II than to warm up passengers one night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However it started, the drink likely spread quickly to the airport (or it’s even possible that Sheridan had the drink, or a similar one, while living nearby in Dublin and drew his inspiration from it). Ultimately, though, it was from the airport that Irish coffee went out into the wider world, as travelers like Delaplane brought back word of a special kind of coffee mixed with whiskey, sugar and cream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other hiccup in the Buena Vista’s tale, though, is that Delaplane isn’t the only traveler who brought word back to the U.S. There’s historical evidence that Irish coffee made its appearance in New York four years before that fateful night at the Buena Vista.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11628139\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM.png\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11628139\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-800x1070.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"669\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-800x1070.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-160x214.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-240x321.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-375x502.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM-520x696.png 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-03-at-4.27.48-PM.png 894w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An ad in the Chronicle in 1956 for the Buena Vista’s Irish coffee. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The first instance I can find of the Irish coffee coming to the U.S. is the food critic for the New York Herald Tribune, named Clementine Paddleford. For her St. Patrick’s Day column in 1948, she talks up the Irish coffee and she gives the recipe. It’s clearly the Irish coffee we know,” said Felten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Felten does note that it wasn’t in New York that the drink really gained popularity or caught on. “It is the case that it’s in San Francisco that the Irish coffee really became a sensation,” he said, “thanks to Stanton Delaplane.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And thanks to the heavy marketing by the Buena Vista, like this ad they ran in the 1950s, the drink gained popularity. Felten was also impressed with how the cafe has maintained that recipe over the years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was in San Francisco and went to the Buena Vista to have an Irish coffee, and I was extremely pleased with how good a drink they were making,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11628172\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1549px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled.png\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11628172\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1549\" height=\"1350\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled.png 1549w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-160x139.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-800x697.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-1020x889.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-1180x1028.png 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-960x837.png 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-240x209.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-375x327.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2017/11/Untitled-520x453.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1549px) 100vw, 1549px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Question-asker Sara Russell with her Irish coffee and her bartender at the Buena Vista. \u003ccite>(Kelly O'Mara/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Cheers!\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A confession: Our Bay Curious host, Olivia, had never had an Irish coffee before she was enlisted to drink many of them — for the sake of investigative reporting. She’s now a convert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s amazing,” she said, after sipping her first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Creamy, yummy, silky, good,” agreed Russell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And what did our question-asker think about the nearly true story of its origins? “I think it tastes great and it doesn’t matter what the story is. I was just curious,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cheers to that!\u003cbr>\n____\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>\u003cstrong>Make your own Irish coffee with this recipe:\u003c/strong>\u003c/h4>\n\u003col class=\"expanded\">\n\u003cli>Fill glass with hot water to heat it up, then dump out the water.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Drop in two cocktail sugar cubes.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Pour hot coffee over the sugar cubes, to fill about 3/4 of the glass.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stir until the sugar is dissolved and mixed.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Add Irish whiskey with a bit of room left in the glass.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Spoon heavy, cold cream on top.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Bay Area Foodie Culture Goes Way Further Back Than California Cuisine",
"headTitle": "Bay Area Foodie Culture Goes Way Further Back Than California Cuisine | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>You might know the Bay Area for its foodie culture — trendy restaurants, fresh produce and incredible ethnic diversity. But the Bay Area’s culinary history goes further back than the California cuisine it’s known for. The Bay Area is also the birthplace of iconic food and drinks like the fortune cookie, rocky road ice cream, even the tropical Mai Tai. Here are 11 appetizing stories about foods born and popularized right here in the Bay Area to inspire your next culinary adventure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11759000\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11759000\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/Trader-Vics-Mai-Tai-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/Trader-Vics-Mai-Tai-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/Trader-Vics-Mai-Tai-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/Trader-Vics-Mai-Tai-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/Trader-Vics-Mai-Tai.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mai Tai may have a tropical sounding name, but it’s origins are right here in the Bay Area. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Trader Vics.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11755932/an-island-drink-with-california-roots-the-mai-tai-turns-75\">1. Yes, Your ‘Tropical’ Mai Tai Was Invented Here in Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Picture this: You’re sitting on the beach, sand between your toes, sunglasses on. What else could complete the picture? How about a Mai Tai? Many people associate this delicious rum drink with the tropics, but it was actually invented in the East Bay. The first stop on our quest to learn more is Trader Vic’s in Emeryville, known as the “Home of the Original Mai Tai.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11817540\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 774px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11817540\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Rice-A-Roni.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"774\" height=\"608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Rice-A-Roni.jpg 774w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Rice-A-Roni-160x126.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rice-A-Roni is a common household item with a surprising San Francisco origin story. \u003ccite>(Boereck 13:27, 25 September 2006 (UTC) / CC BY-SA )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11816328/birth-of-rice-a-roni-the-armenian-italian-treat\">2. How Rice-A-Roni Became ‘The San Francisco Treat’\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>A Canadian immigrant, an Italian pasta maker and a survivor of the Armenian genocide shared an apartment in San Francisco for four months in 1946, and out of that Rice-A-Roni was born. Originally produced by the Kitchen Sisters in 2008, this story got the KQED treatment when Bay Curious adapted it for a recent episode. Together they tell the multicultural origin story behind “the San Francisco treat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11819960\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11819960\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/IMG_2432-800x600-800x502.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"502\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/IMG_2432-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/IMG_2432-800x600-160x100.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The beloved Dutch crunch roll, made at Semifreddi’s Bakery in Alameda. \u003ccite>(Amanda Font/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11761468/dutch-crunch-a-bay-area-favorite-but-not-a-bay-area-original\">3. Dutch Crunch: A Bay Area Favorite, But Not a Bay Area Original\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When you’re ordering a sandwich in the Bay Area, Dutch crunch is a standard bread choice. But get about 10 miles outside the Bay Area and that crunchy, slightly sweet bread option disappears. That’s made many sandwich lovers wonder: What makes Dutch crunch a Bay Area thing? Why can’t you find it anywhere else? We’ve got answers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11743210\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11743210\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies-800x527.jpg\" alt=\"A worker makes fortune cookies at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco in 2012.\" width=\"800\" height=\"527\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies-800x527.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies-1020x672.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies-1200x791.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A worker makes fortune cookies at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco in 2012. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11742748/unwrapping-the-california-origins-of-the-fortune-cookie\">4. Unwrapping the Bay Area Origins of the Fortune Cookie\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>What comes with the check at almost every Chinese restaurant? Fortune cookies. Like orange slices after a blood draw or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11731290/how-bill-grahams-nazi-escape-might-explain-his-fillmore-apples\">apples at San Francisco’s Fillmore music venue\u003c/a>, they’re a given. But how did they come to be? Are they really Chinese? And if so, why do they serve them at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11729451\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11729451\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Pisco punch\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the late 1800s, Pisco Punch wasn’t just a drink. Ordering a glass was a status symbol. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11720617/pisco-punch-the-pricey-san-francisco-cocktail-that-was-a-gold-rush-knock-out\">5. Pisco Punch: The Pricey San Francisco Cocktail That Was a Gold Rush Knockout\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Pisco is a distilled, fermented grape juice from Peru with extreme potency. But many, many years before the 1940s — when pisco sours became popular — San Francisco was gripped by a craze for another pisco concoction. Pisco punch was the “it” drink of the Gold Rush era. A mysterious ingredient may be what makes it so good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11780479\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11780479\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Rocky road ice cream in an edible waffle bowl\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230-1200x803.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rocky road was among the first flavors to incorporate “mix ins.” \u003ccite>(MSPhotographic/iStock)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11780468/how-rocky-road-ice-cream-got-its-start-in-oakland\">6. How Rocky Road Ice Cream Got Its Start in Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s hard to imagine in this era of salted caramel and matcha tea, but there was a time when the American ice cream palate was limited to chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. The invention of rocky road in the 1920s changed the ice cream game with “mix-ins.” Nearly a century later, there’s still a dispute over who originally created the recipe for rocky road ice cream: \u003ca href=\"https://www.fentonscreamery.com/\">Fentons Creamery\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.dreyers.com/\">Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream\u003c/a>. The one certain thing is that the flavor was invented in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11715656\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11715656\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-800x536.jpg\" alt=\"The origins of the martini all lead back to the Bay Area.\" width=\"800\" height=\"536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-800x536.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-1200x803.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-1920x1285.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The origins of the martini all lead back to the Bay Area. \u003ccite>(\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/wickenden/4703024901/in/photolist-8aAese-iFWUV-8UE9PJ-8BnqPE-4U7wZH-csVP5A-7RQf5C-5TswLM-jqnT6H-E8wzP-21s3hf5-jh9jz-9TQDYy-p1oiop-7mxZUV-5u8QGw-XskH43-5u8PQw-d7yZRU-4F987B-aECPpW-ev2wfx-YJmW34-snJas-bKnLsa-7NYXfX-62vNwx-7JSTjP-d7PP1G-hpFam-eokRxH-d7PPRA-e439CB-5ypL2x-4smsHz-fAzZDv-76Qshu-8aAg8t-EQwA-ciRpXh-z9jE2-8Ld5v5-u8zhY-d7PPq9-byQZcm-4BBEuS-7Zk7FB-oxYjb-AfFzb-d7PMNj\">Don LaVange\u003c/a>/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11703167/golden-state-plate-the-story-of-the-martini-straight-up-with-a-twist\">7. The Story of the Martini, Straight Up, With a Twist\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The martini is iconic. Not just because it is James Bond’s drink of choice, but also because of the martini glass. That V-shaped glass has made its way onto neon signs in front of old-school bars and even has its own emoji. The city of Martinez, in the northeast corner of the Bay Area, lays claim to the drink. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofmartinez.org/our_city/martini.asp\">city’s official website\u003c/a> details the martini’s origin, and there’s a plaque downtown commemorating the \u003ca href=\"http://www.martinezchamber.com/martinis-on-the-plaza-gala\">annual Martini’s on the Plaza Gala\u003c/a>. But, there’s actually a controversy about where — and who — really invented the martini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11691773\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11691773\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Palace Signature Salad comes with crab and Green Goddess Dressing on the side. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11698960/the-san-francisco-origins-of-green-goddess-dressing\">8. The San Francisco Origins of Green Goddess Dressing\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Palace Hotel in downtown San Francisco is the birthplace of several famous California recipes, including green goddess dressing. The story goes that the dressing was inspired by George Arliss, lead actor of the 1920s play, “The Green Goddess.” While he was staying at the Palace Hotel for a performance, head chef Phillip Roemer created the special dressing to be served on the starter salad — and the rest is history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11769092\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11769092\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/0M6A0150_preview-1180x786-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/0M6A0150_preview-1180x786-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/0M6A0150_preview-1180x786-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/0M6A0150_preview-1180x786-1020x679.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/0M6A0150_preview-1180x786.jpeg 1180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Irish coffee at the Buena Vista. \u003ccite>(Kelly O'Mara/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11621844/the-true-history-of-irish-coffee-and-its-san-francisco-origins\">9. The True History of Irish Coffee and Its San Francisco Origins\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Word on the street is that Irish Coffee was invented at Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco. On a regular day, Buena Vista serves around 2,000 Irish coffees — up to 2,500 on a busy weekend day. But how could Irish coffee have been invented in San Francisco? Well, it wasn’t. But it was popularized here, and the whole history is fascinating and delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11819982\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11819982\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/4945590922_813a0a546c_o-800x531-800x531.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"531\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/4945590922_813a0a546c_o-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/4945590922_813a0a546c_o-800x531-160x106.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Boudin Bakery says their decades-old starter is the key to the bread’s flavor. \u003ccite>(Rachel Hathaway/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11401794/what-makes-san-francisco-sourdough-unique\">10. What Makes San Francisco Sourdough Unique?\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If bagels are a New York thing, sourdough is definitely a San Francisco thing. But what exactly makes our sourdough stand out? Well, it turns out that this is as much a science question as it is about the history and local mythology of our “authentic” local sourdough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11819954\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11819954\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/ItsITcleaner-1440x917-800x509.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"509\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/ItsITcleaner-1440x917-800x509.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/ItsITcleaner-1440x917-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/ItsITcleaner-1440x917-1020x650.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/ItsITcleaner-1440x917.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Its-It has been in the Bay Area for nearly a century. \u003ccite>(Olivia Allen-Price/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10710678/its-it-the-san-francisco-treat-that-sparked-a-cult-following\">11. It’s-It! The San Francisco Treat That Sparked a Cult Following\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If you’re not from San Francisco, you may not know It’s-It. This delightful ice cream sandwich is an old-school San Francisco treat. It’s been with the city through devastating earthquakes, three World Series wins, and weathered not one, but two tech booms. Since its amusement park beginnings nearly a century ago, the dessert has endured multiple owners. In the 1970s, the original formula and name were sold to an immigrant with an eye on the American Dream: Mr. Charles Shamieh. He didn’t quite stick to the recipe — he made it his own — but the concept, the name, the title it had earned, that bit of original San Francisco, is still tucked between those cookie walls.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3 id=\"playlist\">Learn more by listening to these Bay Curious food episodes\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5bEt60TfspXuw7jih8AESI\" width=\"800\" height=\"380\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allow=\"encrypted-media\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>You might know the Bay Area for its foodie culture — trendy restaurants, fresh produce and incredible ethnic diversity. But the Bay Area’s culinary history goes further back than the California cuisine it’s known for. The Bay Area is also the birthplace of iconic food and drinks like the fortune cookie, rocky road ice cream, even the tropical Mai Tai. Here are 11 appetizing stories about foods born and popularized right here in the Bay Area to inspire your next culinary adventure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11759000\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11759000\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/Trader-Vics-Mai-Tai-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/Trader-Vics-Mai-Tai-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/Trader-Vics-Mai-Tai-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/Trader-Vics-Mai-Tai-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/07/Trader-Vics-Mai-Tai.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mai Tai may have a tropical sounding name, but it’s origins are right here in the Bay Area. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Trader Vics.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11755932/an-island-drink-with-california-roots-the-mai-tai-turns-75\">1. Yes, Your ‘Tropical’ Mai Tai Was Invented Here in Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Picture this: You’re sitting on the beach, sand between your toes, sunglasses on. What else could complete the picture? How about a Mai Tai? Many people associate this delicious rum drink with the tropics, but it was actually invented in the East Bay. The first stop on our quest to learn more is Trader Vic’s in Emeryville, known as the “Home of the Original Mai Tai.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11817540\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 774px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11817540\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Rice-A-Roni.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"774\" height=\"608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Rice-A-Roni.jpg 774w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/Rice-A-Roni-160x126.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rice-A-Roni is a common household item with a surprising San Francisco origin story. \u003ccite>(Boereck 13:27, 25 September 2006 (UTC) / CC BY-SA )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11816328/birth-of-rice-a-roni-the-armenian-italian-treat\">2. How Rice-A-Roni Became ‘The San Francisco Treat’\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>A Canadian immigrant, an Italian pasta maker and a survivor of the Armenian genocide shared an apartment in San Francisco for four months in 1946, and out of that Rice-A-Roni was born. Originally produced by the Kitchen Sisters in 2008, this story got the KQED treatment when Bay Curious adapted it for a recent episode. Together they tell the multicultural origin story behind “the San Francisco treat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11819960\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11819960\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/IMG_2432-800x600-800x502.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"502\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/IMG_2432-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/IMG_2432-800x600-160x100.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The beloved Dutch crunch roll, made at Semifreddi’s Bakery in Alameda. \u003ccite>(Amanda Font/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11761468/dutch-crunch-a-bay-area-favorite-but-not-a-bay-area-original\">3. Dutch Crunch: A Bay Area Favorite, But Not a Bay Area Original\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When you’re ordering a sandwich in the Bay Area, Dutch crunch is a standard bread choice. But get about 10 miles outside the Bay Area and that crunchy, slightly sweet bread option disappears. That’s made many sandwich lovers wonder: What makes Dutch crunch a Bay Area thing? Why can’t you find it anywhere else? We’ve got answers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11743210\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11743210\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies-800x527.jpg\" alt=\"A worker makes fortune cookies at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco in 2012.\" width=\"800\" height=\"527\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies-800x527.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies-1020x672.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies-1200x791.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/Making-Fortune-Cookies.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A worker makes fortune cookies at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco in 2012. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11742748/unwrapping-the-california-origins-of-the-fortune-cookie\">4. Unwrapping the Bay Area Origins of the Fortune Cookie\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>What comes with the check at almost every Chinese restaurant? Fortune cookies. Like orange slices after a blood draw or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11731290/how-bill-grahams-nazi-escape-might-explain-his-fillmore-apples\">apples at San Francisco’s Fillmore music venue\u003c/a>, they’re a given. But how did they come to be? Are they really Chinese? And if so, why do they serve them at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11729451\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11729451\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Pisco punch\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS34810_DSC_1228-qut-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the late 1800s, Pisco Punch wasn’t just a drink. Ordering a glass was a status symbol. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11720617/pisco-punch-the-pricey-san-francisco-cocktail-that-was-a-gold-rush-knock-out\">5. Pisco Punch: The Pricey San Francisco Cocktail That Was a Gold Rush Knockout\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Pisco is a distilled, fermented grape juice from Peru with extreme potency. But many, many years before the 1940s — when pisco sours became popular — San Francisco was gripped by a craze for another pisco concoction. Pisco punch was the “it” drink of the Gold Rush era. A mysterious ingredient may be what makes it so good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11780479\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11780479\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230-800x535.jpg\" alt=\"Rocky road ice cream in an edible waffle bowl\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230-800x535.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230-1200x803.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/10/iStock-119689230.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rocky road was among the first flavors to incorporate “mix ins.” \u003ccite>(MSPhotographic/iStock)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11780468/how-rocky-road-ice-cream-got-its-start-in-oakland\">6. How Rocky Road Ice Cream Got Its Start in Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s hard to imagine in this era of salted caramel and matcha tea, but there was a time when the American ice cream palate was limited to chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. The invention of rocky road in the 1920s changed the ice cream game with “mix-ins.” Nearly a century later, there’s still a dispute over who originally created the recipe for rocky road ice cream: \u003ca href=\"https://www.fentonscreamery.com/\">Fentons Creamery\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.dreyers.com/\">Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream\u003c/a>. The one certain thing is that the flavor was invented in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11715656\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11715656\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-800x536.jpg\" alt=\"The origins of the martini all lead back to the Bay Area.\" width=\"800\" height=\"536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-800x536.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-1020x683.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-1200x803.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/4703024901_fd4ecf3ee9_o-1920x1285.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The origins of the martini all lead back to the Bay Area. \u003ccite>(\u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/wickenden/4703024901/in/photolist-8aAese-iFWUV-8UE9PJ-8BnqPE-4U7wZH-csVP5A-7RQf5C-5TswLM-jqnT6H-E8wzP-21s3hf5-jh9jz-9TQDYy-p1oiop-7mxZUV-5u8QGw-XskH43-5u8PQw-d7yZRU-4F987B-aECPpW-ev2wfx-YJmW34-snJas-bKnLsa-7NYXfX-62vNwx-7JSTjP-d7PP1G-hpFam-eokRxH-d7PPRA-e439CB-5ypL2x-4smsHz-fAzZDv-76Qshu-8aAg8t-EQwA-ciRpXh-z9jE2-8Ld5v5-u8zhY-d7PPq9-byQZcm-4BBEuS-7Zk7FB-oxYjb-AfFzb-d7PMNj\">Don LaVange\u003c/a>/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11703167/golden-state-plate-the-story-of-the-martini-straight-up-with-a-twist\">7. The Story of the Martini, Straight Up, With a Twist\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The martini is iconic. Not just because it is James Bond’s drink of choice, but also because of the martini glass. That V-shaped glass has made its way onto neon signs in front of old-school bars and even has its own emoji. The city of Martinez, in the northeast corner of the Bay Area, lays claim to the drink. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.cityofmartinez.org/our_city/martini.asp\">city’s official website\u003c/a> details the martini’s origin, and there’s a plaque downtown commemorating the \u003ca href=\"http://www.martinezchamber.com/martinis-on-the-plaza-gala\">annual Martini’s on the Plaza Gala\u003c/a>. But, there’s actually a controversy about where — and who — really invented the martini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11691773\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11691773\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS32615_93004DA1-C92F-48DF-8742-F5D599410B79-qut-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Palace Signature Salad comes with crab and Green Goddess Dressing on the side. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11698960/the-san-francisco-origins-of-green-goddess-dressing\">8. The San Francisco Origins of Green Goddess Dressing\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Palace Hotel in downtown San Francisco is the birthplace of several famous California recipes, including green goddess dressing. The story goes that the dressing was inspired by George Arliss, lead actor of the 1920s play, “The Green Goddess.” While he was staying at the Palace Hotel for a performance, head chef Phillip Roemer created the special dressing to be served on the starter salad — and the rest is history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11769092\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11769092\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/0M6A0150_preview-1180x786-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/0M6A0150_preview-1180x786-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/0M6A0150_preview-1180x786-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/0M6A0150_preview-1180x786-1020x679.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/08/0M6A0150_preview-1180x786.jpeg 1180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Irish coffee at the Buena Vista. \u003ccite>(Kelly O'Mara/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11621844/the-true-history-of-irish-coffee-and-its-san-francisco-origins\">9. The True History of Irish Coffee and Its San Francisco Origins\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Word on the street is that Irish Coffee was invented at Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco. On a regular day, Buena Vista serves around 2,000 Irish coffees — up to 2,500 on a busy weekend day. But how could Irish coffee have been invented in San Francisco? Well, it wasn’t. But it was popularized here, and the whole history is fascinating and delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11819982\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11819982\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/4945590922_813a0a546c_o-800x531-800x531.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"531\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/4945590922_813a0a546c_o-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/4945590922_813a0a546c_o-800x531-160x106.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Boudin Bakery says their decades-old starter is the key to the bread’s flavor. \u003ccite>(Rachel Hathaway/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11401794/what-makes-san-francisco-sourdough-unique\">10. What Makes San Francisco Sourdough Unique?\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If bagels are a New York thing, sourdough is definitely a San Francisco thing. But what exactly makes our sourdough stand out? Well, it turns out that this is as much a science question as it is about the history and local mythology of our “authentic” local sourdough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11819954\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11819954\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/ItsITcleaner-1440x917-800x509.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"509\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/ItsITcleaner-1440x917-800x509.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/ItsITcleaner-1440x917-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/ItsITcleaner-1440x917-1020x650.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/05/ItsITcleaner-1440x917.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Its-It has been in the Bay Area for nearly a century. \u003ccite>(Olivia Allen-Price/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10710678/its-it-the-san-francisco-treat-that-sparked-a-cult-following\">11. It’s-It! The San Francisco Treat That Sparked a Cult Following\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If you’re not from San Francisco, you may not know It’s-It. This delightful ice cream sandwich is an old-school San Francisco treat. It’s been with the city through devastating earthquakes, three World Series wins, and weathered not one, but two tech booms. Since its amusement park beginnings nearly a century ago, the dessert has endured multiple owners. In the 1970s, the original formula and name were sold to an immigrant with an eye on the American Dream: Mr. Charles Shamieh. He didn’t quite stick to the recipe — he made it his own — but the concept, the name, the title it had earned, that bit of original San Francisco, is still tucked between those cookie walls.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3 id=\"playlist\">Learn more by listening to these Bay Curious food episodes\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5bEt60TfspXuw7jih8AESI\" width=\"800\" height=\"380\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allow=\"encrypted-media\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Golden State Plate: Sriracha’s Journey From Southeast Asia to Southern California",
"headTitle": "Golden State Plate: Sriracha’s Journey From Southeast Asia to Southern California | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545?mt=2\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Listen to this and more in-depth storytelling by subscribing to The California Report Magazine podcast.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sriracha is everywhere. It’s used to spice up anything from chips and chocolate bars to burgers. Just about every fast food chain has a Sriracha-infused menu option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how did this sauce go from niche condiment to a beloved mainstream staple?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story begins with a Vietnamese refugee who found a home — and just the right peppers — in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Tran is the founder and CEO of Huy Fong Foods, the multi-million dollar company that makes Sriracha. The clear bottle filled with fiery red paste has itself become iconic, with a bright green top and a white rooster on the label. The rooster is there because Tran was born in 1945, and his Zodiac sign is the rooster. It’s also why Sriracha is sometimes referred to as “cock sauce” — and yes, they sell t-shirts with that name on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran got his start in Vietnam, when his brother gave him a chili field. He started making and selling a hot sauce called Pepper Sa-te in 1975. It’s based on a Thai chili sauce named for the coastal town of Si Racha. Tran sold the sauce in glass baby food jars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796236\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796236\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to Huy Fong Foods in Irwindale, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The factory has allowed guided tours since the company was accused of sickening nearby residents with its spicy odors. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They used to sell them actually on bikes. And actually my husband was one of the guys, the boys that helped him sell it to the markets over there. Because in Vietnam everybody makes their own hot sauce,” explained Donna Lam. She’s David Tran’s sister-in-law and the company’s executive operations officer. Many of the company’s officials are related to Tran.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Tien Nguyen, food writer\"]‘He sourced these really fresh peppers. He processed them and they were on your table. That has become the definition of California cuisine. And I really think that he has helped develop this idea of what it means to cook and eat locally and seasonally.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran is ethnically Chinese and was a major in the South Vietnamese army, which made him a target of the Communist regime in Vietnam following the Vietnam War. He fled the country on a Taiwanese freighter called the Huey Fong, which means “gathering prosperity” and inspired the name of his company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran sailed to the U.S., arriving first in Boston, but the cold winters and lack of fresh peppers drove him west. He moved to Los Angeles in 1979 and established his business in Chinatown, delivering the product himself in a blue Chevy van.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is the farmer state. They have a lot of produce. So I start a business in California. Seems like the right choice,” Tran explained matter-of-factly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make Sriracha, Tran uses red jalapeños. They’re no different from green jalapeños, except they’re left on the vine to mature, so they become spicier and sweeter. That’s how Tran made chili sauce back in Vietnam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In Asia, in China, chili must be red, not green. From beginning we using red, we’re not using green pepper,” Tran explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796307\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11796307 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The waiting room at Huy Fong Foods includes giant inflatable Sriracha bottles and cardboard cutouts of company founder David Tran. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Because he insisted on using freshly-picked peppers, food writer Tien Nguyen says Tran is quintessentially Californian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of this California Food Revolution stuff that was happening in the 1970s, where chefs were sourcing locally and seasonally, or trying to source locally and seasonally, he was doing it,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He sourced these really fresh peppers. He processed them and they were on your table. That has become the definition of California cuisine. And I really think that he has helped develop this idea of what it means to cook and eat locally and seasonally,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796315\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11796315 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A variety of t-shirts are for sale at the Huy Fong gift shop. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So why has the sauce become such a hit? Maybe the sweetness and spiciness played well with the American palate. Maybe it was the exotic look of the rooster logo. Or maybe, according to Huy Fong COO Donna Lam, because it’s cheap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“David’s philosophy is to make a rich man’s sauce at a poor man’s price and everybody can get it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lam has another theory though. It’s the feel-good origin story of Sriracha. Tran came to America with nothing and launched a business that makes an estimated $80 million a year — and he happily poses for photos with tour groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just like a guy in a glass office somewhere that’s unapproachable, he’s a very approachable guy,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen has a different theory: as Vietnamese and Thai food became more popular, chefs and foodies sought out Sriracha as well, and eventually, supermarkets started stocking it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For 28 years, Huy Fong got peppers exclusively from Underwood Ranches in Ventura County. But the partnership fell apart in 2016 over allegations of an overpayment and breach of contract. Dueling lawsuits ended this summer when a jury in Ventura County awarded the grower $23.3 million. Huy Fong plans to fight the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the lawsuit with Underwood Ranches, Huy Fong has had to look elsewhere for fresh jalapeños. It now gets its peppers from farms in California, New Mexico and Mexico. The phrase “made in California” was taken off the label.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag=\"golden-state-plate\" label=\"related coverage\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that wasn’t Huy Fong’s first legal battle. Its factory is in Irwindale, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. In 2013, the city filed suit because some neighbors complained about headaches and itchy eyes caused by odors from the plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The local resident, they complain that we make the hot sauce and the spicy, toxic gas make them sick,” Tran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company countersued, and Tran considered moving the company to Texas. Eventually the suit was dropped, the company installed new filters to reduce the smell and the feared “srirachapocalypse” was averted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around that time, Tran’s sauce became a full-blown pop culture phenomenon, with Sriracha flavored everything popping up. Suddenly, there were Sriracha cookbooks, a documentary, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abf7TueHs1k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hip hop shoutouts\u003c/a> and a Sriracha-themed food festival in Los Angeles. Merriam-Webster even added “Sriracha” to its dictionary in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the lawsuits over the odors were dropped, Tran — like a modern-day Willy Wonka — opened his factory for public tours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And now we keep open because a lot of people interesting to see how we make it. After they take a tour, they trust my product,” Tran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796323\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796323\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Huy Fong employee inspects bottles on the assembly line. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A recent tour began in a waiting room with walls covered in pictures of Sriracha fans from around the world. There are cardboard cutouts of Tran and the Sriracha bottle. There’s even a picture of astronauts in a space shuttle posing with a bottle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huy Fong employee Andrea Castillo led the tour group by trolley to the manufacturing facility. The group climbed up a flight of stairs to look down on a conveyor belt. Bright blue fifty-five gallon barrels slid past while workers in white uniforms looked on. The barrels were filled with a mixture of ground chilis, garlic, salt and vinegar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the tour of the factory I noticed a few of the employees wearing Huy Fong t-shirts. On the back of the shirts it read “No Tear Gas Made Here,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 2013 lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Castillo showed the group how the clear plastic bottles were molded, then filled with the bright red paste, labeled, boxed and placed on pallets to be shipped around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796325\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796325\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Huy Fong workers inspect the barrels of Sriracha before the paste is bottled, packaged and shipped to distributors. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So does Tran have a vision for the future? He says he has no plans to sell the company or take on investors, and the company doesn’t spend a dime on advertising. Because Tran named his sauce for the Thai city, he can’t trademark the name, which means there are plenty of copycats. There are no new products in the works, aside from Sriracha and two less-popular sauces, Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All he wants to do, he says, is make what his customers want, and that’s Sriracha.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545?mt=2\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Listen to this and more in-depth storytelling by subscribing to The California Report Magazine podcast.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sriracha is everywhere. It’s used to spice up anything from chips and chocolate bars to burgers. Just about every fast food chain has a Sriracha-infused menu option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how did this sauce go from niche condiment to a beloved mainstream staple?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story begins with a Vietnamese refugee who found a home — and just the right peppers — in Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Tran is the founder and CEO of Huy Fong Foods, the multi-million dollar company that makes Sriracha. The clear bottle filled with fiery red paste has itself become iconic, with a bright green top and a white rooster on the label. The rooster is there because Tran was born in 1945, and his Zodiac sign is the rooster. It’s also why Sriracha is sometimes referred to as “cock sauce” — and yes, they sell t-shirts with that name on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran got his start in Vietnam, when his brother gave him a chili field. He started making and selling a hot sauce called Pepper Sa-te in 1975. It’s based on a Thai chili sauce named for the coastal town of Si Racha. Tran sold the sauce in glass baby food jars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796236\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796236\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40735_IMG_8233-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to Huy Fong Foods in Irwindale, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The factory has allowed guided tours since the company was accused of sickening nearby residents with its spicy odors. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They used to sell them actually on bikes. And actually my husband was one of the guys, the boys that helped him sell it to the markets over there. Because in Vietnam everybody makes their own hot sauce,” explained Donna Lam. She’s David Tran’s sister-in-law and the company’s executive operations officer. Many of the company’s officials are related to Tran.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘He sourced these really fresh peppers. He processed them and they were on your table. That has become the definition of California cuisine. And I really think that he has helped develop this idea of what it means to cook and eat locally and seasonally.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran is ethnically Chinese and was a major in the South Vietnamese army, which made him a target of the Communist regime in Vietnam following the Vietnam War. He fled the country on a Taiwanese freighter called the Huey Fong, which means “gathering prosperity” and inspired the name of his company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tran sailed to the U.S., arriving first in Boston, but the cold winters and lack of fresh peppers drove him west. He moved to Los Angeles in 1979 and established his business in Chinatown, delivering the product himself in a blue Chevy van.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is the farmer state. They have a lot of produce. So I start a business in California. Seems like the right choice,” Tran explained matter-of-factly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make Sriracha, Tran uses red jalapeños. They’re no different from green jalapeños, except they’re left on the vine to mature, so they become spicier and sweeter. That’s how Tran made chili sauce back in Vietnam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In Asia, in China, chili must be red, not green. From beginning we using red, we’re not using green pepper,” Tran explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796307\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11796307 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40738_IMG_8241-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The waiting room at Huy Fong Foods includes giant inflatable Sriracha bottles and cardboard cutouts of company founder David Tran. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Because he insisted on using freshly-picked peppers, food writer Tien Nguyen says Tran is quintessentially Californian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of this California Food Revolution stuff that was happening in the 1970s, where chefs were sourcing locally and seasonally, or trying to source locally and seasonally, he was doing it,” Nguyen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He sourced these really fresh peppers. He processed them and they were on your table. That has become the definition of California cuisine. And I really think that he has helped develop this idea of what it means to cook and eat locally and seasonally,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796315\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11796315 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40739_IMG_8346-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A variety of t-shirts are for sale at the Huy Fong gift shop. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So why has the sauce become such a hit? Maybe the sweetness and spiciness played well with the American palate. Maybe it was the exotic look of the rooster logo. Or maybe, according to Huy Fong COO Donna Lam, because it’s cheap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“David’s philosophy is to make a rich man’s sauce at a poor man’s price and everybody can get it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lam has another theory though. It’s the feel-good origin story of Sriracha. Tran came to America with nothing and launched a business that makes an estimated $80 million a year — and he happily poses for photos with tour groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just like a guy in a glass office somewhere that’s unapproachable, he’s a very approachable guy,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nguyen has a different theory: as Vietnamese and Thai food became more popular, chefs and foodies sought out Sriracha as well, and eventually, supermarkets started stocking it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For 28 years, Huy Fong got peppers exclusively from Underwood Ranches in Ventura County. But the partnership fell apart in 2016 over allegations of an overpayment and breach of contract. Dueling lawsuits ended this summer when a jury in Ventura County awarded the grower $23.3 million. Huy Fong plans to fight the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the lawsuit with Underwood Ranches, Huy Fong has had to look elsewhere for fresh jalapeños. It now gets its peppers from farms in California, New Mexico and Mexico. The phrase “made in California” was taken off the label.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that wasn’t Huy Fong’s first legal battle. Its factory is in Irwindale, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. In 2013, the city filed suit because some neighbors complained about headaches and itchy eyes caused by odors from the plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The local resident, they complain that we make the hot sauce and the spicy, toxic gas make them sick,” Tran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company countersued, and Tran considered moving the company to Texas. Eventually the suit was dropped, the company installed new filters to reduce the smell and the feared “srirachapocalypse” was averted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around that time, Tran’s sauce became a full-blown pop culture phenomenon, with Sriracha flavored everything popping up. Suddenly, there were Sriracha cookbooks, a documentary, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abf7TueHs1k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hip hop shoutouts\u003c/a> and a Sriracha-themed food festival in Los Angeles. Merriam-Webster even added “Sriracha” to its dictionary in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the lawsuits over the odors were dropped, Tran — like a modern-day Willy Wonka — opened his factory for public tours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And now we keep open because a lot of people interesting to see how we make it. After they take a tour, they trust my product,” Tran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796323\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796323\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40741_IMG_8284-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Huy Fong employee inspects bottles on the assembly line. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A recent tour began in a waiting room with walls covered in pictures of Sriracha fans from around the world. There are cardboard cutouts of Tran and the Sriracha bottle. There’s even a picture of astronauts in a space shuttle posing with a bottle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huy Fong employee Andrea Castillo led the tour group by trolley to the manufacturing facility. The group climbed up a flight of stairs to look down on a conveyor belt. Bright blue fifty-five gallon barrels slid past while workers in white uniforms looked on. The barrels were filled with a mixture of ground chilis, garlic, salt and vinegar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the tour of the factory I noticed a few of the employees wearing Huy Fong t-shirts. On the back of the shirts it read “No Tear Gas Made Here,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 2013 lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Castillo showed the group how the clear plastic bottles were molded, then filled with the bright red paste, labeled, boxed and placed on pallets to be shipped around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11796325\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11796325\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/01/RS40742_IMG_8320-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Huy Fong workers inspect the barrels of Sriracha before the paste is bottled, packaged and shipped to distributors. \u003ccite>(Avishay Artsy/KQED News)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So does Tran have a vision for the future? He says he has no plans to sell the company or take on investors, and the company doesn’t spend a dime on advertising. Because Tran named his sauce for the Thai city, he can’t trademark the name, which means there are plenty of copycats. There are no new products in the works, aside from Sriracha and two less-popular sauces, Chili Garlic and Sambal Oelek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All he wants to do, he says, is make what his customers want, and that’s Sriracha.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Golden State Plate: Rocky Road Ice Cream's Bumpy History",
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"headTitle": "Golden State Plate: Rocky Road Ice Cream’s Bumpy History | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s hard to imagine in this era of salted caramel and matcha tea, but there was a time when the American ice cream palate was limited to chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. The invention of Rocky Road in the 1920s changed the ice cream game with “mix-ins”: adding the bumpy texture of nuts, and the soft, pillowy chew of marshmallows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though nearly a century has passed since Rocky Road was invented, it is still beloved and immortalized by the likes of “Weird Al” Yankovic:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beTsDOBRs8I\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s still a dispute over just who thought up the recipe for Rocky Road ice cream: \u003ca href=\"https://www.fentonscreamery.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fenton’s Creamery \u003c/a>or \u003ca href=\"https://www.dreyers.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream\u003c/a>. The one certain thing is that the flavor was invented in Oakland, California.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>An Antidote to the Great Depression\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775012\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"Tour guide Lauren Herpich, of Local Food Adventures, holds up historical photos as she gives an ice cream tour of Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood. \" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11775012\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-1122x1496.jpg 1122w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-840x1120.jpg 840w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-687x916.jpg 687w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-414x552.jpg 414w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-354x472.jpg 354w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tour guide Lauren Herpich, of Local Food Adventures, holds up historical photos as she gives an ice cream tour of Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Local Food Adventures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“So the real story goes: there was a man named William Dreyer. He was a German immigrant. He loved making ice cream and so he made it out of a candy shop,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.localfoodadventures.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Local Tour Adventures\u003c/a> guide Lauren Herpich, whom I joined for an \u003ca href=\"https://www.localfoodadventures.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ice cream tour\u003c/a> of College Avenue — a tiny shopping district running through North Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The street is home to the original headquarters of Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, which was founded in 1928.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A year after its opening, the American stock market crashed. Shantytowns consequently developed along Oakland’s waterfront.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So William Dreyer decides ‘what I want to do is make a new ice cream flavor that puts a smile on people’s faces during this rocky road of life. Aha!’” Herpich exclaimed to the tour group as she handed out little cups of Rocky Road for us to sample.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Rocky Road becomes America’s first blockbuster ice cream flavor after chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. So really, we can say thanks to Mr. Dreyer for starting the whole idea of new ice cream flavors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is the official \u003ca href=\"https://www.nestle.com/aboutus/history/nestle-company-history/dreyers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">story\u003c/a> from Dreyer’s, too, and William Dreyer — working with candy maker Joseph Edy — came up with the slogan “Share a scoop, share a smile.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775330\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 572px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11775330\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39241_dreyers-vintage-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"572\" height=\"276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39241_dreyers-vintage-qut.jpg 572w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39241_dreyers-vintage-qut-160x77.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 572px) 100vw, 572px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rocky Road is still one of the most popular ice cream flavors in the U.S. \u003ccite>(Used with permission by Nestle. NESTLÉ® and Dreyer's are registered trademarks of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dreyer apparently figured out how to cut up the marshmallows with his wife’s sewing shears and folded them into chocolate ice cream. The story is repeated by John Harrison, the guy who invented Cookies ‘N Cream ice cream and some 75 other new flavors for Dreyer’s starting in the 1980s. Harrison used to sample flavors with a gold spoon, and his taste buds were famously insured for a million dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RWcqJ4LHM8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[It was] the first time marshmallow was ever used in ice cream,” Harrison told an interviewer in 2011. He was also part of an\u003ca href=\"http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/projects/dreyers/index.html\"> oral history project\u003c/a> with UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library, documenting the long history of Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But the only marshmallow that was available in 1929 was the large fireside marshmallow that their wives used to cut up, bite-size. You can’t put a whole. Wouldn’t work,” Harrison explained, making gummy chewing sounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harrison said William Dreyer adapted a popular candy of the period, made with marshmallows and walnuts — using almonds instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775368\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 572px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11775368\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39242_dreyers-truck-vintage-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"572\" height=\"276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39242_dreyers-truck-vintage-qut.jpg 572w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39242_dreyers-truck-vintage-qut-160x77.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 572px) 100vw, 572px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Early Dreyer’s ice cream trucks operated with huge blocks of ice to keep the Rocky Road cool. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nestle. (NESTLÉ® and Dreyer's are registered trademarks of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland.))\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The candy and ice cream industry has been interwoven since day one,” Harrison said. “Originally, it was walnuts, but it didn’t have that bite, that crispness, that freshness, lasting. It’s too porous. It absorbs and gets soggy. “\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dreyer’s has expanded well beyond Oakland since. It was bought by Nestle in 2002 and its ice cream is stocked in nearly every supermarket freezer (either as Dreyer’s or Edy’s on the East Coast.) Nestlé continues to market the brand and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nestle.com/aboutus/history/nestle-company-history/dreyers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">claim\u003c/a> that Dreyer invented Rocky Road.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Walnuts vs. Almonds\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775091\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11775091\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-536x402.jpg 536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Fenton’s Rocky Road sundae. Fenton’s Creamery has not done much to advertise its claim to Rocky Road, although it does mention it on the menu. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just down the road from where Dreyer’s got its start in Oakland, there’s another much smaller ice cream company that also claims to have invented Rocky Road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775053\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11775053\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914-800x1060.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914-800x1060.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914-160x212.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914-1020x1351.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914-906x1200.jpg 906w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fenton’s owner and Master Blender Scott Whidden showing off a new batch of Rocky Road with longtime Fenton’s ice cream maker Alfredo Macias. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At Fenton’s Creamery, owner and master blender Scott Whidden holds a tub under a spigot churning out fresh chocolate ice cream. He puts in fistfuls of nuts and marshmallows that he scoops from plastic tubs. He, however, adds walnuts instead of almonds — just like the original candy bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m looking for equal parts [in each bite],” explained Whidden over the whirring ice cream machine. “If you have a marshmallow, I want you to have maybe one or two of the walnuts,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whidden said small-batch and handmade is the way Fenton’s has made its ice cream since the 1920s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That, he said, is when Melvin Fenton — grandson of the original owner — came up with the idea for Rocky Road. There’s a picture of him in the parlor, where dozens of families are sitting in red vinyl booths enjoying giant sundaes in old-fashioned glass dishes. In the photo, Melvin Fenton is loading fresh cream off of a tiny airplane that he flew as an amateur pilot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Melvin was like the black sheep of the family,” said Whidden. More like a wildcat and an inventor who could see beyond the trifecta of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775078\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11775078\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut-800x529.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut-800x529.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut-1020x674.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut-1200x793.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut.jpg 1298w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Melvin Fenton loading fresh cream off an airplane into a delivery truck. Fenton’s claims that Melvin invented Rocky Road. Photo Courtesy Fenton’s Creamery. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Fenton's Ice Cream)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“He’s a visionary,” said Whidden. “Forward-thinking guy. And he goes, ‘Whoa. Mix-ins!’ So the thought process on it was, we’re into the depression, it’s bad times. Smooth ice cream, and then there’s these bumps, it gets rocky.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That sounds familiar: Rocky Road, the bumpy road of life during the Depression. Chocolate, marshmallows, nuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>An Ice Cream Expert Weighs In \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775079\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 303px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11775079 \" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"303\" height=\"404\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-1122x1496.jpg 1122w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-840x1120.jpg 840w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-687x916.jpg 687w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-414x552.jpg 414w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-354x472.jpg 354w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 303px) 100vw, 303px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amy Ettinger says Rocky Road was the flavor of her childhood. Here she is at Fenton’s Creamery enjoying a sundae. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>These days, Rocky Road is still one of Fenton’s top-selling flavors. They serve it up in giant scoops and decadent sundaes. When I visited Fenton’s, \u003ca href=\"http://amyettinger.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amy Ettinger \u003c/a>and I ordered sundaes with whipped cream and cherries —gleefully fishing for the walnuts and marshmallows. Ettinger is an ice cream historian, the author of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11593783/vanilla-chocolate-strawberry-and-oyster-a-year-of-ice-cream\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sweet Spot, An Ice Cream Binge Across America\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very common in ice cream history to have these kinds of disputes,” said Ettinger. “The 1904 World’s Fair was when the ice cream cone was invented and six different vendors claimed that they were the ones who invented it. Unless you have a time machine, or you know you were actually the inventor, there’s no way really to tell.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ettinger said Rocky Road is the flavor of her childhood. But not this Rocky Road: the Dreyer’s with the almonds you can buy at the grocery store. She said she feels a little sheepish saying that, because it’s kind of a David and Goliath story: the mom and pop parlor versus what is today a multinational giant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s very interesting is Fenton’s is a very beloved Bay Area institution,” said Ettinger. “But it is not well known outside of the Bay Area. So regardless of who actually invented it, Dreyer’s is hands down the marketer of Rocky Road. They built their brand on the invention and the marketing of Rocky Road. Just because the other company is the one that got the word out about it, doesn’t mean that Fenton’s didn’t invent it. There’s no way for us to know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775082\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11775082\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fenton’s is known for its decadent sundaes, including those made with Rocky Road. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There are other theories too:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag='golden-state-plate' label='Our Golden State Plate series']\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Fenton’s original candy maker, George Farren, was friends with Dreyer and so perhaps he shared his idea for a Rocky Road ice cream based on the candy with both ice cream companies. It’s unclear whether the original candy bar popular in the 1920s was called Rocky Road. There’s still a Rocky Road candy bar today, invented in San Francisco in the 1950s, that uses cashews. It’s all a bit nutty!\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Fenton’s owner Scott Whidden claimed Dreyer’s just stole the credit, even though they knew Fenton’s had invented it. Whidden said Dreyer’s former president Ken Cook, who ran Dreyer’s from 1963-1977, was his mentor. The one who actually encouraged him to buy Fenton’s and admitted to him that Fenton’s actually invented Rocky Road. Cook passed away in 1991, so there’s no way to verify that claim, although the online publication Quartzy tried to \u003ca href=\"https://qz.com/quartzy/1376713/who-invented-rocky-road-ice-cream-its-complicated/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">track it down\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Then there’s the even more radical theory that, in fact, Rocky Road was born in Topeka, Kansas. There is a recipe in a candy cookbook printed there that predates either Fenton’s or Dreyer’s. It calls for honey whip instead of marshmallows.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775080\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11775080\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-17-at-1.21.14-PM-800x624.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"624\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-17-at-1.21.14-PM-800x624.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-17-at-1.21.14-PM-160x125.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-17-at-1.21.14-PM.png 982w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rigby’s Reliable Candy Teacher (this edition published 1920 in Topeka, Kansas) includes a recipe for Rocky Road that predates either Fenton’s or Dreyer’s.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ice cream expert Amy Ettinger said this theory doesn’t count. Rocky Road definitely came from Oakland. And who cares who invented it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day I don’t know that it matters,” said Ettinger. I mean, if both places are creating really good scoops of Rocky Road ice cream now, and they both have their little twist on it. How important is it who the original inventor was?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The historical dispute between two California ice cream makers over who invented one of America's most popular flavors. ",
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"title": "Golden State Plate: Rocky Road Ice Cream's Bumpy History | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s hard to imagine in this era of salted caramel and matcha tea, but there was a time when the American ice cream palate was limited to chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. The invention of Rocky Road in the 1920s changed the ice cream game with “mix-ins”: adding the bumpy texture of nuts, and the soft, pillowy chew of marshmallows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though nearly a century has passed since Rocky Road was invented, it is still beloved and immortalized by the likes of “Weird Al” Yankovic:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/beTsDOBRs8I'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/beTsDOBRs8I'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>But there’s still a dispute over just who thought up the recipe for Rocky Road ice cream: \u003ca href=\"https://www.fentonscreamery.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fenton’s Creamery \u003c/a>or \u003ca href=\"https://www.dreyers.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream\u003c/a>. The one certain thing is that the flavor was invented in Oakland, California.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>An Antidote to the Great Depression\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775012\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"Tour guide Lauren Herpich, of Local Food Adventures, holds up historical photos as she gives an ice cream tour of Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood. \" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11775012\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-1122x1496.jpg 1122w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-840x1120.jpg 840w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-687x916.jpg 687w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-414x552.jpg 414w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336-354x472.jpg 354w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39102_LocalFoodAdventures_TL2018-30-qut-e1569096415336.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tour guide Lauren Herpich, of Local Food Adventures, holds up historical photos as she gives an ice cream tour of Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Local Food Adventures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“So the real story goes: there was a man named William Dreyer. He was a German immigrant. He loved making ice cream and so he made it out of a candy shop,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.localfoodadventures.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Local Tour Adventures\u003c/a> guide Lauren Herpich, whom I joined for an \u003ca href=\"https://www.localfoodadventures.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ice cream tour\u003c/a> of College Avenue — a tiny shopping district running through North Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The street is home to the original headquarters of Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, which was founded in 1928.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A year after its opening, the American stock market crashed. Shantytowns consequently developed along Oakland’s waterfront.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So William Dreyer decides ‘what I want to do is make a new ice cream flavor that puts a smile on people’s faces during this rocky road of life. Aha!’” Herpich exclaimed to the tour group as she handed out little cups of Rocky Road for us to sample.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Rocky Road becomes America’s first blockbuster ice cream flavor after chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. So really, we can say thanks to Mr. Dreyer for starting the whole idea of new ice cream flavors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is the official \u003ca href=\"https://www.nestle.com/aboutus/history/nestle-company-history/dreyers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">story\u003c/a> from Dreyer’s, too, and William Dreyer — working with candy maker Joseph Edy — came up with the slogan “Share a scoop, share a smile.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775330\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 572px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11775330\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39241_dreyers-vintage-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"572\" height=\"276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39241_dreyers-vintage-qut.jpg 572w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39241_dreyers-vintage-qut-160x77.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 572px) 100vw, 572px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rocky Road is still one of the most popular ice cream flavors in the U.S. \u003ccite>(Used with permission by Nestle. NESTLÉ® and Dreyer's are registered trademarks of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dreyer apparently figured out how to cut up the marshmallows with his wife’s sewing shears and folded them into chocolate ice cream. The story is repeated by John Harrison, the guy who invented Cookies ‘N Cream ice cream and some 75 other new flavors for Dreyer’s starting in the 1980s. Harrison used to sample flavors with a gold spoon, and his taste buds were famously insured for a million dollars.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/_RWcqJ4LHM8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/_RWcqJ4LHM8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>“[It was] the first time marshmallow was ever used in ice cream,” Harrison told an interviewer in 2011. He was also part of an\u003ca href=\"http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/projects/dreyers/index.html\"> oral history project\u003c/a> with UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library, documenting the long history of Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But the only marshmallow that was available in 1929 was the large fireside marshmallow that their wives used to cut up, bite-size. You can’t put a whole. Wouldn’t work,” Harrison explained, making gummy chewing sounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harrison said William Dreyer adapted a popular candy of the period, made with marshmallows and walnuts — using almonds instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775368\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 572px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11775368\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39242_dreyers-truck-vintage-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"572\" height=\"276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39242_dreyers-truck-vintage-qut.jpg 572w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39242_dreyers-truck-vintage-qut-160x77.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 572px) 100vw, 572px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Early Dreyer’s ice cream trucks operated with huge blocks of ice to keep the Rocky Road cool. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nestle. (NESTLÉ® and Dreyer's are registered trademarks of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland.))\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The candy and ice cream industry has been interwoven since day one,” Harrison said. “Originally, it was walnuts, but it didn’t have that bite, that crispness, that freshness, lasting. It’s too porous. It absorbs and gets soggy. “\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dreyer’s has expanded well beyond Oakland since. It was bought by Nestle in 2002 and its ice cream is stocked in nearly every supermarket freezer (either as Dreyer’s or Edy’s on the East Coast.) Nestlé continues to market the brand and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nestle.com/aboutus/history/nestle-company-history/dreyers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">claim\u003c/a> that Dreyer invented Rocky Road.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Walnuts vs. Almonds\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775091\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11775091\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2-536x402.jpg 536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/rocky-road-w-menu-2.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Fenton’s Rocky Road sundae. Fenton’s Creamery has not done much to advertise its claim to Rocky Road, although it does mention it on the menu. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just down the road from where Dreyer’s got its start in Oakland, there’s another much smaller ice cream company that also claims to have invented Rocky Road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775053\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11775053\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914-800x1060.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914-800x1060.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914-160x212.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914-1020x1351.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914-906x1200.jpg 906w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39118_best-of-whidden-and-RR-qut-1-e1569096311914.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fenton’s owner and Master Blender Scott Whidden showing off a new batch of Rocky Road with longtime Fenton’s ice cream maker Alfredo Macias. \u003ccite>(Sasha Khokha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At Fenton’s Creamery, owner and master blender Scott Whidden holds a tub under a spigot churning out fresh chocolate ice cream. He puts in fistfuls of nuts and marshmallows that he scoops from plastic tubs. He, however, adds walnuts instead of almonds — just like the original candy bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m looking for equal parts [in each bite],” explained Whidden over the whirring ice cream machine. “If you have a marshmallow, I want you to have maybe one or two of the walnuts,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whidden said small-batch and handmade is the way Fenton’s has made its ice cream since the 1920s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That, he said, is when Melvin Fenton — grandson of the original owner — came up with the idea for Rocky Road. There’s a picture of him in the parlor, where dozens of families are sitting in red vinyl booths enjoying giant sundaes in old-fashioned glass dishes. In the photo, Melvin Fenton is loading fresh cream off of a tiny airplane that he flew as an amateur pilot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Melvin was like the black sheep of the family,” said Whidden. More like a wildcat and an inventor who could see beyond the trifecta of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775078\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11775078\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut-800x529.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut-800x529.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut-1020x674.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut-1200x793.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39105_MELVIN_AIRPLANE_DIVCO-qut.jpg 1298w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Melvin Fenton loading fresh cream off an airplane into a delivery truck. Fenton’s claims that Melvin invented Rocky Road. Photo Courtesy Fenton’s Creamery. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Fenton's Ice Cream)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“He’s a visionary,” said Whidden. “Forward-thinking guy. And he goes, ‘Whoa. Mix-ins!’ So the thought process on it was, we’re into the depression, it’s bad times. Smooth ice cream, and then there’s these bumps, it gets rocky.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That sounds familiar: Rocky Road, the bumpy road of life during the Depression. Chocolate, marshmallows, nuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>An Ice Cream Expert Weighs In \u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775079\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 303px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11775079 \" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"303\" height=\"404\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-1122x1496.jpg 1122w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-840x1120.jpg 840w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-687x916.jpg 687w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-414x552.jpg 414w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603-354x472.jpg 354w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39095_Amy-Ettinger-qut-e1568841953603.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 303px) 100vw, 303px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amy Ettinger says Rocky Road was the flavor of her childhood. Here she is at Fenton’s Creamery enjoying a sundae. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>These days, Rocky Road is still one of Fenton’s top-selling flavors. They serve it up in giant scoops and decadent sundaes. When I visited Fenton’s, \u003ca href=\"http://amyettinger.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amy Ettinger \u003c/a>and I ordered sundaes with whipped cream and cherries —gleefully fishing for the walnuts and marshmallows. Ettinger is an ice cream historian, the author of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11593783/vanilla-chocolate-strawberry-and-oyster-a-year-of-ice-cream\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sweet Spot, An Ice Cream Binge Across America\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very common in ice cream history to have these kinds of disputes,” said Ettinger. “The 1904 World’s Fair was when the ice cream cone was invented and six different vendors claimed that they were the ones who invented it. Unless you have a time machine, or you know you were actually the inventor, there’s no way really to tell.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ettinger said Rocky Road is the flavor of her childhood. But not this Rocky Road: the Dreyer’s with the almonds you can buy at the grocery store. She said she feels a little sheepish saying that, because it’s kind of a David and Goliath story: the mom and pop parlor versus what is today a multinational giant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What’s very interesting is Fenton’s is a very beloved Bay Area institution,” said Ettinger. “But it is not well known outside of the Bay Area. So regardless of who actually invented it, Dreyer’s is hands down the marketer of Rocky Road. They built their brand on the invention and the marketing of Rocky Road. Just because the other company is the one that got the word out about it, doesn’t mean that Fenton’s didn’t invent it. There’s no way for us to know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775082\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11775082\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/RS39090_sundae-beauty-pageant-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fenton’s is known for its decadent sundaes, including those made with Rocky Road. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There are other theories too:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Fenton’s original candy maker, George Farren, was friends with Dreyer and so perhaps he shared his idea for a Rocky Road ice cream based on the candy with both ice cream companies. It’s unclear whether the original candy bar popular in the 1920s was called Rocky Road. There’s still a Rocky Road candy bar today, invented in San Francisco in the 1950s, that uses cashews. It’s all a bit nutty!\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Fenton’s owner Scott Whidden claimed Dreyer’s just stole the credit, even though they knew Fenton’s had invented it. Whidden said Dreyer’s former president Ken Cook, who ran Dreyer’s from 1963-1977, was his mentor. The one who actually encouraged him to buy Fenton’s and admitted to him that Fenton’s actually invented Rocky Road. Cook passed away in 1991, so there’s no way to verify that claim, although the online publication Quartzy tried to \u003ca href=\"https://qz.com/quartzy/1376713/who-invented-rocky-road-ice-cream-its-complicated/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">track it down\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Then there’s the even more radical theory that, in fact, Rocky Road was born in Topeka, Kansas. There is a recipe in a candy cookbook printed there that predates either Fenton’s or Dreyer’s. It calls for honey whip instead of marshmallows.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11775080\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11775080\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-17-at-1.21.14-PM-800x624.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"624\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-17-at-1.21.14-PM-800x624.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-17-at-1.21.14-PM-160x125.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-17-at-1.21.14-PM.png 982w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rigby’s Reliable Candy Teacher (this edition published 1920 in Topeka, Kansas) includes a recipe for Rocky Road that predates either Fenton’s or Dreyer’s.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ice cream expert Amy Ettinger said this theory doesn’t count. Rocky Road definitely came from Oakland. And who cares who invented it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day I don’t know that it matters,” said Ettinger. I mean, if both places are creating really good scoops of Rocky Road ice cream now, and they both have their little twist on it. How important is it who the original inventor was?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This week we’re dishing up some of our favorite stories from our \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/series/golden-state-plate/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Golden State Plate series\u003c/a>, which explores the backstory behind some iconic California-born food and drinks.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545?mt=2\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Listen to these and more in-depth storytelling by subscribing to The California Report Magazine podcast.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11720617/pisco-punch-the-pricey-san-francisco-cocktail-that-was-a-gold-rush-knock-out\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Pisco Punch: The Pricey San Francisco Cocktail That Was a Gold Rush Knockout\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re a cocktail drinker, you’ve probably tasted a few Pisco Sours in your time. The pale foamy drink is made with Pisco - a highly potent Peruvian brandy. The first recipe for the Pisco Sour came from Peru, back in the 1940s. But many years before that, 19th century San Francisco was gripped by a craze for another Pisco concoction that maybe should have come with a health warning. KQED's Carly Severn takes us back to the time of the Gold Rush.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11732648/flamin-hot-cheetos-the-humble-beginnings-of-a-junk-food\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Flamin’ Hot Cheetos: The Humble Beginnings of a Junk Food\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These days, some folks can’t seem to get enough of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. This spicy, California-born snack has a devoted following. Bianca Taylor tells us more about the person who invented them. Richard Montañez worked as a janitor at a Frito-Lay factory for nearly two decades before he came up with his concoction. He had grown up picking grapes, living on a farm for migrant workers near Rancho Cucamonga with his 10 siblings.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11742748/unwrapping-the-california-origins-of-the-fortune-cookie\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Unwrapping the California Origins of the Fortune Cookie\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>What comes with the check at almost every Chinese restaurant? Fortune cookies. Like orange slices after a blood draw or apples at San Francisco’s Fillmore, they're a given. But how did they come to be? Are they really Chinese? And if so, why do they serve them at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park? The California Report’s Suzie Racho unravels a mystery.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11720665/what-makes-your-salad-taste-like-california-hidden-valley-ranch\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">What Makes Your Salad Taste Like California? Hidden Valley Ranch\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This “Golden State Plate” story is about something as ubiquitous as ketchup and mustard: ranch dressing. It’s everywhere, and it’s a California concoction. As Peter Gilstrap tells us, the place that gave the creamy buttermilk dressing its name was a real ranch on the Central Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This week we’re dishing up some of our favorite stories from our \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/series/golden-state-plate/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Golden State Plate series\u003c/a>, which explores the backstory behind some iconic California-born food and drinks.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545?mt=2\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Listen to these and more in-depth storytelling by subscribing to The California Report Magazine podcast.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11720617/pisco-punch-the-pricey-san-francisco-cocktail-that-was-a-gold-rush-knock-out\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Pisco Punch: The Pricey San Francisco Cocktail That Was a Gold Rush Knockout\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re a cocktail drinker, you’ve probably tasted a few Pisco Sours in your time. The pale foamy drink is made with Pisco - a highly potent Peruvian brandy. The first recipe for the Pisco Sour came from Peru, back in the 1940s. But many years before that, 19th century San Francisco was gripped by a craze for another Pisco concoction that maybe should have come with a health warning. KQED's Carly Severn takes us back to the time of the Gold Rush.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11732648/flamin-hot-cheetos-the-humble-beginnings-of-a-junk-food\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Flamin’ Hot Cheetos: The Humble Beginnings of a Junk Food\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These days, some folks can’t seem to get enough of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. This spicy, California-born snack has a devoted following. Bianca Taylor tells us more about the person who invented them. Richard Montañez worked as a janitor at a Frito-Lay factory for nearly two decades before he came up with his concoction. He had grown up picking grapes, living on a farm for migrant workers near Rancho Cucamonga with his 10 siblings.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11742748/unwrapping-the-california-origins-of-the-fortune-cookie\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Unwrapping the California Origins of the Fortune Cookie\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>What comes with the check at almost every Chinese restaurant? Fortune cookies. Like orange slices after a blood draw or apples at San Francisco’s Fillmore, they're a given. But how did they come to be? Are they really Chinese? And if so, why do they serve them at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park? The California Report’s Suzie Racho unravels a mystery.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11720665/what-makes-your-salad-taste-like-california-hidden-valley-ranch\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">What Makes Your Salad Taste Like California? Hidden Valley Ranch\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This “Golden State Plate” story is about something as ubiquitous as ketchup and mustard: ranch dressing. It’s everywhere, and it’s a California concoction. As Peter Gilstrap tells us, the place that gave the creamy buttermilk dressing its name was a real ranch on the Central Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You’re sitting on the beach, sand between your toes, sunglasses on. What else could make this picture complete? How about a Mai Tai? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This rum cocktail probably makes you think Hawaii, though a lot of people and places have claimed the drink as their own. But where did it really come from? I set off on a mission to find out. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, I headed to a place that bills itself as the “Home of the Original Mai Tai.” \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u003ca href=\"https://tradervics.com/\">Trader Vic’s\u003c/a> is tucked away on the shores of San Francisco Bay, in Emeryville. On one side of the restaurant chain’s flagship is the marina, on the other, the Bay Bridge. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Daniel Veliz, Trader Vic’s corporate beverage director\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they served 40,000 Mai Tais last year in this location alone. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what’s in an Original Trader Vic’s Mai Tai? As Veliz began mixing one for me, he said that it has just five ingredients. “Fresh lime, orgeat (almond) syrup, a touch of rock candy syrup, orange curacao, and 2 ounces of amber rum,” he said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756296\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 355px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11756296\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"The Original Trader Vic's Mai Tai.\" width=\"355\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-1122x1496.jpg 1122w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-840x1120.jpg 840w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-687x916.jpg 687w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-414x552.jpg 414w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-354x472.jpg 354w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 355px) 100vw, 355px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Original Trader Vic’s Mai Tai. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He gave it all a shake and poured it into a glass, then added a spent lime wedge and a touch of mint for garnish. And unlike some of the Mai Tais I’ve seen, there was no rum float, no pineapple or orange juice. And it wasn’t red. He presented a drink that was a lovely golden brown. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Vic behind Trader Vic’s was Victor Bergeron, who claimed he invented the drink in 1944. His granddaughter, Eve Bergeron, told me he created the cocktail and asked some visiting friends from Tahiti — Ham and Carrie Guild — to try it. After Carrie tasted it, she exclaimed “Mai Tai roa ae!” which means ” ‘awesome’ in Tahiti,” Veliz explained. And thus the drink was named.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tiki historian and author \u003ca href=\"http://beachbumberry.com/about.html\">Jeff “Beachbum” Berry\u003c/a> said the story of the Mai Tai started at 65th Street and San Pablo Avenue in Oakland. That’s where Bergeron opened a little saloon in 1934 called Hinky Dinks, named after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlTKKNRkYKs\">risque ditty that was popular\u003c/a> at the time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756258\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11756258\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut-800x604.jpg\" alt=\"Victor Bergeron opened Hinky Dinks at 65th and San Pablo in Oakland in 1934. \" width=\"800\" height=\"604\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut-800x604.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut-160x121.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut-1020x770.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut-1200x906.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Victor Bergeron opened Hinky Dinks at 65th and San Pablo in Oakland in 1934. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Eve Bergeron)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The business was successful, but Vic was interested in the tropical-themed drinks he started to see in a few spots in his native San Francisco. He set off to learn from the masters, stopping in New Orleans and the Caribbean. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1938, he spent a week at the legendary Havana bar, La Floridita, trying to learn all he could from the man known as the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/04/25/525063025/the-cocktail-king-of-cuba-the-man-who-invented-hemingways-favorite-daiquiri\">Cocktail King,”\u003c/a> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constantino\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ribalaigua Vert\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“One of Constantino’s famous drinks was called the Golden Gloves and (it) calls for gold Jamaican rum, orange juice, orange curacao, lime juice and sugar,” explained Berry. “Now if you add orgeat syrup to that you have a Mai Tai more or less. And that could also have been Vic’s inspiration.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756294\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 546px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11756294\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-800x379.jpg\" alt=\"One of Trader Vic's early menus features nods to his influences, including Don the Beachcomber in Los Angeles and La Floridita in Havana. \" width=\"546\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-800x379.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-160x76.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-1020x484.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-1200x569.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-1920x911.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 546px) 100vw, 546px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Trader Vic’s early menus features a nod to his influences, including Don the Beachcomber in Los Angeles and La Floridita in Havana. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Bergeron returned to Oakland, he added the drinks he learned to make during his travels to the Hinky Dinks’ menu. “We went to work and made up a lot of new ones, ones that would sell in America,” he wrote in his 1973 autobiography, “\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frankly Speaking\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Bergeron also found inspiration closer to home at a Los Angeles bar called Don the Beachcomber, according to \u003ca href=\"http://www.martincate.com/\">Martin Cate, \u003c/a>owner of San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.smugglerscovesf.com/\">Smuggler’s Cove\u003c/a> and a former Trader Vic’s bartender. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756252\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11756252\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Martin Cate at his bar, Smuggler's Cove, in San Francisco. \" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-536x402.jpg 536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martin Cate at his bar, Smuggler’s Cove, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“[It was] \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bsolutely all the rage from almost day one when it opened in Hollywood,” said Cate. “[Vic] traveled down and he not only fell in love with the place, he would try to grill bartenders all day long about what was there.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opened in 1933,\u003ca href=\"https://www.lamag.com/digestblog/don-the-beachcomber-closing/\"> Don the Beachcomber\u003c/a> was essentially the first tiki bar, according to cocktail historians. And it served a couple of drinks that may have been of interest to Vic Bergeron, including the Q.B. Cooler, which Berry said tasted like a Mai Tai. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was even a drink called the Mai Tai Swizzle in the early ’30s, but it was off the menu by the time Bergeron visited. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But owner Donn Beach was notoriously protective and had his bartenders mix drinks from bottles labeled with numbers. Even though Bergeron didn’t walk away with any of Donn Beach’s secret recipes, he bought some decor from him, according to Cate. The visit was a catalyst.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“When I got back to Oakland and told my wife what I had seen, we agreed to change the name of our restaurant and change the decor,” Bergeron wrote in his autobiography\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. “We decided Hinky Dinks was a junky name and that the place should be named after someone we could tell a story about. My wife suggested ‘Trader Vic’s’ because I was always making a trade with someone. Fine, I became Trader Vic.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 369px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11756306\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"An early Trader Vic menu. \" width=\"369\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-1122x1496.jpg 1122w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-840x1120.jpg 840w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-687x916.jpg 687w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-414x552.jpg 414w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-354x472.jpg 354w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 369px) 100vw, 369px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An early Trader Vic menu. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So Hinky Dinks became Trader Vic’s, and business boomed. Bergeron’s pal, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, helped drive its popularity, exclaiming “the best restaurant in San Francisco is in Oakland.” But the Mai Tai itself wasn’t the draw — it was just one of many drinks on Vic’s expansive menu. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Martin Cate said that it wasn’t until 1953, nearly 10 years after it was first introduced, that the cocktail took a cruise to Hawaii, where the Mai Tai \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">really\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> became the Mai Tai.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“He sent the recipe on board the Matson steamship lines, which were sailing out of San Francisco to Hawaii starting in the early 1950s,” Cate said. “The Mai Tai was on the menu because they asked Vic to not only do the menu for the ships, but also for their hotel, the Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki. And when the Mai Tai got to Hawaii, it mutated basically into something Hawaiian, meaning, namely, pineapple juice.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756257\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 276px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11756257\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-800x992.jpg\" alt=\"Victor Bergeron aka Trader Vic.\" width=\"276\" height=\"342\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-800x992.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-1020x1265.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-968x1200.jpg 968w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-1920x2381.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut.jpg 1651w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 276px) 100vw, 276px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Victor Bergeron aka Trader Vic. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Eve Bergeron)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jeff Berry said travel writers picked up on it and the Mai Tai basically went viral. And because the recipe wouldn’t be published until two decades later, restaurants and bars put their own spin on the drink. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“A Mai Tai became sort of like the symbol of your Hawaiian vacation,” said Berry. “It was like paradise in a glass. I think that name more than anything else is the reason why that happened.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So who’s the true originator of the Mai Tai? Was it \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constantino\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ribalaigua Vert in\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Cuba? Donn Beach in L.A.? Or Victor Bergeron in Oakland? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, for most cocktail historians, including Martin Cate and Jeff Berry, the original Mai Tai has just five ingredients and was created in Oakland by Victor Bergeron. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As for Vic? As he wrote in his autobiography: \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Anybody who says I didn’t create this drink is a dirty stinker.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So raise a glass to the Mai Tai, which turns \u003ca href=\"http://tradervics.com/news/lets-get-the-record-straightthe-real-mai-tai-day-is-august-30th/\">75 in August\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "You might think the iconic rum cocktail was born in Hawaii. We set off to discover its true roots.",
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"title": "An Island Drink With California Roots: The Mai Tai Turns 75 | KQED",
"description": "You might think the iconic rum cocktail was born in Hawaii. We set off to discover its true roots.",
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"headline": "An Island Drink With California Roots: The Mai Tai Turns 75",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You’re sitting on the beach, sand between your toes, sunglasses on. What else could make this picture complete? How about a Mai Tai? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This rum cocktail probably makes you think Hawaii, though a lot of people and places have claimed the drink as their own. But where did it really come from? I set off on a mission to find out. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, I headed to a place that bills itself as the “Home of the Original Mai Tai.” \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u003ca href=\"https://tradervics.com/\">Trader Vic’s\u003c/a> is tucked away on the shores of San Francisco Bay, in Emeryville. On one side of the restaurant chain’s flagship is the marina, on the other, the Bay Bridge. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Daniel Veliz, Trader Vic’s corporate beverage director\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they served 40,000 Mai Tais last year in this location alone. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what’s in an Original Trader Vic’s Mai Tai? As Veliz began mixing one for me, he said that it has just five ingredients. “Fresh lime, orgeat (almond) syrup, a touch of rock candy syrup, orange curacao, and 2 ounces of amber rum,” he said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756296\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 355px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11756296\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"The Original Trader Vic's Mai Tai.\" width=\"355\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-1122x1496.jpg 1122w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-840x1120.jpg 840w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-687x916.jpg 687w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-414x552.jpg 414w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut-354x472.jpg 354w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37825_IMG_0271-qut.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 355px) 100vw, 355px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Original Trader Vic’s Mai Tai. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He gave it all a shake and poured it into a glass, then added a spent lime wedge and a touch of mint for garnish. And unlike some of the Mai Tais I’ve seen, there was no rum float, no pineapple or orange juice. And it wasn’t red. He presented a drink that was a lovely golden brown. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Vic behind Trader Vic’s was Victor Bergeron, who claimed he invented the drink in 1944. His granddaughter, Eve Bergeron, told me he created the cocktail and asked some visiting friends from Tahiti — Ham and Carrie Guild — to try it. After Carrie tasted it, she exclaimed “Mai Tai roa ae!” which means ” ‘awesome’ in Tahiti,” Veliz explained. And thus the drink was named.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tiki historian and author \u003ca href=\"http://beachbumberry.com/about.html\">Jeff “Beachbum” Berry\u003c/a> said the story of the Mai Tai started at 65th Street and San Pablo Avenue in Oakland. That’s where Bergeron opened a little saloon in 1934 called Hinky Dinks, named after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlTKKNRkYKs\">risque ditty that was popular\u003c/a> at the time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756258\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11756258\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut-800x604.jpg\" alt=\"Victor Bergeron opened Hinky Dinks at 65th and San Pablo in Oakland in 1934. \" width=\"800\" height=\"604\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut-800x604.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut-160x121.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut-1020x770.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut-1200x906.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37843_Hinky-Dinks-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Victor Bergeron opened Hinky Dinks at 65th and San Pablo in Oakland in 1934. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Eve Bergeron)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The business was successful, but Vic was interested in the tropical-themed drinks he started to see in a few spots in his native San Francisco. He set off to learn from the masters, stopping in New Orleans and the Caribbean. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1938, he spent a week at the legendary Havana bar, La Floridita, trying to learn all he could from the man known as the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/04/25/525063025/the-cocktail-king-of-cuba-the-man-who-invented-hemingways-favorite-daiquiri\">Cocktail King,”\u003c/a> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constantino\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ribalaigua Vert\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“One of Constantino’s famous drinks was called the Golden Gloves and (it) calls for gold Jamaican rum, orange juice, orange curacao, lime juice and sugar,” explained Berry. “Now if you add orgeat syrup to that you have a Mai Tai more or less. And that could also have been Vic’s inspiration.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756294\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 546px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11756294\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-800x379.jpg\" alt=\"One of Trader Vic's early menus features nods to his influences, including Don the Beachcomber in Los Angeles and La Floridita in Havana. \" width=\"546\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-800x379.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-160x76.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-1020x484.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-1200x569.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu-1920x911.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37857_Menu.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 546px) 100vw, 546px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Trader Vic’s early menus features a nod to his influences, including Don the Beachcomber in Los Angeles and La Floridita in Havana. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Bergeron returned to Oakland, he added the drinks he learned to make during his travels to the Hinky Dinks’ menu. “We went to work and made up a lot of new ones, ones that would sell in America,” he wrote in his 1973 autobiography, “\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Frankly Speaking\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Bergeron also found inspiration closer to home at a Los Angeles bar called Don the Beachcomber, according to \u003ca href=\"http://www.martincate.com/\">Martin Cate, \u003c/a>owner of San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.smugglerscovesf.com/\">Smuggler’s Cove\u003c/a> and a former Trader Vic’s bartender. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756252\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11756252\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Martin Cate at his bar, Smuggler's Cove, in San Francisco. \" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut-536x402.jpg 536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37815_IMG_0260-qut.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martin Cate at his bar, Smuggler’s Cove, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“[It was] \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bsolutely all the rage from almost day one when it opened in Hollywood,” said Cate. “[Vic] traveled down and he not only fell in love with the place, he would try to grill bartenders all day long about what was there.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opened in 1933,\u003ca href=\"https://www.lamag.com/digestblog/don-the-beachcomber-closing/\"> Don the Beachcomber\u003c/a> was essentially the first tiki bar, according to cocktail historians. And it served a couple of drinks that may have been of interest to Vic Bergeron, including the Q.B. Cooler, which Berry said tasted like a Mai Tai. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was even a drink called the Mai Tai Swizzle in the early ’30s, but it was off the menu by the time Bergeron visited. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But owner Donn Beach was notoriously protective and had his bartenders mix drinks from bottles labeled with numbers. Even though Bergeron didn’t walk away with any of Donn Beach’s secret recipes, he bought some decor from him, according to Cate. The visit was a catalyst.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“When I got back to Oakland and told my wife what I had seen, we agreed to change the name of our restaurant and change the decor,” Bergeron wrote in his autobiography\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. “We decided Hinky Dinks was a junky name and that the place should be named after someone we could tell a story about. My wife suggested ‘Trader Vic’s’ because I was always making a trade with someone. Fine, I became Trader Vic.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 369px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11756306\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"An early Trader Vic menu. \" width=\"369\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-1122x1496.jpg 1122w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-840x1120.jpg 840w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-687x916.jpg 687w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-414x552.jpg 414w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941-354x472.jpg 354w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/IMG_0268-1-e1561081363941.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 369px) 100vw, 369px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An early Trader Vic menu. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So Hinky Dinks became Trader Vic’s, and business boomed. Bergeron’s pal, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, helped drive its popularity, exclaiming “the best restaurant in San Francisco is in Oakland.” But the Mai Tai itself wasn’t the draw — it was just one of many drinks on Vic’s expansive menu. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Martin Cate said that it wasn’t until 1953, nearly 10 years after it was first introduced, that the cocktail took a cruise to Hawaii, where the Mai Tai \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">really\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> became the Mai Tai.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“He sent the recipe on board the Matson steamship lines, which were sailing out of San Francisco to Hawaii starting in the early 1950s,” Cate said. “The Mai Tai was on the menu because they asked Vic to not only do the menu for the ships, but also for their hotel, the Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki. And when the Mai Tai got to Hawaii, it mutated basically into something Hawaiian, meaning, namely, pineapple juice.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11756257\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 276px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11756257\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-800x992.jpg\" alt=\"Victor Bergeron aka Trader Vic.\" width=\"276\" height=\"342\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-800x992.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-1020x1265.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-968x1200.jpg 968w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut-1920x2381.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/06/RS37842_Vic-mixing-a-drink-at-his-bar-qut.jpg 1651w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 276px) 100vw, 276px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Victor Bergeron aka Trader Vic. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Eve Bergeron)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jeff Berry said travel writers picked up on it and the Mai Tai basically went viral. And because the recipe wouldn’t be published until two decades later, restaurants and bars put their own spin on the drink. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“A Mai Tai became sort of like the symbol of your Hawaiian vacation,” said Berry. “It was like paradise in a glass. I think that name more than anything else is the reason why that happened.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So who’s the true originator of the Mai Tai? Was it \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constantino\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ribalaigua Vert in\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Cuba? Donn Beach in L.A.? Or Victor Bergeron in Oakland? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, for most cocktail historians, including Martin Cate and Jeff Berry, the original Mai Tai has just five ingredients and was created in Oakland by Victor Bergeron. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As for Vic? As he wrote in his autobiography: \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Anybody who says I didn’t create this drink is a dirty stinker.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So raise a glass to the Mai Tai, which turns \u003ca href=\"http://tradervics.com/news/lets-get-the-record-straightthe-real-mai-tai-day-is-august-30th/\">75 in August\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "unwrapping-the-california-origins-of-the-fortune-cookie",
"title": "Unwrapping the California Origins of the Fortune Cookie",
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"headTitle": "Unwrapping the California Origins of the Fortune Cookie | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>What comes with the check at almost every Chinese restaurant? Fortune cookies. Like orange slices after a blood draw or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11731290/how-bill-grahams-nazi-escape-might-explain-his-fillmore-apples\">apples at San Francisco’s Fillmore\u003c/a>, they’re a given. But how did they come to be? Are they really Chinese? And if so, why do they serve them at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.japaneseteagardensf.com/\">Japanese Tea Garden\u003c/a> in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11742906\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11742906\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tea cookies and green tea served at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On a chilly morning, I meet Steven Pitsenbarger at the front gate of the Tea Garden. He’s a gardener here and a bit of a historian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think a lot of people put the Japanese Tea Garden in the same box as Alcatraz or Fisherman’s Wharf,” Pitsenbarger says. “But we are really a gem that’s for San Francisco — just as much as it’s for the tourists.”\u003cbr>\n[baycuriousbug]\u003cbr>\nHe tells me the garden was originally an exhibit in the\u003ca href=\"http://www.outsidelands.org/1894_midwinter_fair.php\"> California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, \u003c/a>then tended by a landscape architect named Makoto Hagiwara.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He was an early immigrant from Japan,” says Pitsenbarger. “He came a decade before most Japanese immigrants came. A lot of folks came in the late 1880s and 1890s. But he came in 1878.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hagiwara started serving visitors fortune cookies along with green tea in the garden’s tea house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11743019\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 324px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11743019\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-800x1049.jpg\" alt=\"Makoto Hagiwara and his daughter in 1924.\" width=\"324\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-800x1049.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-160x210.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-1020x1337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-915x1200.jpg 915w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-1920x2517.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut.jpg 1562w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 324px) 100vw, 324px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Makoto Hagiwara and his daughter in 1924. \u003ccite>(San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The story that I understand is he took a Japanese cookie, senbei, and he got the idea to put a little note in it, and originally started making the cookies by hand here with just a little flat press,” says Pitsenbarger. “They would fold the cookies while they were still fresh.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wow. So this could be the birthplace of the fortune cookie?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation='Author Jennifer 8. Lee says of the fortune cookie']‘I like to say that the Japanese invented them, the Chinese popularized them, but the Americans ultimately consume them.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I didn’t see anything that marked this historical culinary invention until we went to the gift shop. Mounted to the top of a display case are two small black iron presses with long, thin handles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called kata, and are used to make senbei or Japanese crackers. Inside they’re engraved with an H and an M — inverted they would appear on the cookies as MH for \u003ca href=\"https://hanascape.com/japanese-tea-garden\">Makoto Hagiwara.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you came to the garden while he was managing it, everything had his name on it. Napkins would say M. Hagiwara. There would be pots in the garden with M. Hagiwara … tea pots, tea cups. His name was everywhere, and the fortune cookie is one of those things that helped to spread his popularity,” Pitsenbarger says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And make the cookies popular, too. But since each fortune cookie was being made by hand, demand became too much for the Hagiwara family. Makoto asked a local confectionary shop, Benkyodo, to take over making the cookies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11742883\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 352px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11742883\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1-800x1115.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"352\" height=\"491\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1-800x1115.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1-160x223.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1-1020x1421.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1-861x1200.jpg 861w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1.jpg 1470w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 352px) 100vw, 352px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Benkyodo on San Francisco’s Geary Boulevard in 1906. \u003ccite>(Photo Courtesy: Gary T. Ono)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Suyeichi Okamura opened \u003ca href=\"http://www.benkyodocompany.com/\">Benkyodo\u003c/a> in 1906 and after a few moves, it’s located today at Sutter and Buchanan in San Francisco’s Japantown. His grandson, Gary T. Ono, is the family’s historian and has \u003ca href=\"http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2007/10/31/fortune-cookie/\">written articles\u003c/a> about his family’s connection to the fortune cookie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11742884\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 210px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11742884\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-800x1227.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"323\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-800x1227.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-160x245.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-1020x1564.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-783x1200.jpg 783w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-1920x2944.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1.jpg 1336w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gary T. Ono’s grandfather, Suyeichi Okamura, opened Benkyodo in 1906. \u003ccite>(Photo Courtesy: Gary T. Ono)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I went to visit Ono in Los Angeles, in his apartment in Little Tokyo. A giant foam fortune cookie hangs in the living room, and the fortune poking out of it reads: “Made In Japan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ono drags out a heavy suitcase from a closet and pulls out several kata wrapped in newspaper. They sport the familiar initials: MH.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My grandfather was a service person to Makoto Hagiwara,” Ono says. “And advised Hagiwara in converting the taste (of the fortune cookie) to something more palatable to American tastes. So they came up with a vanilla extract flavor that we know today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11742908\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 203px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11742908\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"271\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This flat-iron press, called a kata, was originally used to make fortune cookies for the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. The initials MH stand for creator Makoto Hagiwara. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He says Benkyodo helped develop a machine to mass produce the cookies for the garden, sometime around 1911.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11742881\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 305px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11742881\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"305\" height=\"407\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 305px) 100vw, 305px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gary T. Ono holds two kata from his grandfather’s bakery, Benkyodo. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Ono isn’t the only one to make family claims to the origins of the fortune cookie: A few Chinese companies have also claimed the invention, as has another Japanese sweet-maker in Los Angeles called \u003ca href=\"http://www.fugetsu-do.com/history.htm\">Fugetsu-Do\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brian Kito owns Fugetsu-Do, just down the street from Gary Ono in Los Angeles. Brian’s grandfather opened Fugetsu-Do in 1903, three years before Benkyodo opened in San Francisco. And Gary says Brian heard similar stories about his grandfather creating the fortune cookie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were never confrontational about it or argumentative. We didn’t know precisely that our grandparents did this or did that,” Ono says. “[Brian] even said, ‘Well, if it wasn’t my grandfather, I hope it’s your grandfather.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/Jhmz2Al_pjA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Author Jennifer 8. Lee says you can probably trace the history of fortune cookies in America back to L.A. and San Francisco. But as a concept, they go back to Japan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And in Japan they’re called tsujiura senbei or bell crackers,” says Lee, who traced the history of the American fortune cookie in her book, “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures In the World of Chinese Food.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee writes about Yasuko Nakamachi, a Japanese researcher whom she met through Gary Ono. Nakamachi was investigating the connection between the fortune cookies she saw in New York with a cracker made in Kyoto. She unearthed a copy of a woodblock print from 1878 of a Japanese man grilling fortune cookies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11743033\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 515px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11743033\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36753_woodblock-senbei-cooking-copy_jpg_515x515_detail_q85-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"515\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36753_woodblock-senbei-cooking-copy_jpg_515x515_detail_q85-qut.jpg 515w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36753_woodblock-senbei-cooking-copy_jpg_515x515_detail_q85-qut-160x117.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This Japanese woodblock print showing fortune cookies being grilled dates back to 1878. \u003ccite>(Photo Courtesy; Gary Ono)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Around the shrine in downtown Kyoto, there are actually a bunch of families that still make ‘fortune cookies’ in the Japanese tradition,” says Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But they’re actually bigger and browner. They’re made with miso paste and sesame, so much nuttier than the American versions, which tend to be yellow and buttery, reflecting the American palate,” she adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those cookies also have fortunes, but not inside. Instead they’re pinched in the fold. They look almost exactly the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But how did this American adaptation of a Japanese cracker become so associated with Chinese restaurants?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When the Japanese first came to the U.S., a lot of them actually ran Chinese restaurants, because back in the 1910s and 1920s Americans were not eating sushi,” says Lee. “You had Japanese opening Chinese restaurants because that was familiar, with chop suey and chow mein and egg fu yung.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag='golden-state-plate' label='More stories from the Golden State Plate series']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this mix of Japanese families opening Chinese restaurants, they began serving fortune cookies as a form of dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Back then, they were not called fortune cookies, they were called fortune tea cakes, which is actually a better reflection of their name in Japanese,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bakeries like Benkyodo and Fugetso-Do manufactured fortune cookies for decades until 1942, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, ordering people of Japanese descent into internment camps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortune cookie makers were among those interned. During World War II, Chinese restaurants surged in popularity and began manufacturing cookies “en masse,” Lee says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I like to say that the Japanese invented them, the Chinese popularized them, but the Americans ultimately consume them,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary Ono’s family was lucky. After being released from the camps, they resumed their business in San Francisco and reclaimed their property. But others weren’t: Many Japanese confectionaries stopped making the cookies after the war.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary Ono’s family connection to the fortune cookie lives on at the \u003ca href=\"https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2010/07/origins-of-a-fortune-cookie.html\">Smithsonian\u003c/a>‘s National Museum of American History, where three of Benkyodo’s katas now reside.\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11742907 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"285\" height=\"285\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut-1200x1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 285px) 100vw, 285px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the fortune cookies served at the Japanese Tea Garden? They now come from \u003ca href=\"http://www.meemeebakery.com/\">Mee Mee Bakery\u003c/a> in San Francisco’s Chinatown.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>What comes with the check at almost every Chinese restaurant? Fortune cookies. Like orange slices after a blood draw or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11731290/how-bill-grahams-nazi-escape-might-explain-his-fillmore-apples\">apples at San Francisco’s Fillmore\u003c/a>, they’re a given. But how did they come to be? Are they really Chinese? And if so, why do they serve them at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.japaneseteagardensf.com/\">Japanese Tea Garden\u003c/a> in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11742906\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11742906\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36697_IMG_0183-qut-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tea cookies and green tea served at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On a chilly morning, I meet Steven Pitsenbarger at the front gate of the Tea Garden. He’s a gardener here and a bit of a historian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think a lot of people put the Japanese Tea Garden in the same box as Alcatraz or Fisherman’s Wharf,” Pitsenbarger says. “But we are really a gem that’s for San Francisco — just as much as it’s for the tourists.”\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n What do you wonder about the Bay Area, its culture or people that you want KQED to investigate?\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Ask Bay Curious.\u003c/a>\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cbr>\nHe tells me the garden was originally an exhibit in the\u003ca href=\"http://www.outsidelands.org/1894_midwinter_fair.php\"> California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, \u003c/a>then tended by a landscape architect named Makoto Hagiwara.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He was an early immigrant from Japan,” says Pitsenbarger. “He came a decade before most Japanese immigrants came. A lot of folks came in the late 1880s and 1890s. But he came in 1878.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hagiwara started serving visitors fortune cookies along with green tea in the garden’s tea house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11743019\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 324px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11743019\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-800x1049.jpg\" alt=\"Makoto Hagiwara and his daughter in 1924.\" width=\"324\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-800x1049.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-160x210.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-1020x1337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-915x1200.jpg 915w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut-1920x2517.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36763_aad-2922JPG-qut.jpg 1562w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 324px) 100vw, 324px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Makoto Hagiwara and his daughter in 1924. \u003ccite>(San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The story that I understand is he took a Japanese cookie, senbei, and he got the idea to put a little note in it, and originally started making the cookies by hand here with just a little flat press,” says Pitsenbarger. “They would fold the cookies while they were still fresh.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wow. So this could be the birthplace of the fortune cookie?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I didn’t see anything that marked this historical culinary invention until we went to the gift shop. Mounted to the top of a display case are two small black iron presses with long, thin handles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called kata, and are used to make senbei or Japanese crackers. Inside they’re engraved with an H and an M — inverted they would appear on the cookies as MH for \u003ca href=\"https://hanascape.com/japanese-tea-garden\">Makoto Hagiwara.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you came to the garden while he was managing it, everything had his name on it. Napkins would say M. Hagiwara. There would be pots in the garden with M. Hagiwara … tea pots, tea cups. His name was everywhere, and the fortune cookie is one of those things that helped to spread his popularity,” Pitsenbarger says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And make the cookies popular, too. But since each fortune cookie was being made by hand, demand became too much for the Hagiwara family. Makoto asked a local confectionary shop, Benkyodo, to take over making the cookies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11742883\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 352px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11742883\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1-800x1115.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"352\" height=\"491\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1-800x1115.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1-160x223.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1-1020x1421.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1-861x1200.jpg 861w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36751_Benkyodo-outsiide-retouch-300-copy-qut-1.jpg 1470w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 352px) 100vw, 352px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Benkyodo on San Francisco’s Geary Boulevard in 1906. \u003ccite>(Photo Courtesy: Gary T. Ono)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Suyeichi Okamura opened \u003ca href=\"http://www.benkyodocompany.com/\">Benkyodo\u003c/a> in 1906 and after a few moves, it’s located today at Sutter and Buchanan in San Francisco’s Japantown. His grandson, Gary T. Ono, is the family’s historian and has \u003ca href=\"http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2007/10/31/fortune-cookie/\">written articles\u003c/a> about his family’s connection to the fortune cookie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11742884\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 210px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11742884\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-800x1227.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"323\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-800x1227.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-160x245.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-1020x1564.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-783x1200.jpg 783w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1-1920x2944.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36752_Suyeichi-Portrait-qut-1.jpg 1336w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gary T. Ono’s grandfather, Suyeichi Okamura, opened Benkyodo in 1906. \u003ccite>(Photo Courtesy: Gary T. Ono)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I went to visit Ono in Los Angeles, in his apartment in Little Tokyo. A giant foam fortune cookie hangs in the living room, and the fortune poking out of it reads: “Made In Japan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ono drags out a heavy suitcase from a closet and pulls out several kata wrapped in newspaper. They sport the familiar initials: MH.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My grandfather was a service person to Makoto Hagiwara,” Ono says. “And advised Hagiwara in converting the taste (of the fortune cookie) to something more palatable to American tastes. So they came up with a vanilla extract flavor that we know today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11742908\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 203px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11742908\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"271\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36718_IMG_0808-qut-1.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This flat-iron press, called a kata, was originally used to make fortune cookies for the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. The initials MH stand for creator Makoto Hagiwara. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He says Benkyodo helped develop a machine to mass produce the cookies for the garden, sometime around 1911.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11742881\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 305px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11742881\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"305\" height=\"407\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36723_IMG_0813-qut-1.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 305px) 100vw, 305px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gary T. Ono holds two kata from his grandfather’s bakery, Benkyodo. \u003ccite>(Suzie Racho/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Ono isn’t the only one to make family claims to the origins of the fortune cookie: A few Chinese companies have also claimed the invention, as has another Japanese sweet-maker in Los Angeles called \u003ca href=\"http://www.fugetsu-do.com/history.htm\">Fugetsu-Do\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brian Kito owns Fugetsu-Do, just down the street from Gary Ono in Los Angeles. Brian’s grandfather opened Fugetsu-Do in 1903, three years before Benkyodo opened in San Francisco. And Gary says Brian heard similar stories about his grandfather creating the fortune cookie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were never confrontational about it or argumentative. We didn’t know precisely that our grandparents did this or did that,” Ono says. “[Brian] even said, ‘Well, if it wasn’t my grandfather, I hope it’s your grandfather.'”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Jhmz2Al_pjA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Jhmz2Al_pjA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Author Jennifer 8. Lee says you can probably trace the history of fortune cookies in America back to L.A. and San Francisco. But as a concept, they go back to Japan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And in Japan they’re called tsujiura senbei or bell crackers,” says Lee, who traced the history of the American fortune cookie in her book, “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures In the World of Chinese Food.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee writes about Yasuko Nakamachi, a Japanese researcher whom she met through Gary Ono. Nakamachi was investigating the connection between the fortune cookies she saw in New York with a cracker made in Kyoto. She unearthed a copy of a woodblock print from 1878 of a Japanese man grilling fortune cookies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11743033\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 515px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11743033\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36753_woodblock-senbei-cooking-copy_jpg_515x515_detail_q85-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"515\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36753_woodblock-senbei-cooking-copy_jpg_515x515_detail_q85-qut.jpg 515w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36753_woodblock-senbei-cooking-copy_jpg_515x515_detail_q85-qut-160x117.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This Japanese woodblock print showing fortune cookies being grilled dates back to 1878. \u003ccite>(Photo Courtesy; Gary Ono)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Around the shrine in downtown Kyoto, there are actually a bunch of families that still make ‘fortune cookies’ in the Japanese tradition,” says Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But they’re actually bigger and browner. They’re made with miso paste and sesame, so much nuttier than the American versions, which tend to be yellow and buttery, reflecting the American palate,” she adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those cookies also have fortunes, but not inside. Instead they’re pinched in the fold. They look almost exactly the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But how did this American adaptation of a Japanese cracker become so associated with Chinese restaurants?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When the Japanese first came to the U.S., a lot of them actually ran Chinese restaurants, because back in the 1910s and 1920s Americans were not eating sushi,” says Lee. “You had Japanese opening Chinese restaurants because that was familiar, with chop suey and chow mein and egg fu yung.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this mix of Japanese families opening Chinese restaurants, they began serving fortune cookies as a form of dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Back then, they were not called fortune cookies, they were called fortune tea cakes, which is actually a better reflection of their name in Japanese,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bakeries like Benkyodo and Fugetso-Do manufactured fortune cookies for decades until 1942, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, ordering people of Japanese descent into internment camps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortune cookie makers were among those interned. During World War II, Chinese restaurants surged in popularity and began manufacturing cookies “en masse,” Lee says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I like to say that the Japanese invented them, the Chinese popularized them, but the Americans ultimately consume them,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary Ono’s family was lucky. After being released from the camps, they resumed their business in San Francisco and reclaimed their property. But others weren’t: Many Japanese confectionaries stopped making the cookies after the war.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gary Ono’s family connection to the fortune cookie lives on at the \u003ca href=\"https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2010/07/origins-of-a-fortune-cookie.html\">Smithsonian\u003c/a>‘s National Museum of American History, where three of Benkyodo’s katas now reside.\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11742907 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"285\" height=\"285\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut-1200x1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RS36705_IMG_0191-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 285px) 100vw, 285px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for the fortune cookies served at the Japanese Tea Garden? They now come from \u003ca href=\"http://www.meemeebakery.com/\">Mee Mee Bakery\u003c/a> in San Francisco’s Chinatown.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Golden State Plate: Santa Maria Barbecue, It's Not Just Tri-Tip",
"headTitle": "Golden State Plate: Santa Maria Barbecue, It’s Not Just Tri-Tip | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Every weekend, an all-ages crowd gathers at the Cold Spring Tavern, a stagecoach stop tucked into a scenic canyon just north of Santa Barbara.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fragrant wood smoke rises from open pit barbecues, and Chef Tom Perez is behind one the grills. “We do a sandwich here,” he says. ‘It’s a tri-tip cut. We’ve been doing it since about 1972.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11734733\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11734733\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Barbecue chef Tom Perez proudly displays his tri-tip sandwich.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbecue chef Tom Perez proudly displays his tri-tip sandwich. \u003ccite>(Diane Bock)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Perez’s sandwich is a carnivore’s dream. Succulent tri-tip, grilled to a perfect medium-rare, piled high on a toasted French roll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The tri-tip aficionados do not like barbecue sauce anywhere near their tri-tip,” he says. “Chicken, ribs, yes. Tri-tip, you’re going to get some dirty looks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perez says when it comes to tri-tip, there are rules. First, the seasonings. Keep ‘em simple: Salt, black pepper and garlic salt. Second, cook the meat over fire. But not just any fire — it should be fueled by local red oak. And finally, serve it with these sides: Salsa, grilled french bread, tossed green salad and locally grown pinquito beans, similar to pintos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tri-tip has been around since the 1950s. Before that, it was considered scrap, and usually ground into hamburger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone tends to claim that it was their idea. I’ve heard that it started in a grocery store in Santa Maria,” Perez says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='small' align='right' citation='Barbecue chef Tom Perez']‘The tri-tip aficionados do not like barbecue sauce anywhere near their tri-tip. Chicken, ribs, yes. Tri-tip? You’re going to get some dirty looks.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to local lore, it all began with a one-armed butcher named Bob Schutz, who worked at Safeway. Story goes, he was the first to throw this triangular cut on the grill, and christen it tri-tip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s called Santa Maria barbecue, so I head there for some answers. The town has a rich ranching history and the Chamber of Commerce has trademarked their namesake barbecue menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11734730\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11734730\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"The Santa Maria Historical Society’s Barbecue Exhibit.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut-1200x795.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Santa Maria Historical Society’s Barbecue Exhibit. \u003ccite>(Diane Bock)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“If you’re talking about Santa Maria style barbecue, we’re not talking about tri-tip, specifically, we’re really talking about top block,” says Santa Maria Historical Society curator Cindy Ransick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='small' align='right' citation='John Moretti, Santa Maria Elks Lodge manager']‘Every other neighbor here in this town will have a barbecue pit in their backyard, that’s just the way it is.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But hold up. I’ve lived around here for 30 years. I’ve never heard of top block. She walks me over to the museum’s barbecue exhibit, and points to a diagram of beef cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This part right here you can see is labeled top block, it’s on the top shoulder of the cow,” she says. “It’s a more expensive cut of meat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also an enormous cut of meat. It turns out top block is another name for top sirloin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oldest photos at the historical society date back more than a century. But docent Phil Lawyer says the true legacy goes back even further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11734757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11734757\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"Volunteers barbecue at Santa Maria’s Fourth of July celebration in 1904. Photo courtesy Santa Maria Historical Society\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut-1200x795.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers barbecue at Santa Maria’s Fourth of July celebration in 1904. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy: Santa Maria Historical Society)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This type of cooking began in the Spanish tradition when we had the Spanish rancheros, and they had the huge cattle drives,” he says. “The rancheros were great hosts. They’d have everybody in the valley come, have a party all night, dancing and eating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag='golden-state-plate' label='More from our Golden State Plate series']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, barbecue continues to bind this community together. Every Friday, hundreds gather at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge for “Cook Your Own” night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From fundraisers to just having people come over to your house and barbecuing for dinner. Every other neighbor here in this town will have a barbecue pit in their backyard, that’s just the way it is,” says manager John Moretti.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We grew up with it, I should say, so that’s what we’re used to,” he adds. “And you get a good beef, aged beef, good mix and good coals, comes out good every time. Pretty simple.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, whether you prefer tri-tip or top sirloin, it’s all Santa Maria barbecue. Just remember to hold the sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"description": "Whether you prefer tri-tip or top sirloin, it’s all Santa Maria barbecue. Just remember to hold the sauce.",
"title": "Golden State Plate: Santa Maria Barbecue, It's Not Just Tri-Tip | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Every weekend, an all-ages crowd gathers at the Cold Spring Tavern, a stagecoach stop tucked into a scenic canyon just north of Santa Barbara.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fragrant wood smoke rises from open pit barbecues, and Chef Tom Perez is behind one the grills. “We do a sandwich here,” he says. ‘It’s a tri-tip cut. We’ve been doing it since about 1972.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11734733\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11734733\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Barbecue chef Tom Perez proudly displays his tri-tip sandwich.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-1832x1374.jpg 1832w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-1044x783.jpg 1044w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-632x474.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36084_IMG_7635-qut-536x402.jpg 536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbecue chef Tom Perez proudly displays his tri-tip sandwich. \u003ccite>(Diane Bock)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Perez’s sandwich is a carnivore’s dream. Succulent tri-tip, grilled to a perfect medium-rare, piled high on a toasted French roll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The tri-tip aficionados do not like barbecue sauce anywhere near their tri-tip,” he says. “Chicken, ribs, yes. Tri-tip, you’re going to get some dirty looks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perez says when it comes to tri-tip, there are rules. First, the seasonings. Keep ‘em simple: Salt, black pepper and garlic salt. Second, cook the meat over fire. But not just any fire — it should be fueled by local red oak. And finally, serve it with these sides: Salsa, grilled french bread, tossed green salad and locally grown pinquito beans, similar to pintos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tri-tip has been around since the 1950s. Before that, it was considered scrap, and usually ground into hamburger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone tends to claim that it was their idea. I’ve heard that it started in a grocery store in Santa Maria,” Perez says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘The tri-tip aficionados do not like barbecue sauce anywhere near their tri-tip. Chicken, ribs, yes. Tri-tip? You’re going to get some dirty looks.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to local lore, it all began with a one-armed butcher named Bob Schutz, who worked at Safeway. Story goes, he was the first to throw this triangular cut on the grill, and christen it tri-tip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s called Santa Maria barbecue, so I head there for some answers. The town has a rich ranching history and the Chamber of Commerce has trademarked their namesake barbecue menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11734730\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11734730\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"The Santa Maria Historical Society’s Barbecue Exhibit.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut-1200x795.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36087_R0025832-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Santa Maria Historical Society’s Barbecue Exhibit. \u003ccite>(Diane Bock)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“If you’re talking about Santa Maria style barbecue, we’re not talking about tri-tip, specifically, we’re really talking about top block,” says Santa Maria Historical Society curator Cindy Ransick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Every other neighbor here in this town will have a barbecue pit in their backyard, that’s just the way it is.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But hold up. I’ve lived around here for 30 years. I’ve never heard of top block. She walks me over to the museum’s barbecue exhibit, and points to a diagram of beef cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This part right here you can see is labeled top block, it’s on the top shoulder of the cow,” she says. “It’s a more expensive cut of meat.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also an enormous cut of meat. It turns out top block is another name for top sirloin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The oldest photos at the historical society date back more than a century. But docent Phil Lawyer says the true legacy goes back even further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11734757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11734757\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut-800x530.jpg\" alt=\"Volunteers barbecue at Santa Maria’s Fourth of July celebration in 1904. Photo courtesy Santa Maria Historical Society\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut-1200x795.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS36088_R0025835-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers barbecue at Santa Maria’s Fourth of July celebration in 1904. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy: Santa Maria Historical Society)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This type of cooking began in the Spanish tradition when we had the Spanish rancheros, and they had the huge cattle drives,” he says. “The rancheros were great hosts. They’d have everybody in the valley come, have a party all night, dancing and eating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, barbecue continues to bind this community together. Every Friday, hundreds gather at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge for “Cook Your Own” night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From fundraisers to just having people come over to your house and barbecuing for dinner. Every other neighbor here in this town will have a barbecue pit in their backyard, that’s just the way it is,” says manager John Moretti.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We grew up with it, I should say, so that’s what we’re used to,” he adds. “And you get a good beef, aged beef, good mix and good coals, comes out good every time. Pretty simple.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, whether you prefer tri-tip or top sirloin, it’s all Santa Maria barbecue. Just remember to hold the sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Flamin’ Hot Cheetos: The Humble Beginnings of a Junk Food",
"title": "Flamin’ Hot Cheetos: The Humble Beginnings of a Junk Food",
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"content": "\u003cp>Flamin' Hot Cheetos have always been a part of Gustavo Arellano's life, in one way or another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside tag='golden-state-plate' label='Our Golden State Plate series']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Before the invention of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, we Mexican kids would just get a bag of Cheetos and put a bunch of Tapatío on it so they are already flaming hot,\" said Arellano, features writer for the Los Angeles Times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Montañez was one of those kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Montañez was born in Mexico, but grew up in Southern California picking grapes on a migrant labor farm with his 10 siblings. He dropped out of school at a young age, and in 1976 — without knowing how to read or write — got a job as a janitor at Frito-Lay in Rancho Cucamonga.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Montañez had been working there for nearly two decades when one day, while mopping floors, he noticed something was wrong. Cheetos were getting pumped out without any of their signature neon-orange flavoring on top. He decided to take a few of these “blank” Cheetos home to experiment with some of his favorite spices : things he had grown up eating on the burritos his mom packed him for lunch, the elote or corn he bought from street vendors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"small\" align=”right” citation=\"Gustavo Arellano, author and features writer for the Los Angeles Times\"]'When it comes to Mexican food, there [are] so many origins stories ... and almost all of them are just a bunch of lies. The Flamin' Hot Cheetos origin story is one of the very few that has actually been verified.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He made his own chili and put it on top of the Cheetos. Pleased with the results, he took his creation to work, where everyone agreed it tasted great.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frito-Lay had just launched a campaign to empower its workers, and Montañez took those words to heart. He read a library book on market strategy, bought a $2 tie and called up the company's CEO: He told him he had an idea for how to break into the Latino market, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos was born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I reached out to Montañez for this story, but got no response. He has \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lbqJ966Cwg\">publicly spoken\u003c/a> about his path to invention and written an \u003ca href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17275773-a-boy-a-burrito-and-a-cookie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">autobiography\u003c/a>, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lbqJ966Cwg\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arellano said, \"Montañez's genius was that he was bold enough to go up to his bosses and say, 'Hey, look, this would be a really great idea.' And the bosses were smart enough to run with the idea.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decades later, Montañez's creation is one of Frito-Lay's top-selling products, and he is an executive at PepsiCo — quite the “rags to riches” tale, but it’s not where the story ends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are ingrained in pop culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YLy4j8EZIk\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From hip-hop music ...\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03uQZCFzBbY\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>... to eBay ...\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nhfSHjtwm0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>... And Katy Perry's Halloween costume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"[Flamin' Hot] is not a flavor ... it transcends flavor, it transcends food… that’s why it just hits people, that’s why it stays with people so much,\" said Arellano, author of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/23/150886690/the-california-taco-trail-how-mexican-food-conquered-america\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\"Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.\"\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11733160\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11733160\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Damien De Leon and Daniel Martinez, students at McLane High School, discuss proper etiquette when it comes to sharing a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos: \"You don't lick your fingers\" until the bag is empty. \u003ccite>(Laura Tsutsui/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It hasn’t all been good publicity, though. In 2012, \u003ca href=\"https://www.scpr.org/blogs/news/2012/10/18/10583/flamin-hot-cheetos-banned-snack-attack-pasadena-sc/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">schools in Pasadena banned Flamin’ Hot Cheetos\u003c/a> from their campuses, citing “nutritional concerns.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that hasn’t stopped chefs from creating dishes inspired by the red hot snack, like steaks, burritos, sushi and pizza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hayk Igraryan, owner of Ameci Pizza Kitchen in Glendale, claims to be the inventor of the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos pizza.\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11732666\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11732666\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843-160x213.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hayk Igraryan is the owner of Ameci Pizza Kitchen in Glendale. \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Igraryan said when he was a kid, he used to save his lunch money to buy Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Now, his pizza shop serves up a pie dedicated to the snack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The secret's really in all three combined: the sauce, the cheese and the dough,\" he said, showing me how they crush up Cheetos into the sauce, bake the pizza in the oven, and top it with a layer of Flamin' Hot Cheetos once it's cooled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Igraryan says people see the photos of the hot Cheeto pizza on social media and come from all over — from Texas to China — to try it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11732677\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11732677\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35798_Screen-Shot-2019-03-13-at-1.04.38-PM-qut-800x467.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35798_Screen-Shot-2019-03-13-at-1.04.38-PM-qut-800x467.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35798_Screen-Shot-2019-03-13-at-1.04.38-PM-qut-160x93.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35798_Screen-Shot-2019-03-13-at-1.04.38-PM-qut.jpg 936w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ameci Pizza Kitchen's Instagram feed draws visitors to the restaurant to try the Flamin' Hot Cheeto pizza. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Ameci Pizza Kitchen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the most surprising thing to me about the story of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos (besides the fact that people are putting them on pizzas) is Montañez’s story. It hasn’t been co-opted by big companies claiming the invention as their own. It hasn’t been mythified or whitewashed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arellano said this is rare: \"When it comes to Mexican food, there [are] so many origins stories ... and almost all of them are just a bunch of lies. The Flamin' Hot Cheetos origin story is one of the very few that has actually been verified.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not only is it verified, a feature film about Montañez is in the works. Arellano says Hollywood doesn’t have nearly enough stories showing Latinos in a positive light, but Montañez's life is the perfect inspirational tale, featuring a unique snack.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Flamin' Hot Cheetos have always been a part of Gustavo Arellano's life, in one way or another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Before the invention of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, we Mexican kids would just get a bag of Cheetos and put a bunch of Tapatío on it so they are already flaming hot,\" said Arellano, features writer for the Los Angeles Times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Montañez was one of those kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Montañez was born in Mexico, but grew up in Southern California picking grapes on a migrant labor farm with his 10 siblings. He dropped out of school at a young age, and in 1976 — without knowing how to read or write — got a job as a janitor at Frito-Lay in Rancho Cucamonga.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Montañez had been working there for nearly two decades when one day, while mopping floors, he noticed something was wrong. Cheetos were getting pumped out without any of their signature neon-orange flavoring on top. He decided to take a few of these “blank” Cheetos home to experiment with some of his favorite spices : things he had grown up eating on the burritos his mom packed him for lunch, the elote or corn he bought from street vendors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "'When it comes to Mexican food, there [are] so many origins stories ... and almost all of them are just a bunch of lies. The Flamin' Hot Cheetos origin story is one of the very few that has actually been verified.'",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He made his own chili and put it on top of the Cheetos. Pleased with the results, he took his creation to work, where everyone agreed it tasted great.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frito-Lay had just launched a campaign to empower its workers, and Montañez took those words to heart. He read a library book on market strategy, bought a $2 tie and called up the company's CEO: He told him he had an idea for how to break into the Latino market, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos was born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I reached out to Montañez for this story, but got no response. He has \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lbqJ966Cwg\">publicly spoken\u003c/a> about his path to invention and written an \u003ca href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17275773-a-boy-a-burrito-and-a-cookie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">autobiography\u003c/a>, too.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/4lbqJ966Cwg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/4lbqJ966Cwg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Arellano said, \"Montañez's genius was that he was bold enough to go up to his bosses and say, 'Hey, look, this would be a really great idea.' And the bosses were smart enough to run with the idea.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decades later, Montañez's creation is one of Frito-Lay's top-selling products, and he is an executive at PepsiCo — quite the “rags to riches” tale, but it’s not where the story ends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are ingrained in pop culture.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/7YLy4j8EZIk'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/7YLy4j8EZIk'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>From hip-hop music ...\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/03uQZCFzBbY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/03uQZCFzBbY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>... to eBay ...\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/2nhfSHjtwm0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/2nhfSHjtwm0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>... And Katy Perry's Halloween costume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"[Flamin' Hot] is not a flavor ... it transcends flavor, it transcends food… that’s why it just hits people, that’s why it stays with people so much,\" said Arellano, author of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/23/150886690/the-california-taco-trail-how-mexican-food-conquered-america\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\"Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America.\"\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11733160\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11733160\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35818_IMG_6505-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Damien De Leon and Daniel Martinez, students at McLane High School, discuss proper etiquette when it comes to sharing a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos: \"You don't lick your fingers\" until the bag is empty. \u003ccite>(Laura Tsutsui/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It hasn’t all been good publicity, though. In 2012, \u003ca href=\"https://www.scpr.org/blogs/news/2012/10/18/10583/flamin-hot-cheetos-banned-snack-attack-pasadena-sc/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">schools in Pasadena banned Flamin’ Hot Cheetos\u003c/a> from their campuses, citing “nutritional concerns.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that hasn’t stopped chefs from creating dishes inspired by the red hot snack, like steaks, burritos, sushi and pizza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hayk Igraryan, owner of Ameci Pizza Kitchen in Glendale, claims to be the inventor of the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos pizza.\u003cb> \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11732666\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11732666\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843-160x213.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35789_alt_843.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hayk Igraryan is the owner of Ameci Pizza Kitchen in Glendale. \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Igraryan said when he was a kid, he used to save his lunch money to buy Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Now, his pizza shop serves up a pie dedicated to the snack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The secret's really in all three combined: the sauce, the cheese and the dough,\" he said, showing me how they crush up Cheetos into the sauce, bake the pizza in the oven, and top it with a layer of Flamin' Hot Cheetos once it's cooled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Igraryan says people see the photos of the hot Cheeto pizza on social media and come from all over — from Texas to China — to try it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11732677\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-11732677\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35798_Screen-Shot-2019-03-13-at-1.04.38-PM-qut-800x467.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35798_Screen-Shot-2019-03-13-at-1.04.38-PM-qut-800x467.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35798_Screen-Shot-2019-03-13-at-1.04.38-PM-qut-160x93.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/03/RS35798_Screen-Shot-2019-03-13-at-1.04.38-PM-qut.jpg 936w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ameci Pizza Kitchen's Instagram feed draws visitors to the restaurant to try the Flamin' Hot Cheeto pizza. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Ameci Pizza Kitchen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the most surprising thing to me about the story of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos (besides the fact that people are putting them on pizzas) is Montañez’s story. It hasn’t been co-opted by big companies claiming the invention as their own. It hasn’t been mythified or whitewashed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Arellano said this is rare: \"When it comes to Mexican food, there [are] so many origins stories ... and almost all of them are just a bunch of lies. The Flamin' Hot Cheetos origin story is one of the very few that has actually been verified.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not only is it verified, a feature film about Montañez is in the works. Arellano says Hollywood doesn’t have nearly enough stories showing Latinos in a positive light, but Montañez's life is the perfect inspirational tale, featuring a unique snack.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "What Makes Your Salad Taste Like California? Hidden Valley Ranch",
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"content": "\u003cp>A salad isn’t a salad without dressing, and—according to a trade group called the \u003ca href=\"https://dressings-sauces.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Association for Dressings and Sauces\u003c/a>—a whopping 40 percent of Americans pick ranch dressing as their favorite. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hiddenvalley.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hidden Valley Ranch\u003c/a> is the brand that started it all, and it’s become a fixture of American culture, topping everything from pizza to tacos to chicken wings. You can even find ranch-flavored \u003ca href=\"http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/tempura-fried-okra-ranch-ice-cream/\">ice cream\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ranch-dressing-soda-lesters-fixins_n_3437111\">soda\u003c/a>. And YouTube is filled with videos of hardcore enthusiasts taking the ranch challenge, which means simply chugging the stuff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11722833\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11722833\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut-800x632.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"632\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut-800x632.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut-1020x806.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut-1200x948.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An advertisement for a magnum-sized bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Hidden Valley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But behind the delicious, creamy pleasures of the taste of Hidden Valley, once upon a time there was a real ranch, right here in the heart of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you look at the label on a bottle of the world’s most popular salad dressing, the lush, California-sun drenched expanse you see is actually about 2,000 miles south of the real birthplace of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Frozen Alaskan Bush Dressing doesn’t sound quite as good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a man named Steve Henson, he was from Nebraska, and he and his wife moved up to Alaska in the late ‘40s, early ‘50s,” says L.A. food writer Katherine Spiers, who hosts the culinary history podcast \u003ca href=\"http://www.smartmouthpodcast.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Smart Mouth\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11722838\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 594px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11722838\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"594\" height=\"595\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut.jpg 594w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-50x50.jpg 50w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katherine Spiers is a Los Angeles food writer and host of the podcast, Smart Mouth. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Katherine Spiers)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“He was a contractor working as a plumber for Alaskan oil companies. He also became a cook for the crews, which was just a hobby of his. He enjoyed doing it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Henson came up with a buttermilk-based dressing, mixing in garlic, salt, pepper, herbs and spices. The crews loved it, but after three years in the wild, his contract was up. Though Henson was done with Alaska, it had given him the magical, still-nameless salad dressing that was to change his life, and the lives of salad lovers, forever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He and his wife Gayle moved down to Santa Barbara County and bought a ranch that they named Hidden Valley Ranch,” Spiers continues. “It was meant to be a dude ranch, a guest ranch, but they started making more money off the salad dressing that they had made and popularized there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it wasn’t an overnight success. In the mid-‘50s, the Hensons worked hard to keep things afloat, fixing up the run down ranch in the San Marcos Pass north of Santa Barbara.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When things started getting busy, Gayle would single-handedly cook up to 300 steak dinners a night, and then entertain guests by playing the organ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they named the ranch appropriately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was off the road, just a little sign carved out of wood that said Hidden Valley Ranch, but when you got in there the ranch house was quite nice,” says Carol Henson. She’s married to Nolan Henson, the son of Steve and Gayle, who’ve both passed away. These days, Nolan is suffering from poor health, but Hidden Valley Ranch was his career. Carol met Nolan when he hired her to work for the company. She knew the whole family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Steve was a little dickens,” Henson says, “but he came up with that and it’s just gone, as they say nowadays, viral! But he told me they fooled around with it for a while, and it was invented so they could buy booze and cigarettes!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ranch guests demanded jars of the stuff to take home, which led to the Hensons creating a powdered version. That really took off, and the family was able to mail the mix anywhere in the country. Back when he was a kid, Nolan’s first family job was putting the mix into envelopes and mailing it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the early ‘70s, Hidden Valley Ranch was a phenomenon, in demand at supermarkets and salad bars nationwide. In 1972, the Hensons bowed out of the dressing game, selling their name and recipe to the company that owns Pine Sol, Mr. Plumr and Fresh Step kitty litter.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11717944/from-tortillas-to-jazz-club-to-chips-and-salsa-the-evolution-of-casa-sanchez\">From Tortillas and a Jazz Club to Chips and Salsa: The Legendary Evolution of Casa Sanchez\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11717944/from-tortillas-to-jazz-club-to-chips-and-salsa-the-evolution-of-casa-sanchez\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34660_017-qut-1020x796.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“They sold it to Clorox Corporation,” Henson says. “They had a big party—they have tons of attorneys—and they tried to get Nolan drunk, but he kept throwing the drinks in the planter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why were they trying to get him drunk?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Less money if he signed something, ya know? There you go!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Hensons ultimately got $8 million for the dressing. Good money back in ’72, and a good deal for Clorox. In 2017, Hidden Valley products earned more than $450 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that for a simple concoction, but after all, it was the taste of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A big part of it is all the herbs in it,” says Katherine Spiers. “Are they using fresh herbs in the mass produced Clorox version? No, why would they? It would go bad. So no, I don’t think it tastes like California as-is, but you can make your own ranch dressing, it’s relatively simple. And that, absolutely, tastes like California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a taste that Nolan Henson still enjoys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh of course, of course he does,” his wife confirms. “We still make us a quart, now and then. We have the ingredients and stuff, but nobody’s getting ’em. They have to figure it out on their own.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"headline": "What Makes Your Salad Taste Like California? Hidden Valley Ranch",
"datePublished": "2019-02-02T08:00:14-08:00",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A salad isn’t a salad without dressing, and—according to a trade group called the \u003ca href=\"https://dressings-sauces.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Association for Dressings and Sauces\u003c/a>—a whopping 40 percent of Americans pick ranch dressing as their favorite. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hiddenvalley.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hidden Valley Ranch\u003c/a> is the brand that started it all, and it’s become a fixture of American culture, topping everything from pizza to tacos to chicken wings. You can even find ranch-flavored \u003ca href=\"http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/tempura-fried-okra-ranch-ice-cream/\">ice cream\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ranch-dressing-soda-lesters-fixins_n_3437111\">soda\u003c/a>. And YouTube is filled with videos of hardcore enthusiasts taking the ranch challenge, which means simply chugging the stuff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11722833\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11722833\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut-800x632.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"632\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut-800x632.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut-1020x806.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut-1200x948.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35077_HVR_Magnum_Hero_4350_150dpi_i1-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An advertisement for a magnum-sized bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Hidden Valley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But behind the delicious, creamy pleasures of the taste of Hidden Valley, once upon a time there was a real ranch, right here in the heart of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you look at the label on a bottle of the world’s most popular salad dressing, the lush, California-sun drenched expanse you see is actually about 2,000 miles south of the real birthplace of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Frozen Alaskan Bush Dressing doesn’t sound quite as good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a man named Steve Henson, he was from Nebraska, and he and his wife moved up to Alaska in the late ‘40s, early ‘50s,” says L.A. food writer Katherine Spiers, who hosts the culinary history podcast \u003ca href=\"http://www.smartmouthpodcast.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Smart Mouth\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11722838\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 594px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11722838\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"594\" height=\"595\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut.jpg 594w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-50x50.jpg 50w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/02/RS35078_spiers-qut-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katherine Spiers is a Los Angeles food writer and host of the podcast, Smart Mouth. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Katherine Spiers)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“He was a contractor working as a plumber for Alaskan oil companies. He also became a cook for the crews, which was just a hobby of his. He enjoyed doing it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Henson came up with a buttermilk-based dressing, mixing in garlic, salt, pepper, herbs and spices. The crews loved it, but after three years in the wild, his contract was up. Though Henson was done with Alaska, it had given him the magical, still-nameless salad dressing that was to change his life, and the lives of salad lovers, forever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He and his wife Gayle moved down to Santa Barbara County and bought a ranch that they named Hidden Valley Ranch,” Spiers continues. “It was meant to be a dude ranch, a guest ranch, but they started making more money off the salad dressing that they had made and popularized there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it wasn’t an overnight success. In the mid-‘50s, the Hensons worked hard to keep things afloat, fixing up the run down ranch in the San Marcos Pass north of Santa Barbara.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When things started getting busy, Gayle would single-handedly cook up to 300 steak dinners a night, and then entertain guests by playing the organ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they named the ranch appropriately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was off the road, just a little sign carved out of wood that said Hidden Valley Ranch, but when you got in there the ranch house was quite nice,” says Carol Henson. She’s married to Nolan Henson, the son of Steve and Gayle, who’ve both passed away. These days, Nolan is suffering from poor health, but Hidden Valley Ranch was his career. Carol met Nolan when he hired her to work for the company. She knew the whole family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Steve was a little dickens,” Henson says, “but he came up with that and it’s just gone, as they say nowadays, viral! But he told me they fooled around with it for a while, and it was invented so they could buy booze and cigarettes!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ranch guests demanded jars of the stuff to take home, which led to the Hensons creating a powdered version. That really took off, and the family was able to mail the mix anywhere in the country. Back when he was a kid, Nolan’s first family job was putting the mix into envelopes and mailing it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the early ‘70s, Hidden Valley Ranch was a phenomenon, in demand at supermarkets and salad bars nationwide. In 1972, the Hensons bowed out of the dressing game, selling their name and recipe to the company that owns Pine Sol, Mr. Plumr and Fresh Step kitty litter.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11717944/from-tortillas-to-jazz-club-to-chips-and-salsa-the-evolution-of-casa-sanchez\">From Tortillas and a Jazz Club to Chips and Salsa: The Legendary Evolution of Casa Sanchez\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11717944/from-tortillas-to-jazz-club-to-chips-and-salsa-the-evolution-of-casa-sanchez\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34660_017-qut-1020x796.jpg\" alt=\"\">\u003c/a>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“They sold it to Clorox Corporation,” Henson says. “They had a big party—they have tons of attorneys—and they tried to get Nolan drunk, but he kept throwing the drinks in the planter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why were they trying to get him drunk?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Less money if he signed something, ya know? There you go!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Hensons ultimately got $8 million for the dressing. Good money back in ’72, and a good deal for Clorox. In 2017, Hidden Valley products earned more than $450 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that for a simple concoction, but after all, it was the taste of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A big part of it is all the herbs in it,” says Katherine Spiers. “Are they using fresh herbs in the mass produced Clorox version? No, why would they? It would go bad. So no, I don’t think it tastes like California as-is, but you can make your own ranch dressing, it’s relatively simple. And that, absolutely, tastes like California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a taste that Nolan Henson still enjoys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh of course, of course he does,” his wife confirms. “We still make us a quart, now and then. We have the ingredients and stuff, but nobody’s getting ’em. They have to figure it out on their own.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Pisco Punch: The Pricey San Francisco Cocktail That Was a Gold Rush Knockout",
"headTitle": "Pisco Punch: The Pricey San Francisco Cocktail That Was a Gold Rush Knockout | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545?mt=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Listen to this and more in-depth storytelling by subscribing to The California Report Magazine podcast.\u003c/a> Find the full Golden State Plate series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/series/golden-state-plate/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you’re a cocktail drinker, you’ve no doubt tasted a few Pisco Sours in your time. It’s that pale, frothy drink made with pisco — a highly potent Peruvian brandy. The Pisco Sour was invented in Peru, with the first printed recipe appearing in the 1940s. But many, many years before that, 19th century San Francisco was gripped by a craze for another pisco concoction. They called it the “Pisco Punch” — and by all accounts, this singular beverage should have come with a health warning.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Era of Excess\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>You won’t \u003cem>see\u003c/em> Pisco Punches on many menus in 2019. Only a handful of places in San Francisco — like North Beach’s \u003ca href=\"https://comstocksaloon.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Comstock Saloon\u003c/a> — serve these gold-colored, citrusy concoctions anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720631\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720631\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bar manager Anthony Cozeck prepares a Pisco Punch at San Francisco’s Comstock Saloon. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Yet in the late 1800s, Pisco Punch wasn’t \u003cem>just\u003c/em> a drink. Ordering a glass was a status symbol — and it said everything about the newfound wealth and ambition of Gold Rush San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prospectors streamed into the city with money to burn and tastes to be satisfied. In prodigiously prosperous early San Francisco, those buyers found a mixology culture that wouldn’t be out of place today, says cocktail historian Duggan McDonnell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was a port city, and it had access to so many amazing, wonderful ingredients,” McDonnell points out. “And when you have wealth, what do you spend it on, but amazing things to put on your body and in your mouth?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720626\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720626\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco cocktail historian Duggan McDonnell \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Every scene needs its headquarters, and in 1880s San Francisco, that place was a bar called the Bank Exchange and Billiard Saloon — just steps from where the Comstock Saloon does business today. Here, on the site where the Transamerica Pyramid now stretches into the San Francisco sky, the Pisco Punch was born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bank Exchange may have been a saloon — but with its marble bar and ornate chandeliers, it was no dive. “It opened up in 1853 frankly as a testament to the West — that the West was going to make it,” says McDonnell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720625\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720625\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/800px-G._R._Fardon_British_-_Montgomery_Block_Montgomery_Street_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/800px-G._R._Fardon_British_-_Montgomery_Block_Montgomery_Street_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/800px-G._R._Fardon_British_-_Montgomery_Block_Montgomery_Street_-_Google_Art_Project-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Montgomery Block building that housed the Bank Exchange and Billiard Saloon, photographed in 1856 by G. R. Fardon (1807-1886) \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The huge building that housed the Bank Exchange was called the Montgomery Block — \u003ca href=\"https://sf.curbed.com/2017/1/3/14156812/transamerica-pyramid-montgomery-block-sf-artists\">a sprawling hub of movers and shakers\u003c/a>. Artists and writers, including Jack London and Ambrose Bierce, lived and worked above the saloon. Even Mark Twain was a regular, and was said to have drunk Pisco Punches there with the local man who inspired the character of Tom Sawyer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Behind that marble bar was the Bank’s very own celebrity bartender: a Scotsman named Duncan Nichol (also spelled elsewhere as “Nicol.”) He was the tastemaker serving Pisco Punch to San Francisco’s well-to-do — for an eye-watering price. In today’s money, estimates McDonnell, a single order of Pisco Punch would set you back a cool $25.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11721024\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 637px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11721024\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/AAB-1782.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"637\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/AAB-1782.jpg 637w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/AAB-1782-160x100.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 637px) 100vw, 637px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Duncan Nichol (on the left) inside the Bank Exchange \u003ccite>(San Francisco History Center, SF Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Today, CEOs battle over technology patents. In 1887, Duncan Nichol’s big triumph — the move that secured his fame, and his legacy — was acquiring the intellectual property rights to the Bank’s Pisco Punch recipe when he bought the bar, promoting himself from bartender to owner. This drink was simply \u003cem>that\u003c/em> big of a deal in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re wondering what on earth could be so special about a single cocktail, take a look at what was actually in it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Anatomy of an ‘It’ Drink\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>There was, of course, the pisco itself. Pisco is a distilled, fermented grape juice from Peru with extreme potency. So potent, says Peru-born \u003ca href=\"https://www.piscotrail.com/\">pisco expert Nico Vera\u003c/a>, that “one bottle of pisco is the equivalent of about 10 bottles of wine.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720630\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720630\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Pisco Punch is strained into its antique glass at San Francisco’s Comstock Saloon. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pisco was born, says Vera, when Peruvian vintners working with the grapes brought over by the Spanish 400 years earlier found their wine banned by the King of Spain — for competing a little too much with their European equivalents. Peru’s winemakers, he says, “had to embrace distillation as an alternative.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peruvian traders had long been bringing pisco up to the San Francisco Bay (then part of Mexico). With the discovery of gold in this region, more and more Peruvians made the journey to leverage their expertise in mining, and brought even more of their national brandy with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720633\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720633\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Looking out toward the former site of the Bank Exchange and Billard Saloon — now where the Transamerica Pyramid stands — from San Francisco’s Comstock Saloon. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Once San Francisco got a taste for pisco, the city was wild for it, says Vera, comparing the vogue for pisco to the gin craze that swept 18th century London. “It’s 38 to 48 percent alcohol by volume, and is very clean when it is single distillation and nothing gets added. So in theory, you don’t get a hangover,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or as historian McDonnell puts it, “That kind of pisco is more concentrated than anything else on this planet. I mean, it gets into your \u003cem>bones\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another key ingredient? Pineapple. These fruits arrived into San Francisco on many of the same ships that brought the pisco, becoming another luxury item for a luxury-obsessed town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720635\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720635\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bar manager Anthony Cozeck speaks to customers at San Francisco’s Comstock Saloon.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As McDonnell puts it knowingly: “Only in the richest city in the world would you then take that sweet magical fruit and put it in a cocktail, for God’s sake.” He also says that San Francisco store owners would take whole pineapples straight from the docks and place them in their windows — the tradition that turned the pineapple into “the international symbol of hospitality and luxury.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The Mixologist’s Mystery\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Along with some lime and syrup, the Bank’s Pisco Punch also boasted a mystery ingredient that Duncan Nichol would never divulge. Along with the pisco, this secret made the cocktail so mythically strong that the Saloon apparently only allowed two per customer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No man but one knows what is in it,” wrote author \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling\">Rudyard Kipling\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32977\">“From Sea to Sea: Letters of Travel”\u003c/a> — just one of Pisco Punch’s literary fans. “I have a theory it is compounded of the shavings of cherubs’ wings, the glory of a tropical dawn, the red clouds of sunset, and fragments of lost epics by dead masters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720638\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720638\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lemon twist is added to a Pisco Punch at the Comstock Saloon. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another (anonymous) contemporary wrote, with a shot more brevity, that “it makes a gnat fight an elephant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That mystery ingredient itself, says Duggan McDonnell, might explain why writers were so effusive in their love for it. That special something, he believes, might have been \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vin_Mariani\">Vin Marani\u003c/a>: a fortified wine from Bordeaux. The principal ingredient in that, until it got banned, was coca leaves from Peru. In essence: cocaine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In “19th century California, specifically San Francisco writing,” says McDonnell, “you look at Twain and Kipling and all these guys and there’s a lot… of \u003cem>energy\u003c/em> in their prose? A lot of \u003cem>hyperbole,\u003c/em> shall we say? So I’m not surprised that these guys had a few Pisco Punches with their coca leaves in them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>One Era Ends, Another Begins\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>But as with all crazes, things come to an end. In the case of Pisco Punch, that end was Prohibition, with the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States\">passing of the Volstead Act in 1919. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like so many bar owners, Duncan Nichol was forced to closed his Bank Exchange Saloon — and not long after, he took his mystery Pisco Punch recipe to the grave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11721040\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 613px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11721040\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/CHS-screenshot.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"613\" height=\"934\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/CHS-screenshot.png 613w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/CHS-screenshot-160x244.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 613px) 100vw, 613px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 1973 California Historical Society Quarterly (Vol. 52) that revealed the Pisco Punch recipe allegedly used by Duncan Nichol himself. \u003ccite>(California Historical Society)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s hottest cocktail became a forgotten legend until decades later, when in 1973 a version of the Bank’s original recipe was \u003ca href=\"https://www.jstor.org/stable/25157448?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents\">unearthed by the California Historical Society and published\u003c/a>. Places like the Comstock Saloon began bringing it back — with a spot of guesswork around that secret ingredient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here, just down the street from where the Bank once stood, the Comstock is still serving up several Pisco Punches a night. Yet like Duncan Nichol over a century ago, they still can’t resist a little mystery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720628\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720628\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anthony Cozeck holds the Comstock Saloon’s secret Pisco Punch ingredient. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Shaking up his Pisco Punch, Comstock bartender Anthony Cozeck says their version also features a “a secret proprietary ingredient” — that they keep in a bottle labeled “Nichol.” “You can tell me which you think it is,” Cozeck says. “But I won’t tell you if you got it right.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you hear a challenge here, you’re right. Just … go easy.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545?mt=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Listen to this and more in-depth storytelling by subscribing to The California Report Magazine podcast.\u003c/a> Find the full Golden State Plate series \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/series/golden-state-plate/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">I\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>f you’re a cocktail drinker, you’ve no doubt tasted a few Pisco Sours in your time. It’s that pale, frothy drink made with pisco — a highly potent Peruvian brandy. The Pisco Sour was invented in Peru, with the first printed recipe appearing in the 1940s. But many, many years before that, 19th century San Francisco was gripped by a craze for another pisco concoction. They called it the “Pisco Punch” — and by all accounts, this singular beverage should have come with a health warning.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Era of Excess\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>You won’t \u003cem>see\u003c/em> Pisco Punches on many menus in 2019. Only a handful of places in San Francisco — like North Beach’s \u003ca href=\"https://comstocksaloon.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Comstock Saloon\u003c/a> — serve these gold-colored, citrusy concoctions anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720631\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720631\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34806_DSC_1217-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bar manager Anthony Cozeck prepares a Pisco Punch at San Francisco’s Comstock Saloon. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Yet in the late 1800s, Pisco Punch wasn’t \u003cem>just\u003c/em> a drink. Ordering a glass was a status symbol — and it said everything about the newfound wealth and ambition of Gold Rush San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prospectors streamed into the city with money to burn and tastes to be satisfied. In prodigiously prosperous early San Francisco, those buyers found a mixology culture that wouldn’t be out of place today, says cocktail historian Duggan McDonnell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was a port city, and it had access to so many amazing, wonderful ingredients,” McDonnell points out. “And when you have wealth, what do you spend it on, but amazing things to put on your body and in your mouth?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720626\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720626\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34798_DSC_1171-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco cocktail historian Duggan McDonnell \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Every scene needs its headquarters, and in 1880s San Francisco, that place was a bar called the Bank Exchange and Billiard Saloon — just steps from where the Comstock Saloon does business today. Here, on the site where the Transamerica Pyramid now stretches into the San Francisco sky, the Pisco Punch was born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bank Exchange may have been a saloon — but with its marble bar and ornate chandeliers, it was no dive. “It opened up in 1853 frankly as a testament to the West — that the West was going to make it,” says McDonnell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720625\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720625\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/800px-G._R._Fardon_British_-_Montgomery_Block_Montgomery_Street_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/800px-G._R._Fardon_British_-_Montgomery_Block_Montgomery_Street_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/800px-G._R._Fardon_British_-_Montgomery_Block_Montgomery_Street_-_Google_Art_Project-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Montgomery Block building that housed the Bank Exchange and Billiard Saloon, photographed in 1856 by G. R. Fardon (1807-1886) \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The huge building that housed the Bank Exchange was called the Montgomery Block — \u003ca href=\"https://sf.curbed.com/2017/1/3/14156812/transamerica-pyramid-montgomery-block-sf-artists\">a sprawling hub of movers and shakers\u003c/a>. Artists and writers, including Jack London and Ambrose Bierce, lived and worked above the saloon. Even Mark Twain was a regular, and was said to have drunk Pisco Punches there with the local man who inspired the character of Tom Sawyer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Behind that marble bar was the Bank’s very own celebrity bartender: a Scotsman named Duncan Nichol (also spelled elsewhere as “Nicol.”) He was the tastemaker serving Pisco Punch to San Francisco’s well-to-do — for an eye-watering price. In today’s money, estimates McDonnell, a single order of Pisco Punch would set you back a cool $25.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11721024\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 637px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11721024\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/AAB-1782.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"637\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/AAB-1782.jpg 637w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/AAB-1782-160x100.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 637px) 100vw, 637px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Duncan Nichol (on the left) inside the Bank Exchange \u003ccite>(San Francisco History Center, SF Public Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Today, CEOs battle over technology patents. In 1887, Duncan Nichol’s big triumph — the move that secured his fame, and his legacy — was acquiring the intellectual property rights to the Bank’s Pisco Punch recipe when he bought the bar, promoting himself from bartender to owner. This drink was simply \u003cem>that\u003c/em> big of a deal in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re wondering what on earth could be so special about a single cocktail, take a look at what was actually in it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Anatomy of an ‘It’ Drink\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>There was, of course, the pisco itself. Pisco is a distilled, fermented grape juice from Peru with extreme potency. So potent, says Peru-born \u003ca href=\"https://www.piscotrail.com/\">pisco expert Nico Vera\u003c/a>, that “one bottle of pisco is the equivalent of about 10 bottles of wine.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720630\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720630\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34807_DSC_1219-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Pisco Punch is strained into its antique glass at San Francisco’s Comstock Saloon. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pisco was born, says Vera, when Peruvian vintners working with the grapes brought over by the Spanish 400 years earlier found their wine banned by the King of Spain — for competing a little too much with their European equivalents. Peru’s winemakers, he says, “had to embrace distillation as an alternative.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peruvian traders had long been bringing pisco up to the San Francisco Bay (then part of Mexico). With the discovery of gold in this region, more and more Peruvians made the journey to leverage their expertise in mining, and brought even more of their national brandy with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720633\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720633\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34812_DSC_1239-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Looking out toward the former site of the Bank Exchange and Billard Saloon — now where the Transamerica Pyramid stands — from San Francisco’s Comstock Saloon. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Once San Francisco got a taste for pisco, the city was wild for it, says Vera, comparing the vogue for pisco to the gin craze that swept 18th century London. “It’s 38 to 48 percent alcohol by volume, and is very clean when it is single distillation and nothing gets added. So in theory, you don’t get a hangover,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or as historian McDonnell puts it, “That kind of pisco is more concentrated than anything else on this planet. I mean, it gets into your \u003cem>bones\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another key ingredient? Pineapple. These fruits arrived into San Francisco on many of the same ships that brought the pisco, becoming another luxury item for a luxury-obsessed town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720635\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720635\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34811_DSC_1236-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bar manager Anthony Cozeck speaks to customers at San Francisco’s Comstock Saloon.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As McDonnell puts it knowingly: “Only in the richest city in the world would you then take that sweet magical fruit and put it in a cocktail, for God’s sake.” He also says that San Francisco store owners would take whole pineapples straight from the docks and place them in their windows — the tradition that turned the pineapple into “the international symbol of hospitality and luxury.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The Mixologist’s Mystery\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Along with some lime and syrup, the Bank’s Pisco Punch also boasted a mystery ingredient that Duncan Nichol would never divulge. Along with the pisco, this secret made the cocktail so mythically strong that the Saloon apparently only allowed two per customer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No man but one knows what is in it,” wrote author \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling\">Rudyard Kipling\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32977\">“From Sea to Sea: Letters of Travel”\u003c/a> — just one of Pisco Punch’s literary fans. “I have a theory it is compounded of the shavings of cherubs’ wings, the glory of a tropical dawn, the red clouds of sunset, and fragments of lost epics by dead masters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720638\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720638\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34808_DSC_1223-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lemon twist is added to a Pisco Punch at the Comstock Saloon. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another (anonymous) contemporary wrote, with a shot more brevity, that “it makes a gnat fight an elephant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That mystery ingredient itself, says Duggan McDonnell, might explain why writers were so effusive in their love for it. That special something, he believes, might have been \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vin_Mariani\">Vin Marani\u003c/a>: a fortified wine from Bordeaux. The principal ingredient in that, until it got banned, was coca leaves from Peru. In essence: cocaine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In “19th century California, specifically San Francisco writing,” says McDonnell, “you look at Twain and Kipling and all these guys and there’s a lot… of \u003cem>energy\u003c/em> in their prose? A lot of \u003cem>hyperbole,\u003c/em> shall we say? So I’m not surprised that these guys had a few Pisco Punches with their coca leaves in them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>One Era Ends, Another Begins\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>But as with all crazes, things come to an end. In the case of Pisco Punch, that end was Prohibition, with the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States\">passing of the Volstead Act in 1919. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like so many bar owners, Duncan Nichol was forced to closed his Bank Exchange Saloon — and not long after, he took his mystery Pisco Punch recipe to the grave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11721040\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 613px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11721040\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/CHS-screenshot.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"613\" height=\"934\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/CHS-screenshot.png 613w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/CHS-screenshot-160x244.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 613px) 100vw, 613px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 1973 California Historical Society Quarterly (Vol. 52) that revealed the Pisco Punch recipe allegedly used by Duncan Nichol himself. \u003ccite>(California Historical Society)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s hottest cocktail became a forgotten legend until decades later, when in 1973 a version of the Bank’s original recipe was \u003ca href=\"https://www.jstor.org/stable/25157448?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents\">unearthed by the California Historical Society and published\u003c/a>. Places like the Comstock Saloon began bringing it back — with a spot of guesswork around that secret ingredient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here, just down the street from where the Bank once stood, the Comstock is still serving up several Pisco Punches a night. Yet like Duncan Nichol over a century ago, they still can’t resist a little mystery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720628\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720628\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS34803_DSC_1209-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anthony Cozeck holds the Comstock Saloon’s secret Pisco Punch ingredient. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Shaking up his Pisco Punch, Comstock bartender Anthony Cozeck says their version also features a “a secret proprietary ingredient” — that they keep in a bottle labeled “Nichol.” “You can tell me which you think it is,” Cozeck says. “But I won’t tell you if you got it right.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "golden-state-plate-the-story-of-the-martini-straight-up-with-a-twist",
"title": "Golden State Plate: The Story of the Martini, Straight Up, With a Twist",
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"headTitle": "Golden State Plate: The Story of the Martini, Straight Up, With a Twist | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The martini is iconic. Not just because of James Bond, but the glass it’s served in, those neon signs in front of old school bars … it even has its own emoji.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUUq5mRCimo\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The martini is also the first cocktail Tamir Ben-Shalom learned how to make.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ben-Shalom is bar manager at the \u003ca href=\"http://www.bullvalleyroadhouse.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bull Valley Roadhouse\u003c/a> in the tiny East Bay town of Port Costa. He makes a mean martini: two parts of Old Tom Gin, one part Turino vermouth blend, and orange bitters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703176\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11703176\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tamir Ben-Shalom is the Bar Manager at Bull Valley Road House in Port Costa, a tiny town in the East Bay. \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703175\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11703175\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lemon, gin and vermouth go into the martini at the Bull Valley Roadhouse. \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But he tells me that if I want to get to the bottom of the martini mystery, I really need to drive 20 minutes to Martinez. So, I get in my car until I hit the intersection of Masonic and Alhambra Streets. It’s an unassuming parking lot, except for a plaque on a giant boulder that claims \u003cem>this\u003c/em> is the site of the martini’s invention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703173\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11703173 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"In the middle of a parking lot in Martinez, there is a plaque that claims it is the site of the invention of the martini.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-240x320.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-375x500.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-520x693.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the middle of a parking lot in Martinez, there is a plaque that claims it is the site of the invention of the martini. \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The plaque reads: “On this site in 1874, Julio Richelieu, bartender, served up the first martini when a miner came into his saloon with a fistful of nuggets and asked for something special. He was served a Martinez Special. After three or four drinks, however, the Z would get very much in the way. The drink consisted of two thirds gin, one third vermouth, a dash of orange bitters, poured over crushed ice and served with an olive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not only does Martinez lay claim to the drink with a plaque, it throws an \u003ca href=\"http://www.martinezchamber.com/martinis-on-the-plaza-gala\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">annual Martini’s on the Plaza Gaza\u003c/a>, and the drink’s origin story is on the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cityofmartinez.org/our_city/martini.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">city’s official website.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Gabriel Clothes, a San Francisco bartender who collects and studies old cocktail recipes, says there’s actually a lot of controversy about where — and who — invented the martini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These origins are so murky. Especially a drink, it’s not entered into the public record,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703179\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 347px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11703179 \" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33514_JerryThomas01-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"347\" height=\"310\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33514_JerryThomas01-qut.jpg 294w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33514_JerryThomas01-qut-160x143.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33514_JerryThomas01-qut-240x215.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 347px) 100vw, 347px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An 1862 engraving of Jerry Thomas. His ‘Bartenders Guide’ is a seminal cocktail recipe book. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons: Museum of the American Cocktail)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Clothes tells me a really similar origin story — it also takes place during the 1870s, but this time it happens in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It starts with a miner with a sack of gold who went into the bar at the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occidental_Hotel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Occidental Hotel\u003c/a> hoping to trade it for a bottle of whiskey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bartender \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Thomas_(bartender)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerry Thomas\u003c/a> gave him the whiskey AND a special drink he invented off the cuff — the Martinez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1887, the recipe for the Martinez was documented for the first time, in Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And his recipe looks a lot like the classic martini : one part Old Tom gin, and two parts vermouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703178\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 292px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11703178\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33515_bartenders-guide-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"292\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33515_bartenders-guide-qut.jpg 199w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33515_bartenders-guide-qut-160x241.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 292px) 100vw, 292px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide (first published in 1862) was reprinted in 1887 with a recipe for the Martinez. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Jennifer Colliau)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To try to clarify the Martinez-Martini confusion, I consult with Jennifer Colliau, an an award-winning bartender and self-proclaimed cocktail nerd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love that there’s this air of mystery to it,” she says of the cocktail. “[American writer] H.L. Mencken called the martini ‘the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She loves the martini so much, she’s created a spreadsheet of all the different variations she’s found over the years. It has whopping 469 entries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the drinks she’s documented are made with exact same recipe but different names: the Chris Racquet Club, the Duey, the Dry Martini, the Marguerite and the Nutting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703180\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11703180 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"415\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut-240x156.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut-375x243.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut-520x337.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jennifer Colliau is founder of Small Hand Foods, and an award-winning bartender. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Jennifer Colliau)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All of those drinks are made with the same ingredients: 1 to 1 gin and dry vermouth with orange bitters. So which one is one?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colliau says I’m asking the wrong question: “There is nothing empirical here. There are people writing other people’s recipes. There are people naming drinks after themselves or after the bars they work in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This explains why it’s \u003cem>so\u003c/em> hard to nail down the difference between a Martinez and a martini, let alone where it was invented. But regardless of what it was called…it’s obvious that a martini-type gin drink was very popular at the turn of the century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People always drank whatever they had around and you know when America was being settled, there was a lot of gin here,” says Colliau.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that wasn’t an accident. Gin’s popularity can really be traced back to \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prohibition\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the manufacturing and selling of alcohol became illegal in 1920, people got…creative. Ever heard of bathtub gin? That was literally gin made in a bathtub. It was cheap and easy, and there was a lot of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703181\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 472px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11703181\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33553_prohibition-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"472\" height=\"372\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33553_prohibition-qut.jpg 472w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33553_prohibition-qut-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33553_prohibition-qut-240x189.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33553_prohibition-qut-375x296.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 472px) 100vw, 472px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons: Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And the martini profile got a boost when President Roosevelt repealed Prohibition thirteen years later. According to Gabriel Clothes, Roosevelt even toasted the end of Prohibition with — a martini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colliau considers the martini the “granddaddy of cocktails”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this granddaddy came from here — the San Francisco Bay Area. Well it PROBABLY came from here…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/11/27/move-over-san-francisco-the-martini-has-a-home-in-contra-costa-county-seat/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Jose Mercury News\u003c/a>, in 1983, the San Francisco Court of Historical Review — a group with no actual legal authority — held a mock trial over the origin of the martini, determining that their city was the cocktail’s rightful birthplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703182\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 287px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11703182\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"287\" height=\"383\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-240x320.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-375x500.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-520x693.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 287px) 100vw, 287px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A martini with a twist. \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But not to be outdone, a mock court in Martinez overturned the ruling shortly after.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I press Jennifer Colliau, Tamir Ben-Shalom, and Gabriel Clothes on the martini was invented, no one is willing to say anything definitively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, when I ask Colliau if she thinks it’s important that people know where the martini comes from, she gives it to me straight:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh god no no no. No one needs to know any of this,” she says laughing. Then she adds, “I mean if you’re enjoying yourself at my bar that’s really all that I care about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cheers to that!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The drink was originally concocted in the Bay Area. But where exactly the cocktail was invented, how it got its name, and what it's made of — that's where it gets muddled.",
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"title": "Golden State Plate: The Story of the Martini, Straight Up, With a Twist | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The martini is iconic. Not just because of James Bond, but the glass it’s served in, those neon signs in front of old school bars … it even has its own emoji.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/OUUq5mRCimo'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/OUUq5mRCimo'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The martini is also the first cocktail Tamir Ben-Shalom learned how to make.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ben-Shalom is bar manager at the \u003ca href=\"http://www.bullvalleyroadhouse.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bull Valley Roadhouse\u003c/a> in the tiny East Bay town of Port Costa. He makes a mean martini: two parts of Old Tom Gin, one part Turino vermouth blend, and orange bitters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703176\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11703176\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33552_IMG_4072-qut-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tamir Ben-Shalom is the Bar Manager at Bull Valley Road House in Port Costa, a tiny town in the East Bay. \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703175\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11703175\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-240x180.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-375x281.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33512_IMG_4071-qut-520x390.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lemon, gin and vermouth go into the martini at the Bull Valley Roadhouse. \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But he tells me that if I want to get to the bottom of the martini mystery, I really need to drive 20 minutes to Martinez. So, I get in my car until I hit the intersection of Masonic and Alhambra Streets. It’s an unassuming parking lot, except for a plaque on a giant boulder that claims \u003cem>this\u003c/em> is the site of the martini’s invention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703173\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11703173 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"In the middle of a parking lot in Martinez, there is a plaque that claims it is the site of the invention of the martini.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-240x320.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-375x500.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33511_alt_797-520x693.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the middle of a parking lot in Martinez, there is a plaque that claims it is the site of the invention of the martini. \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The plaque reads: “On this site in 1874, Julio Richelieu, bartender, served up the first martini when a miner came into his saloon with a fistful of nuggets and asked for something special. He was served a Martinez Special. After three or four drinks, however, the Z would get very much in the way. The drink consisted of two thirds gin, one third vermouth, a dash of orange bitters, poured over crushed ice and served with an olive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not only does Martinez lay claim to the drink with a plaque, it throws an \u003ca href=\"http://www.martinezchamber.com/martinis-on-the-plaza-gala\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">annual Martini’s on the Plaza Gaza\u003c/a>, and the drink’s origin story is on the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cityofmartinez.org/our_city/martini.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">city’s official website.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Gabriel Clothes, a San Francisco bartender who collects and studies old cocktail recipes, says there’s actually a lot of controversy about where — and who — invented the martini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These origins are so murky. Especially a drink, it’s not entered into the public record,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703179\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 347px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11703179 \" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33514_JerryThomas01-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"347\" height=\"310\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33514_JerryThomas01-qut.jpg 294w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33514_JerryThomas01-qut-160x143.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33514_JerryThomas01-qut-240x215.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 347px) 100vw, 347px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An 1862 engraving of Jerry Thomas. His ‘Bartenders Guide’ is a seminal cocktail recipe book. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons: Museum of the American Cocktail)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Clothes tells me a really similar origin story — it also takes place during the 1870s, but this time it happens in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It starts with a miner with a sack of gold who went into the bar at the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occidental_Hotel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Occidental Hotel\u003c/a> hoping to trade it for a bottle of whiskey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bartender \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Thomas_(bartender)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerry Thomas\u003c/a> gave him the whiskey AND a special drink he invented off the cuff — the Martinez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1887, the recipe for the Martinez was documented for the first time, in Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And his recipe looks a lot like the classic martini : one part Old Tom gin, and two parts vermouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703178\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 292px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11703178\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33515_bartenders-guide-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"292\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33515_bartenders-guide-qut.jpg 199w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33515_bartenders-guide-qut-160x241.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 292px) 100vw, 292px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide (first published in 1862) was reprinted in 1887 with a recipe for the Martinez. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Jennifer Colliau)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To try to clarify the Martinez-Martini confusion, I consult with Jennifer Colliau, an an award-winning bartender and self-proclaimed cocktail nerd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love that there’s this air of mystery to it,” she says of the cocktail. “[American writer] H.L. Mencken called the martini ‘the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She loves the martini so much, she’s created a spreadsheet of all the different variations she’s found over the years. It has whopping 469 entries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the drinks she’s documented are made with exact same recipe but different names: the Chris Racquet Club, the Duey, the Dry Martini, the Marguerite and the Nutting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703180\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11703180 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"415\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut-240x156.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut-375x243.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33516_JENNIFER-colliau-qut-520x337.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jennifer Colliau is founder of Small Hand Foods, and an award-winning bartender. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Jennifer Colliau)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All of those drinks are made with the same ingredients: 1 to 1 gin and dry vermouth with orange bitters. So which one is one?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colliau says I’m asking the wrong question: “There is nothing empirical here. There are people writing other people’s recipes. There are people naming drinks after themselves or after the bars they work in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This explains why it’s \u003cem>so\u003c/em> hard to nail down the difference between a Martinez and a martini, let alone where it was invented. But regardless of what it was called…it’s obvious that a martini-type gin drink was very popular at the turn of the century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People always drank whatever they had around and you know when America was being settled, there was a lot of gin here,” says Colliau.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that wasn’t an accident. Gin’s popularity can really be traced back to \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prohibition\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the manufacturing and selling of alcohol became illegal in 1920, people got…creative. Ever heard of bathtub gin? That was literally gin made in a bathtub. It was cheap and easy, and there was a lot of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703181\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 472px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11703181\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33553_prohibition-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"472\" height=\"372\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33553_prohibition-qut.jpg 472w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33553_prohibition-qut-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33553_prohibition-qut-240x189.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33553_prohibition-qut-375x296.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 472px) 100vw, 472px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol. \u003ccite>(Wikimedia Commons: Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And the martini profile got a boost when President Roosevelt repealed Prohibition thirteen years later. According to Gabriel Clothes, Roosevelt even toasted the end of Prohibition with — a martini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colliau considers the martini the “granddaddy of cocktails”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this granddaddy came from here — the San Francisco Bay Area. Well it PROBABLY came from here…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/11/27/move-over-san-francisco-the-martini-has-a-home-in-contra-costa-county-seat/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Jose Mercury News\u003c/a>, in 1983, the San Francisco Court of Historical Review — a group with no actual legal authority — held a mock trial over the origin of the martini, determining that their city was the cocktail’s rightful birthplace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11703182\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 287px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11703182\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"287\" height=\"383\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-900x1200.jpg 900w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-240x320.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-375x500.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1-520x693.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/RS33508_alt_798-1.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 287px) 100vw, 287px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A martini with a twist. \u003ccite>(Bianca Taylor/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But not to be outdone, a mock court in Martinez overturned the ruling shortly after.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I press Jennifer Colliau, Tamir Ben-Shalom, and Gabriel Clothes on the martini was invented, no one is willing to say anything definitively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, when I ask Colliau if she thinks it’s important that people know where the martini comes from, she gives it to me straight:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh god no no no. No one needs to know any of this,” she says laughing. Then she adds, “I mean if you’re enjoying yourself at my bar that’s really all that I care about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cheers to that!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"mindshift": {
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"possible": {
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"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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},
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"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
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