October 30,2010
Spudnuts
I made a mistake! In response to my last Blog (12).
Kelley, who responds to almost all of my Blogs told me that In my Blog (12) that talked about the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa (back when I was a boy growing up) reminded him of “Spudnuts” Spudnuts are donuts made from Potato flower (thus the name “Spuds”)
I responded to his email telling that I remember a Spudnuts Shop in Spencer close to where I lived.
I also told him I thought it was the original shop ( as my Grandfather Logan told me), but I discovered differently as you can see below. The real story of the Spudnuts origin.
*****************
This story was taken word for word from the web site: http://thespudnutshop.com/htms/history.htm
The Spudnuts Story
In 1939, brothers Bob and Al Pelton were hard at work in their modest neighborhood doughnut shop in Salt Lake City. They were intent on inventing a recipe for the perfect doughnut. After months of experimentation, they developed the ideal combination of select Idaho potatoes, specially blended flour, pure vegetable shortening, and rich, subtle spices. The Spudnut, named for its unique, potato-based blend of ingredients, was born and became a premium brand.
Within a few months, the Peltons entered the franchise business. The idea grew so rapidly that soon it was necessary to set up a special Franchise Department. Salt Lake City became the home base where a complete mix plant and warehouse was in operation. Shipping to distant points became an important part of the new, growing enterprise. So the Peltons looked around for a suitable distribution area. After considering many cities, they settled on Cleveland, Ohio, to act as a pivot in handling distribution throughout the east.
In the 1950s, for just $2,000, you could buy a Spudnuts franchise, which included all the equipment to make Spudnuts and three bags of Spudnut mix. To use the Spudnut name, you had to order 10 bags of Spudnut mix per week, which was shipped and delivered COD for $15 a bag from the Cleveland, Ohio, warehouse. At the time, a dozen Spudnuts cost 55 cents, which was about 15 cents more than other bakeries.
In 1952, the Peltons were now selling more than three-quarters of a million dozen Spudnuts per month and had franchised 350 shops throughout the United States, Canada, Alaska and Hawaii.
The April 1952 issue of Modern Mechanix has this and more information about the Pelton brothers and the history of the Spudnut.
The Spudnut Shop Story
In 1948, Betty and Barlow Ghirardo and Virginia and Jerry Bell purchased a Pelton franchise and opened The Spudnut Shop, which was located at the Richland "Y". Richland patrons could get their spudnut fix from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., six days a week.
Two years later, on March 4, 1950, The Spudnut Shop moved to a 600-sq-ft location at 228 Williams in the Uptown Shopping Center. It became a hub for the community, serving hot Spudnuts 24 hours a day. The menu also expanded to include coffee, malts, shakes, and soft ice cream.
In 1965, Betty and Barlow became the sole owners of The Spudnut Shop, and in 1968, they remodeled the store to more than double the size to 1,285 square feet and adding a full lunch menu of hamburgers, deli sandwiches, and soups.
By this time, The Spudnut Shop had become a Richland institution. Barlow ran The Spudnut Shop until he retired in 1985, when his son, Kevin, and his daughter, Val, took over day-to-day management of the store.
Val became the sole manager in 1990, and in 1999, she purchased the business and the building. Val recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of The Spudnut Shop.
That same Spudnut is still made today, with all of the quality ingredients of the original recipe. For more than 60 years, Spudnuts have been recognized as a premium doughnut. Our product is known as the finest in the industry, and its unique characteristics make us stand apart. You might say we're filling a hole in the doughnut market.
Story from Bastrop Enterprises.com
*************
America’s Finest Food Confection……
By Wes Helbling
Posted Feb 26, 2010 @ 06:00 AM
Bastrop, La. —
For a short time in the early 1950s, Bastrop citizens were treated to the unique taste of doughnuts made from potato flour in an authentic Spudnut Shop.
Readers of the Morehouse Enterprise got their first hint of the new business when they opened the Feb. 19, 1952 edition and found a simple ad proclaiming “SPUDNUT IS COMING” in bold-faced type.
The Bastrop Clarion announced the grand opening of the local Spudnut Shop in the March 7 edition. The shop was owned and operated by A.L. McClanahan, and was located at 117 North Franklin Street. The grand opening on March 8 would include free Spudnuts and coffee.
“We would like everyone in Bastrop to try Spudnuts,” McClanahan is quoted, “because they’re truly ‘America’s finest food confection’ -- a new and exciting taste thrill for every member of the family.
“Except for physical appearance, Spudnuts have no relation whatever to other similar shaped products. Spudnuts are large, fluffy, and airy, and are never soggy or greasy. They are made of a special blend of finest wheat flour, dehydrated potatoes ... milk solids, powdered whole eggs, and other vital ingredients -- all mixed and blended perfectly to the secret Pelton formula.
“Spudnuts are ‘raised’ in a proof box, just like all finest pastries; then, they are cooked, at an exact temperature, in highest quality shortenings, and finally, glazed, sugar-coated or chocolate-iced.
“We’ll also make many Spudnut varieties -- all made with the famous Spudnut mix to secret Pelton formulas, and the best-tasting pastries you’ve ever seen.”
Bob and Al Pelton of Salt Lake City had invented the Spudnut around 1940. The story of their successful business venture was recounted in the April 1952 edition of Mechanix Illustrated, just a few weeks after the Bastrop shop opened.
The article was titled “Their Potatoes Make Dough,” and the Peltons appeared on the magazine cover with a huge pile of pre-pastry tubers.
The Peltons had started working on their own recipe after eating potato-based doughnuts in Germany. They had tried several ideas -- from dough flavored with potato water to mashed potatoes -- before hitting on the dry potato mix that would make it possible to start a franchise in 1946.
According to Mechanix Illustrated, anyone could purchase a Spudnut Shop franchise for $1,750. The franchise cost included equipment and a half-ton of the Peltons’ potato mix, enough to make 1,650 Spudnuts. The owner had to pay for the set-up and decoration of his store, bringing the total start-up cost to approximately $5,000.
By 1952 Spudnut Shops had opened in 37 states, Canada, Alaska and Hawaii.
“This, according to Mr. McClanahan, proves the goodness of Spudnuts more powerfully than the strongest advertising campaign, because after the millions of dozens are sold, the first Spudnut customers are still coming back for more.”
The Clarion published an ad for the grand opening with the iconic Mr. Spudnut looking dapper in bow tie and top hat. Children who came to the opening were promised free Mr. Spudnut hats.
“Come and be our guests as another beautiful Spudnut Shop opens ... You’ll see genuine Spudnuts made, you’ll taste their tantalizing goodness -- and then, you’ll understand how delicious, how honestly DIFFERENT Spudnuts are!
“An eating delight for every member of the family ... Fluffy as a cloud, energy-packed, digestible! No wonder Spudnuts are America’s Finest Food Confection.”
The Clarion also advertised four varieties of Spudnuts to be sold at the Bastrop shop: Spudnut Buttons & Bows (“A luscious taste and appetite surprise!”), Spudnut Persians (“Crispy, melt-in-your-mouth goodness, tangy cinnamon layers, smooth frostings! Delicious!”), Spudnut Bismarks (“Tender-crisp crust, with tangy fresh-flavored filling!”) and Spudnut Spud-Overs (“A light flaky crust surrounding a generous portion of Spud-Apples, blended with an exciting selection of rare spices!”).
Spudnuts sold for 50 cents a dozen. Each of the varieties sold for six cents apiece, except for the Spud-Overs, which came in pairs for 15 cents.
For unknown reasons, McClanahan sold the shop just three months later. The Enterprise reports on May 13, 1952 the shop had been purchased by Mr. and Mrs. S.E. Hendricks of El Dorado, Ark.
“In connection with their opening Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks are offering free ice cream cones the balance of the week ... They make their own ice cream, also serve sundaes and milk shakes. They are also specializing in cold late lunches and home-baked ham.”
Here the newspaper trail ends, and no one seems to remember how long the Bastrop Spudnut Shop remained in business.
Charles Johnson said he has lived in Bastrop since 1945 and remembers eating at the Spudnut Shop a few times as a teenager.
“I was just a youngster around town, but I remember the Spudnut Shop,” said Johnson. “They put that in right across from the old bank. It was a delight to go in there and get a Spudnut, if you happened to have a dime in your pocket.
“The shop didn’t stay there a long time. I don’t think it ever caught on 100 percent -- it never was really flooded with people.”
The Pelton brothers sold the franchise upon retirement, to a company that did not last very long. Today it is impossible to buy a Spudnut franchise, but an estimated 37 Spudnut Shops remain in business in eight states. Since the original Pelton mix is no longer available, these shops have had to make slight changes to their recipes.
How good were Spudnuts? The author decided to visit the nearest surviving Spudnut Shop for a taste of their “tantalizing goodness."
The El Dorado Spudnut Shop has been open for more than half a century, and has become something of a legend in southern Arkansas.
According to a 2004 article in the El Dorado News-Times, longtime manager Bud McCann learned to make Spudnuts from the Pelton brothers back in the early days of the franchise.
Visiting the El Dorado Spudnut Shop is like stepping back in the time: An original neon Spudnut sign hangs over the entrance, and the exterior wall features the late-era logo of a doughnut with a bite taken out. Inside the shop, a portrait of Mr. Spudnut in all his glory hangs above the dining area.
Only the prices seem to have changed. Spudnuts sold for 50 cents a dozen more than half a century ago; today they are 50 cents apiece. It’s a small price to pay for the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of America’s finest food confection.
No comments:
Post a Comment