NATIONAL CANDY CORN DAY

Tomorrow, October 30, is National Candy Corn Day! This all-American treat goes back to the late 1800s. The exact date is shrouded in the mists of time but many in the candy industry believe George Renninger at Philadelphia ‘s Wunderle Candy Company should get the credit. Back in the day, candy corn was a revolution in candy making with its three colors of white, orange and yellow.  Back then, before modern machines, candymakers did the work by hand moving and stretching 50 pound batches of hot steaming fondant.

Soon other companies added candy corn to their holiday offerings. In 1898, the Goelitz Confectionery Company (today’s Jelly Belly folks) began producing candy corn in Cincinnati. The company was founded by German immigrant Gustav Goelitz. It’s the company with the longest history of making candy corn.  Candy corn sales were so successful that they carried the company through two world wars and the Depression.  Turn-of-the-last-century ads promoted Goelitz as “King of the candy corn fields”.

Throughout both good and bad times, it was the sale of candy corn that kept Goelitz Confectionery Company afloat. In the sugar crisis of the mid 1970s, when the price of raw sugar skyrocketed, the company had to borrow heavily to buy sugar to keep production up. After the crisis the market plummeted. Many other companies went out of business. It was demand for the candy corn that kept Goelitz from bankruptcy. 

For seventy-five years candy corn was the mainstay of Goelitz business until another sensation, Jelly Belly jelly beans, overtook the candy corn. Today about 15 billion kernels of candy corn are sold annually – that’s 20 million pounds!

A FEW SWEET FUN FACTS

·       It's one of the healthier candies.

·       One kernel of candy corn is between 3.75 - 4 calories.

·        A one ounce serving has 110 calories.

·       85% of all candy corn is sold around Halloween.

·       It mimics corn - yellow on top, darker as it goes down and whitish as it nears the end.

·       One of the earliest names for candy corn was “Chicken Feed".

·       Candy corn caused one of the more destructive industrial fires in candy history. In 1950, kettle at Goelitz's New Jersey factory caught fire just before their big Halloween rush. The fire destroyed the entire block-long building and 2,000 pounds of candy corn.

·       Candy corn has its own cocktails. The Candy Corn Cordial can either be made with vodka or orange liqueur. Add floating candy corn for garnish. 

Candy Corn Cordial

Ingredients

For the infused vodka:

• 1/2 cup candy corn
• 1 1/2 cups vodka

For the cordials:

• 2 ounces orange liqueur
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• candy corn-infused vodka
• 1 large egg white
• Candy corn, for garnish

Directions

Infuse the vodka: Combine the candy corn and vodka in an airtight container; set aside for at least 3 hours, then strain.

 Make the cordials: Add 4 ounces of the candy corn vodka, the orange liqueur, lemon juice and egg white to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds. Strain into 2 chilled martini glasses and garnish with candy corn.

HEAD TO THE BEACH

HEAD TO THE BEACH

Our next HEAD Trip will venture over to the shore to explore secrets above and below the iconic Santa Cruz Boardwalk. The historic roots of our culinary adventure go all the way back to 1865 when a bathhouse opened in Santa Cruz. The mouth of the mighty San Lorenzo River proved to be the perfect place for take the natural medicine of bathing in salt water. Business boomed and soon food stands, curio shops and photo booths joined the bathhouse. The area was well on the way to becoming the Coney Island of the West!

In 1904, the first casino opened. Sadly it burned to the ground in June 1906. But a catastrophic fire couldn’t keep a good a idea down. Four months later construction on a new casino with a ballroom, indoor pool, a pleasure pier and boardwalk was underway. One year later (to the day) it opened and 1,200 attended the grand ball.

The first amusement ride, a 4-minute coaster ride, was added in 1908. The next big addition was the Looff merry-go-round which celebrated its centennial last year. In 1924 a modern wooden roller coaster, the Giant Dipper, made its debut. By the way, my personal record is 22 rides in a row on the Dipper. I set the mark one night during the summer of 1972. I was with my friend Wally Beal. But I digress.

That same year the Giant Dipper arrived the Boardwalk hosted the first Miss California pageant. The winner, Faye Lanphier, went on to be crowned Miss America. During the 1930s, a pinball arcade was added. During those days “Suntan Special” trains brought pleasure seekers from San Francisco and San Jose – 5,000 to 7,000 a day. Over the next forty years the Boardwalk had its ups and through it all it remained a refuge from the stress of modern life.

 Today the mile-long Boardwalk boasts 35 rides. Not only is it the only remaining seaside amusement park on the west coast it is without a doubt the best and most beautiful seaside amusement park in the country!

The culinary history of the Boardwalk is just as interesting. In 1915,Italian immigrant Victor Marini opened a popcorn stand on the Boardwalk. Soon salt water taffy and chocolate candy was added to the menu. A few years later food history was made when Victor and his son plunged Granny Smith apples into caramel and served them on a stick. The caramel apple was born!

 Marini’s is a fixture on the Boardwalk and broke the snack food status quo again in 2008. That’s when Joseph Marini III went on a ski trip with some buddies. During a post-slopes respite, one pal asked, “Who doesn’t love bacon?”

 Someone else added, “Who doesn’t love chocolate?”

 Victor decided to take up the challenge and married these two beloved foods. By incorporating a new kind of whimsy, chocolate-covered bacon debuted on the Boardwalk.

Thought not its birthplace, the Boardwalk does claim the best corndog in America. A hotdog, dipped in cornmeal batter and fried to perfection is perhaps one of the best-ever foods on a stick. The corndog has a contested history with many claiming its creation. The two front runners appear to be state fairs. First up is the Minnesota State Fair where the Pronto Pup arrived on the scene in 1941. The next year it was the Texas State Fair and the Corny Dog.

 America’s appetite for corndogs increased. In 1946, the first Hotdog-on-a-Stick stand opened at Santa Monica’s Muscle Beach. Today corndogs are the most popular meat-on-a-stick in America.

 Another feature that makes the Boardwalk unique and different from other modern theme parks is that the food concessions are not corporate owned but operated by 5 different family companies, many dating back into the early history of the park, each with a different specialty and focus. This created the perfect laboratory of snack food creation

 These are just a few of the possibilities of our culinary exploration. The Boardwalk’s cornucopia of tasty treats goes on to include another original, chipsticks – the easiest way to enjoy chips. Beyond that there’s funnel cake – a Pennsylvania Dutch holiday and harvest food and Vegan’s Nightmare ice cream, tasty maple and chocolate-covered bacon mixture.

 Our Under the Boardwalk Culinary Tour is set for Sunday, October 21^st.  We’ll meet at the Pirate Ship ride at 9:30am. Our tour starts at 10am and by noon we'll be filled with history and park food. From there we'll head across town to Ingalls Street - home to the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Company and 10, count them, 10 winery tasting rooms.

This HEAD Trip has a minimum of 10 HEAD Cases and a max of 25 – we’ve reached our minimum already!  RSVP soon or you'll miss out. The tour costs $25 each, food included and the funds support a local charity. Bring cash with you.