The Yard Milkshake Bar
In November 2019, I happened to flip on the TV just as the founders of The Yard Milkshake Bar in Gulf Shores, Alabama, made a pitch on Shark Tank. Ultimately, investor Mark Cuban offered $400,000 towards future franchises in exchange for 22 percent of the profits from the new locations. Today, this sweet business offers customers 34 different ice cream flavors plus 60 different toppings. There are even vegan, lactose- and gluten-free ingredients plus eight versions of edible cookie dough.
Festing in Place
Leave it to New Orleans, Louisiana to figure out how to party during a pandemic. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival draws upwards of 475,000 music lovers to the city the each year from the last weekend in April through the first weekend in May for seven days of music, art and food. The festival, which draws obsessed fans from all corners of the globe, took place every year for 50 years. Until 2020, which would have been its 51st.
Doumar’s Cones and Barbecue
Doumar’s Cones and Barbecue The world’s first waffle cone maker is in Norfolk, Virginia. Story by Abby Stewart In downtown Norfolk, Virginia, sits a timeless drive-in: Doumar's Cones and Barbecue. Here, carhops still come out to your car wearing soda jerk caps, serving up the
Licorice International
Licorice International Licorice heaven in Lincoln, Nebraska. Story by Lisa Waterman Gray Photos by Kathy Plunkett Photography Who would have guessed that a Lincoln, Nebraska company offers the nation’s largest selection of black licorice? Danish Trollendrop, Kerr’s Licorice Toffee from Canada, and bite-sized Italian Rombetti
Strawberry Hill Povitica
Strawberry Hill Povitica Story by Diana Lambdin Meyer Povitica is a mouthful, starting with its pronunciation. Even long-time customers of the indulgence at Strawberry Hill Povitica in Kansas City commonly mispronounce poh-va-TEET-sa. Povitica is a Slavic word for a delightfully rich bread that can be
A Passion for PEEPS
It’s one of the United States’ most iconic candies—just maybe the most iconic this country has ever produced. After all, what other sweet treat has had its durability tested by a world-renowned university, guest starred in a hit television show, boasted its own world eating championship, and be featured in annual art contests? No candy other than PEEPS, the sugar-coated, brightly-hued marshmallow confection made in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania by the third-generation family-owned outfit Just Born, which also produces Mike and Ike, Hot Tamales, and Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews.