Frozen custard: Let's twist again, like we did last summer
What is it?: If you happen to be a particularly indecisive person - and even have trouble choosing between simple concepts like chocolate and vanilla or, say, strawberry and banana - Kohr Bros. Original Frozen Custard may be just the treat for you.
What is it?: If you happen to be a particularly indecisive person - and even have trouble choosing between simple concepts like chocolate and vanilla or, say, strawberry and banana - Kohr Bros. Original Frozen Custard may be just the treat for you. Sure, your tongue is welcome to bask in the cool creaminess of just one flavor at a time at this longtime seashore staple. But Kohr Bros.' calling card just may be its nimbleness at twisting together its fluffy, frozen custard flavors in almost infinite combinations at the whim of whoever is on duty in a particular location the day you are there. Did someone say chocolate/peanut butter? Pumpkin/chocolate? Orange/vanilla?
When it got here: In the summer of 1919, brothers Archie, Elton, and Lester Kohr set up their first "frozen dessert" shop on the bustling boardwalk in Coney Island, N.Y. On their first weekend, they sold a remarkable 18,000 cones at a nickel each. By 1927, a fourth brother, Morgan, had joined the corps and helped expand the enterprise up and down the East Coast, including spots along Jersey Shore boardwalks. Now, there are Kohr Bros. shops in 10 states.
Why we are wild about it: Besides the deliciousness derived whenever cream, sugar, and flavorings are brought together to form a particular confection, the Kohr brothers began making their frozen treat using modified ice cream machines that whipped the recipe into a light-as-air frozen frenzy unlike anything anyone had seen anywhere ever before. To prevent it from melting too fast in the hot summer weather and salt air at the beach, they added eggs to the recipe to stiffen the product. The improved recipe and the modified machines produced a treat tasters marveled at, noting that it had a consistency so smooth it was "just like custard." Soon, it was known as "frozen custard."
Why it's been popular for generations: Hands down, it's the twist, say Kohr Bros. enthusiasts Derek and Anne DiGiacomo of Boyertown, Pa., who take their daughter, Jamie, 6, to the stand at Moorlyn and the Boardwalk in Ocean City first thing every summer. They always go for the chocolate-and-vanilla twist - no matter what other tempting varieties are offered. "I tried the pumpkin once. It was good," concedes Derek DiGiacomo. "But I always go back to the chocolate-and-vanilla twist. There is just something about it. It's such a simple taste, I guess." It's Jamie's favorite, too, he said. And Kohr Bros. isn't just a summer thing. Managers are instructed to open their boardwalk stores even in the dead of winter if there happen to be crowds around for special events or good weather.
Where to get the custard: New Jersey Shore locations of Kohr Bros. Original Frozen Custard include five in Ocean City, four in the Wildwoods, one in Stone Harbor, and another in Cape May. There is even an inland location at the Deptford Mall.
609-652-8382
@JacquelineUrgo