The Toasty Kettle Podcast

Today we are going to talk all about what is the original Krispy Kreme donut? Krispy Kreme always elicits a sort of nostalgia in my life. Growing up I was active in scouts. I participated in countless service projects that all had one thing in common, if the project took place in the evening, we were served Little Caesars. If we were scouting in the morning, then the reward was Krispy Kreme. They always seemed to overestimate the amount of donuts actually needed at these events, and there were always plenty of donuts to go around.

Finally, as I pulled into the drive through, I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself as I remembered a particular activity where I was dared to eat a dozen Krispy Kremes on my own. I proudly downed 13. Now, I know that Krispy Kreme can be polarizing. People seem to love it or hate it. The beautiful thing about today’s episode is that you don’t have to love Krispy Kreme to enjoy its history.

What is the Original Krispy Kreme Donut: Paducah Kentucky

The story starts in 1933 in Paducah, Kentucky. Ishmael Rudolph owned a small general store that served a variety of goods. His nephews Vernon and Lewis Rudolph began working for him selling his ever popular donuts. The origin of the recipe is up for debate. However, the consensus seems to be that the recipe was purchased from a French chef in New Orleans. The recipe was a yeast raised donut recipe. The donuts were a big success. 

During the Great Depression, the general store struggled. Ishmael and Vernon moved to Nashville to continue selling their donuts. They thought the larger city would bring more business their way. 

Finally, in 1937 Vernon decided to strike out on his own. He moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina and began supplying donuts to local grocery stores. People passing by on the street could smell the donuts. However, it didn’t take long for people to start begging Vernon to sell them some donuts. Furthermore, Vernon didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. He literally cut a hole in the side of his building so that he would have a window to sell donuts to people on the sidewalk.

40s and 50s: Expansion and the Need for Consistency

People went crazy for these donuts and popularity soared. Furthermore, the 40s and 50s brought enough success to support a small chain of donut shops. However, like any restaurant that starts to expand, they struggled with consistency. Each shop followed the same recipe. However, they were made from scratch using different equipment from each other. They created a mix plant. This allowed them to mix massive batches of dry ingredients together. Furthermore, now each store could use the same dry mix. Just like that, consistency improved, and the magical donut conveyer belt was born.

60s and 70s: Unified Stores

Now that they fixed the consistency problems with their recipe, the company focused on a consistent look across their stores. During the 60s and 70s, each store began to sport the same iconic green tile roofs and the heritage road signs. However, 1973 brought another challenge for Krispy Kreme when their founder, Vernon Rudolph, died. The company was then sold to Beatrice Foods Company in 1976.

Rapid Expansion

Krispy Kreme began another chapter of their history. In the early 2000s, they rapidly expanded. The company went public on April 5, 2000. They quickly ballooned to over 400 stores. For a few years things couldn’t be better. However, by 2005 the stock had plummeted and the company began to close their less profitable locations. Furthermore, analysts felt that the chain had expanded too quickly and had too many stores in various markets.

Today’s episode is all about the History of Mustard. I have Barry Levenson on to talk all about the history of this humble condiment. Barry is the curator and owner of the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin. You won’t want to miss this one.

Heartbreak and Inspiration

Barry shared his story and the inspiration behind the museum. After the Boston Red Sox suffered a depressing loss in the World Series in 1986, Barry found himself wandering up and down the aisles of a local supermarket. As he passed the mustards, he heard a voice: if you collect us, they will come. Barry didn’t delay. In a search for purpose after another letdown, he began to enthusiastically collect mustard.

The National Mustard Museum now boasts a collection of 6,050 different types of mustard. Barry also said they aren’t done. They are continuing to scour the globe looking for mustard. Their collection contains mustard from all 50 states and 70 countries.

Mustard Goes to the Supreme Court

The highlight of my conversation with Barry about the history of mustard, was when he shared his personal account of how mustard ended up in the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

Before Barry threw himself into the Mustard Museum business full time, he was an Assistant Attorney General for the great state of Wisconsin. He had an opportunity to argue a case before the Supreme Court. When he left his room that morning to head to the courthouse, he saw a hotel room service tray. Someone had finished there meal, but left their tiny jar of mustard completely untouched.

Barry had a dilemma. On one hand, he could leave the mustard on the tray and walk away. On the other hand, he could grab the condiment and high tail it out of there. He chose to grab the mustard and dash. He put the small jar in his pocket and went to argue his case, a case he ended up winning. The whole time the mustard remained in his pocket. It’s the first time to his knowledge that a jar of mustard made it to the Supreme Court while a case was being argued.

Passion for Mustard

It was difficult to not feel Barry’s passion for mustard. It is something I admired. If you find yourself in the great state of Wisconsin out near Madison, make sure you hop on over and give the National Mustard Museum a shot. You can learn more about the museum here. If Facebook is your jam, or mustard, you can find the museum’s page here. You can also support the museum and help them maintain free admission by checking out some of their merchandise. It the book, “Mustard on a Pickle,” here.

Did You Like Learning About The National Mustard Museum?

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Today is a disgusting episode just for you. We take a journey through disgusting food from around the world with Andreas Ahrens. He is the director of the Disgusting Food Museum. We have a great conversation about what constitutes a disgusting food. Some of the most disgusting foods in the museum may surprise you.

What Makes Food Disgusting

As humans we have a natural fear of the unfamiliar. We often spend a lot of time seeking comfort. One of the main areas where we seek comfort is through food. After all, we call it comfort food. Culture is everything when it comes to what determines if food is disgusting or not.

A prime example of this is root beer. American’s love root beer. I think it is one of the most refreshing beverages on a hot summer day or mixed in with ice cream for a tasty float. However, the rest of the world has a very different opinion of root beer. They think it is disgusting. In fact, it is one of the items on the tasting menu when you visit the museum.

In Sweden you have salted licorice. Andreas raved about how much he enjoys salted licorice. I ordered some after our conversation.

When the package arrived, I eagerly tore into it. I placed a tiny morsel in my mouth and immediately regretted it. I couldn’t stand it. After a valiant effort, I had to spit it out.

Culture and Sustainability

Andreas brought up a very valid point on sustainability. As we look to the future, we will have to continue to feed an ever expanding global population. This will require us to look at food from the lens of sustainability. An example of this would be crickets. Crickets may sound disgusting. However, they are a fantastic source of protein and they are sustainable. Many cultures around the world have been eating crickets for thousands of years.

A lot of disgusting food was born out of tough times and difficult circumstances. When you are starving, you don’t have the luxury of being picky. After embracing these less than desirable menu items, they become interwoven in the fabric of our cultures. It really makes me think differently when I hear about disgusting food from around the world. It is humbling to think of the origins of some of these dishes.

Wrap up

If you are interested in learning more about the Disgusting Food Museum, and disgusting food from around the world, you can find them on their Facebook here. You can also go directly to their website here. Make sure you check them out. Next time you are presented with something disgusting, give it a try. You never know when you might find your new favorite food.

If you want to really get in the disgusting food spirit, you can buy some salted licorice here.

Did You Like Learning About The Disgusting Food Museum?

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Have you ever wondered who came up with S’Mores? Today we are going to do a dive into the history of this amazing treat. Last year we did a small remodel. Part of that process was to purchase new furniture for the space. The furniture store rewarded our spending with a S’Mores maker. It’s essentially a small heating element that you can plug in and toast a marshmallow to perfection. 

Every Sunday night we have had a tradition of making S’Mores as a family. We laugh and have a good time while we get to work crafting the perfect S’More. This morning I was getting ready for my run and noticed I had a text from my wife. Apparently she couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night and had S’Mores on her mind. She thought this would make a great concept for an episode. I couldn’t agree more!

Who Came Up With Marshmallows

In order to understand the history of S’Mores as a whole, you have to understand the history of their components. Let’s do a deeper dive into the history behind the marshmallow. 

The humble marshmallow has its roots in the ancient world. The mallow plant is found in Europe, West Asia, and Northern Africa. The root could be harvested and would produce a thick sap that could be whipped into a medicinal remedy that was perfect for soothing sore throats and coughs. The ancient Egyptians were the first to document this process. Various parts of the mallow plant were also consumed by the ancient greeks and romans. So the humble marshmallow has been around for ages.

In the early 1800s, candy makers in France decided to get creative. They would whip the sap from the mallow plant with sugar and eggs to produce something very similar to the marshmallow we have today. Leave it to the French to perfect this culinary delight. 

In the late 1800s the French began to substitute gelatin or corn starch for the mallow sap. This created a cheaper and less labor intensive way to create something that tasted virtually the same. 

Marshmallow Roast

It didn’t take long for people to begin toasting these treats over fire. In 1892 the Chicago Daily Tribune ran a letter all about marshmallow roasts:

Marshmallow roasts’ are the newest thing in summer resort diversions. The simplicity of this form of amusement is particularly charming. One buys two or three pounds of marshmallows, invites half a dozen friends, and that is all the preparation required. However a small amount of kindling-wood must be taken along with which to build a small fire in an unfrequented spot on the beach, away from crowds unfamiliar with so refined a species of entertainment. When the fire is blazing merrily, or better still, when it has died down to red embers, each member of the party takes a sharpened stick and affixes upon the end of it a marshmallow.

Simultaneously all those engaged hold their marshmallows over the embers, as close as possible to avoid burning and roast dexterously, so as to brown the marshmallows nicely on all sides. This requires some skill, because marshmallows are highly inflammable and will take fire if not very prudently handled. The…marshmallows…swell up to considerable more their normal size…They are a sort sublimated combination of candy and cake, all in one bite, though the proper fashion is to nibble the roasted marshmallow off the end of the stick. One set consumed, each person pokes the point of his wooden skewer through another marshmallow and the performance is repeated until everybody’s appetite is satisfied Marshmallow roasts are an excellent medium for flirtation…appropriately exhibited by nibbling the marshmallows of each other’s sticks.

Today is a special episode. I have Chef Darrell Johnson on to talk all about how to cook like your grandmother. Chef Darrell has 25 years of experience in the food industry. He has appeared on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen as well as The Great Food Truck Race. My time with Darrell oozed with his passion for the culinary world. Chef Darrell credits his great grandmother with his interest in food.

Spending Time With Grandma Is Key

Chef Darrel makes it clear that if you want to cook like your grandmother, you have to spend time with your grandmother. His grandmother pulled him in the kitchen at a young age. She taught him all of her tricks. The result was a love for cooking that changed his life for the better.

Grandmas are like that. They tend to understand what we need before we realize that we need it. Teaching Darrell to cook helped keep him out of trouble growing up. He had friends who were killed on the streets or ended up in prison. He was grateful for her wisdom in helping him have something constructive in his life. It provided Chef Darrell with a creative outlet.

What was the earliest recipe that Chef Darrell remembers cooking with his grandma? Without hesitation he responded gumbo. He went into great detail about how amazing and legendary this gumbo recipe is. He mentioned that Tyler Florence said it was some of the best gumbo that he’s ever had. Today Chef Darrell specializes in cajun/creole fusion. Those early days with grandma continue to be a source of motivation and inspiration for him.

My favorite part of the interview was listening to Chef Darrell speak about finding his grandma’s recipes after hurricane Katrina. The storm wiped out nearly everything in her house. The water came up 6.5 feet in the house. Her recipes were on a shelf 7 feet high. Miraculously they survived. Coincidence? I think not!

How to Find Out More

If you want a killer gumbo recipe, you can find Chef Darrel’s cookbook here. You can find NOLA-Creations website here and their Facebook account here. Make sure you order a copy of the cookbook. I can’t wait for mine to arrive!

Toasty Kettle is all about connecting with the past through food. As I listened to Chef Darrell talk about his own history I thought of my own grandma. Last year I took on a project of scanning and preserving all of the recipes that she has accumulated through her life. Most of them were handwritten on recipe cards or typed on her typewriter. It’s a wealth of culinary experience passing from one generation to the next. I have loved sifting through them and pulling out recipes that I remember grandma cooking. 

That is why I love this show. As I research different topics and interview different businesses, it always takes me back to my own past and my own experiences. Hopefully it does the same for each of you.

Did You Like Learning About How to Cook Like Your Grandmother?

This is just one example of the type of show I put together each week. If you liked learning about food history, make sure you subscribe today! 

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How much Domino’s pizza can you eat? Today we are going to do a deep dive into the history of this iconic pizza chain. We are going to cover where they got their start and where they are at today.

How Much Domino’s Pizza Can you Eat: Humble Beginnings

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. got its start in 1960 when two brothers, Tom and James Monaghan, purchased a local pizza joint called, DomiNick’s. Back in 1960, all they needed was a $500 downpayment and they were in business. They borrowed $900 to complete payment for the store. 

Tom threw himself into the business working long hours. James was very content to keep his job as a postal worker and sold his half of the business to Tom for their Volkswagen Beetle they were using to make deliveries. 

By 1965 Tom had purchased two more pizza shops. Tom really wanted have all three of his locations have the same name and branding. However, the previous owner of DomiNick’s would not allow Tom to use the DomiNick’s name on these other locations. 

One day an employee, Jim Kennedy, came back from a pizza delivery and pitched an idea to Tom. They should call the pizza business Domino’s. Tom loved the idea and in 1965 officially renamed his fledgling pizza empire, Domino’s Pizza, Inc. 

DomiNick’s Is Out, Domino’s Is In

Originally the company logo had three dots, one dot for each location. Tom wanted to add a dot to the logo for each location they would add. He quickly abandoned that idea because of the rapid growth they began to experience as a company.

In 1967, they began franchising their pizza concept. By 1978 Tom had expanded to over 200 locations. 

In 1975, the Amstar Corporation took Domino’s to court over a trademark dispute. Amstar was the maker of Domino sugar and they felt that Domino’s was infringing on their trademarked name. A judge disagreed and awarded Domino’s Pizza the victory. 

Tom Monaghan decided to retire from the business in 1998 after 38 years of owning the business. He sold 93% of the company to Bain Capital, Inc. for 1 billion dollars. It’s incredible to me that he was able to turn that $500 downpayment into a billion dollars. 

In 2012, Domino’s Pizza, Inc. changed their name to just Domino’s. They also changed up their logo by dropping the “Domino’s Pizza” from the name and logo. They wanted to make it clear to the world that Domino’s was more than just pizza. 

All About The Food

Growing up, Domino’s was my least favorite pizza of the popular chains. I felt it tasted a lot like cardboard that had sauce and cheese on top. I can’t blame Domino’s for sticking with what worked. 

In the early years, Domino’s had a very simple menu compared to other pizza places. They had one style of crust that came in two sizes, a 12-inch and a 16-inch, as well as 11 toppings. 

In 1989, Domino’s deviated from their simple menu by adding the deep dish pizza. This launch cost the company $25 million. $15 million of that was purchasing the new pans needed to bake the pizza. 

The early 2000s Domino’s went on a roll with a variety of new menu items. January 2000 brought the Philly cheesesteak specialty pizza. In 2006, they launched one of my personal favorites, the Brooklyn style crust. It was a thinner crust with larger slices you can fold. 

In 2008, Domino’s launched their first non-pizza item, the toasty oven-baked sandwich. Overnight they became one of the world’s largest sandwich delivery restaurants.

Have you ever wondered who makes Sunkist soda? Today we are going to discuss the meteoric rise of America’s #1 orange soda.

The pandemic has deprived us of so many things. One item that disappeared quickly from store shelves was diet Sunkist soda. I immediately wanted to hunt down who makes Sunkist soda and ask for an explanation. I felt the world would once again be in a good and stable place when diet Sunkist finally made its return to the shelves. 

Every week over the past year I found myself in the grocery store doing my shopping. Each week I would casually stroll over to the soda aisle and silently hope that I would be rewarded with a special surprise. Every week my hopes were dashed. 

I joked with my wife that if I saw diet Sunkist back on shelves, I wouldn’t be able to restrain myself in purchasing everything. 

Well folks, last week I was cruising through Walmart quickly pounding out my shopping list when I had the small thought that I should go check the soda aisle. 

Sunkist Zero is Back Baby

I started walking down the aisle approaching the distinct orange boxes of Sunkist orange soda. However, this time was different than all the other times I made this walk during the past year. Next to the orange box was a white box. 

My heart rate picked up as a Sunkist logo was proudly stamped on the white packaging. Could it be true? Is diet Sunkist back on shelves? Yes! 

I now had a dilemma. I was only going to be grabbing a few items, so I didn’t have a cart. My arms were also full with said items, so I didn’t have any room to load up on soda. My mind quickly raced toward a solution. Should I just drop all of my items on the floor, grab the soda, and make a run for it? No, that wouldn’t be very professional. Alas, I needed a cart.

With a sigh and a promise to be back for them, I set a new speed walking record to the front of the store to grab a cart. I then set a new record getting back to the soda aisle. 

Miracles Happen

When I reached the aisle I was shocked to find other people there. My heart jumped into my throat. What if they already grabbed the last few boxes of Sunkist? 

There were some people standing very close to the Sunkist zero. Shoot! If they spot it, they will buy it for sure. I had to play it cool. This meant I couldn’t sprint to the soda or they would cut me off. I pretended like I was going for the Diet Pepsi and then did a last minute course correction to the Sunkist. True to my promise I bought all of the Sunkist zero that they had on hand. It was only two boxes, but I still bought it all.

I then floated to the front of the store, made my purchase, and schemed the whole way home on how I could get these ice cold the fastest.

If you haven’t pieced things together yet, in honor of Sunkist zero finding its way back to store shelves, I am going to do a deep dive into the history of America’s #1 orange soda.

Sunkist Growers: The Rise of the Farm Co-op

To this day I have fond memories of Sunkist oranges at Christmas time. My mom would buy a big box of them and keep them in our furnace room in the basement. It was cold enough down there to help them last long enough to finish the box. Many of our Christmas decorations are still stored in old Sunkist orange boxes. 

So how did the Sunkist Growers get their start? Well in 1893 a man named Edward L. Dreher formed the Southern California Fruit Exchange. They were headquartered in Claremont, California. 

There is nothing more satisfying than a crisp apple with its sweetness apparent on the first bite. So where do apples come from? Today we have Tate Mathison on to talk all about the family fruit business, Stemilt Growers. 

Tate has a tremendous passion for the family business. He grew up on the farm taking on a number of roles. His current role is director of sales. 

Life On The Homestead

Tate and his family know a thing or two about fruit. In 1893 the first generation of Mathison fruit farmers began a homestead on Stemilt hill near Wenatchee, Washington. Thomas Mathison got to work trying to make a living for the family. As long as the family was actively farming the land, they would be able to keep the deed to the property.

Any farmer will be happy to tell you that the success and failure of their operation depends largely on available water. Without water, nothing will grow. Thomas got to work digging irrigation ditches that eventually brought water to his land. This paved a way for the family to have consistent water, which is a much needed resource for a fruit orchard. In 1914 Thomas planted the family’s first 10 acres of apples, pears and cherries.

In 1926, Chris Mathison took over the family farm from his father Thomas. He quickly got to work expanding the farm and planting new trees. 

Stemilt entered its most transformative phase in 1947. Chris had a son Tom who returned from serving in World War II and got back to work on the family farm. Chris died shortly after that in a tragic farming accident. Running the farm fell into Tom’s hands.

Tom married Lorraine Goldy in 1950. Tate shared an amazing story during our interview about when Tom, Lorraine, and the family farm, hit a crossroad. 

The Ultimatum

In 1958 Tom was able to harvest a 100-ton cherry crop. However, he only made $88 on the entire crop. His failure to provide for the family led to an honest ultimatum from Lorraine. “Tommy, you figure out what is wrong and fix it, or go get a job to support this family.” Tom decided that he would do whatever it took to fix the problem.

In 1959 Tom decided to be more hands on with the distribution of his crop. He followed his cherries from stop to stop all the way to the east coast. By the end of the journey Tom noticed that his cherries were in sad shape. 

Tom knew things needed to change. He learned new practices for packaging and shipping his fruit. A few years later he made the same trip with his cherries across the country. When he hit the east coast he was able to sell a 20 lb. box for $40. Finally Tom had something he could build a business around.

Stemilt Growers was born. Tom continued to examine his farming practices and continued to improve. He deeply enjoyed getting out there and talking with consumers. He loved getting their direct feedback on what they liked and disliked about the fruit. That led to continual improvements over the coming years.

Where Do Apples Come From 

So where do apples come from? Have you ever wondered what goes into those flashy new varieties on the store shelves? Tate was able to speak about the process for developing and growing new varieties of apples. Over the years Stemilt has developed Rave, Piñata, and Tate’s personal favorite, Sweetango apples. This is a labor of love that takes several years to complete.

How many years you ask? It takes 15 years, 15! I know that I will never view apples in the store the same again. So much time, attention,

There are many disasters that happen all too often in today’s world. The great molasses flood was one for the ages. This unique disaster happened at a time when construction regulation was lax or non existent. Today we are going to talk about how a sticky situation quickly grew dire for hundreds of people in Boston. 

The date was January 15, 1919. It was a mild winter day for Boston. The thermometer hovered around 40 degrees Fahrenheit and there was no snow around. Boston’s North End neighborhood was a picture of activity. The neighborhood was close to the docks so it became a sort of industrial center in the town. It was here that a company known as US Industrial Alcohol had a massive steel tank designed to hold 2,500,000 gallons of molasses. They were able to ferment that molasses and quickly turn it into alcohol that was used in the war effort to make dynamite and other explosives.

Around 12:30pm workers began taking their lunch breaks when the ground began to rumble. The next several hours brought chaos to the area as people tried to make sense of what had just happened. Before we talk about the flood of molasses, I want to talk about this steel tank.

The Great Molasses Flood: Tank Failure

This disaster happened at a time when it was notoriously difficult to hold a business accountable for their mistakes. The U>S. Industrial Alcohol Co. cut corners in how they constructed this tank. The tank was not designed to hold that much molasses. 

Growing up I was an amateur aquarium enthusiast. As my fish tanks increased in size, the thickness of the glass or plastic also increased. It is basic engineering. The steel tank that U.S. Industrial Alcohol Co. built to store their molasses was designed to hold 2.5 million gallons of molasses. It was 50 feet tall and about 90 feet in diameter. The steel walls ranged in thickness from .31 inches to .67 inches. These were far too thin to support the weight of a full tank of molasses. 

USIA also cut corners in other areas. They didn’t do full testing for flaws and imperfections. Simply filling the tank with water first would have revealed several flaws with the tank. In addition to the thin walls, they had a rivet design that leaked. The first cracks in the tank originated from these rivets. 

Leaky Rivets and Brittle Steel

It was a known fact that this tank leaked. Kids showed up to the site with cups to gather molasses that was leaking from the tank. Molasses was poured into the tank 29 times before the tank failed. Only four of those filled the tank to capacity. The fourth time the tank was filled to capacity happened two days before the catastrophe. 

The raw steel used to construct this tank had fundamental flaws. It had been mixed with too little manganese. This meant that the steel would get brittle when it cooled below 59 degrees Fahrenheit. As I mentioned previously, the temperature the day of the disaster was 40 degrees. A perfect storm had been put in place. A tank that was not designed and properly engineered to hold this amount of liquid. To recap, metal is brittle, tank is full, and it is a busy time of day. The stage was set for what was to come next. 

Rapid Emergency Response

Growing up I moved slow. I’m sure for my parents it was maddeningly slow. On more than one occasion my mom said that I was moving about as fast as molasses in January. After this episode, I’m going to view that as a compliment. 

Molasses is not like water. If you tip over a bottle of molasses, it takes a second for the syrup to come out. If the molasses is cold, it moves even slower. However,

It’s no secret, this week’s episode is all about Jimmy John’s. I have often wondered, who is Jimmy John? Today we are going to dive deep into James John Liautaud and the sandwich empire he built. Warning! You may want some freaky fast delivery after listening to this show.

The Early Years: Who Is Jimmy John

James John Liautaud was born January 12, 1964 in Arlington Heights, Illinois to Gina and James Liautaud. His mother was a Lithuanian immigrant who came to America when she was 12. His dad was an entrepreneur who seemed to fail more than he succeeded. They filed for bankruptcy twice as Jimmy was growing up. Money was tight.

Jimmy wasn’t the best student and graduated 2nd to last in his class. By this point his father had a business in the plastics industry that was taking off and he made a deal with his son. He was willing to put up $25,000 in seed money for Jimmy to open a business. The only condition was if the business venture failed within a year, he’d have to join the army. Jimmy decided to take the money and started exploring how he was going to start his business. 

Military or Business: The Ultimate Ultimatum

This is where the story gets interesting. Jimmy didn’t want to fail. With the threat of military service, and a desire to become a better student in business than he was in high school, he dove in head first and started doing his homework. He originally wanted to do a hotdog stand. However, his research over the summer showed him that $25,000 would not be enough money to open a hotdog stand and be profitable. The equipment was too expensive. 

He found that he could buy premium meat from local grocery stores, bake bread at home and have a profitable business. It took him just a few days to perfect his bread recipe. Once he had the bread down, he could focus on the combinations that would make up his menu. He had family and friends taste his creations and settled on four original sandwiches to put on the menu. They were the Pepe, The Big John, The S&M, and The Vito Geneveso. 

First Store Opens

The very first Jimmy John’s opened on January 13, 1983, in Charleston, Illinois. It was a garage where the rent was only $200. Jimmy bought used equipment and opened with the bare essentials, a small fridge, a chest freezer, an oven and a meat slicer. 

The location was bad and the business was slow to take off. Jimmy would take sandwich samples door to door to get people interested in what he had to offer. He also started delivering sandwiches to nearby dorms at Eastern Illinois University. 

Early Business Lessons

When learning about who is Jimmy John, it became apparent that he doesn’t like to learn the same hard lesson twice. He knew next to nothing about business. So he set out to learn basic finance principles on the fly. He said, “I watched what makes the bank balance go up and what makes it go down. Well, when I wrote the payroll checks, the bank balance went down.” He began to make some smart strategic changes with his staff. He’d stagger his employee arrival times by 15 minutes each shift. That allowed him to save a few bucks in labor each day. That really added up in the long term. In his first 12 months in business Jimmy pulled in $154,000 in sales and netted $40,000. He was profitable.

Jimmy split his profits with his dad. The following year sales were slightly better. This time he used the profits to buy out his dad’s share of the business with interest. He was now the sole owner of his budding sandwich empire. 

Franchising and Explosive Growth