How did the invention of the ice cream cone start?
Many people helped invent the ice cream cone, but it became popular at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. It’s believed that one ice cream stand ran out of paper cups to serve the ice cream in. A man named Ernest Hamwi, who was selling waffles nearby, rolled one of his waffles into a cone shape so the ice cream could be served inside. Edible waffle cups and cones may have been around before this, including Italo Marchioni, who was said to be working on a way to roll warm waffles into cone shapes using a mold.
What happened next?
In 1918, Albert George started the George and Thomas Cone Company, which made lots of cones to sell in stores. Two popular kinds were waffle cones (rolled from round waffles) and molded cones (made by pouring batter into a mold). In 1928, brothers I.C. and J.T. Parker created the Drumstick, a cone filled with ice cream, topped with chocolate and nuts, and lined with chocolate to keep it from getting soggy in the freezer.
What is happening today?
Today, the Joy Baking Group is the world’s biggest ice cream cone maker. They make more than 40% of all cones sold in grocery stores, including cake cones, sugar cones, and waffle cones.
Did you know?
The ice cream cone is the official state dessert of Missouri.
Some machines today can make about 150,000 cones a day.
The world record for the largest ice cream cone is said to be 10 feet tall and filled with chocolate, jam, and ice cream.
