DETROIT – Better Made Snack Foods – still made fresh daily in Detroit – is celebrating National Potato Chip Day on Thursday, March 14, marking the 171st anniversary of the potato chip.
What started as a practical joke became a staple in millions of homes across the United States and other countries. According to folklore, here’s the story of the joke that became an instant sensation: Potato Chips were first made in 1853 while Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt was on vacation in New York.
While at the Moon’s Lake Lodge, he kept sending his fried potatoes back to the kitchen because he said they were too thick and not crunchy enough. The chef, a Native American named George Crum, decided that he would slice them paper-thin, fry them in oil, and salt them as a joke to the Commodore. It backfired as they became an instant success and the restaurant became well known for them
In 1896 when chips became a staple in cracker barrels and in glass cases, a woman came up with the idea of using a heated iron and waxed paper to form the first potato chip bag. The bags were filled to order and they sealed shut with a warming iron. And believe it or not, during WWII, the government declared potato chips to be a nonessential food and banned their production. It wasn’t until a loud cry went up all over the country that they rescinded their order.
“Better Made potato chips have been a fresh, great-tasting snack food for 93 years,” said Better Made President Dave Jones. “We have an extraordinary fan base here in Michigan and that fan base continues to grow and spread across the United States.
“Our locally sourced potatoes and high-quality seasonings make our potato chips great, but it’s our loyal customers who consider Better Made a staple that keep us going,” he added. “Our flat rate shipping makes it easier than ever to send your favorite snacks to your favorite people anywhere in the contiguous U.S.”
