Ice cream is always the star of the show with the cone being the supporting actor. But the cone comes with an interesting history filled with mystery and myth. The precise origin or inventor of the cone can not be targeted. But it is known that the cone’s invention resulted from multiple attempts to create an edible treat that did away with dishes and spoons.
Ice cream gained popularity in the 19th century. Street vendors in London sold “penny-licks”, small stemmed glasses filled with ice cream. The glasses were reused with no washing between customers, a frightfully unsanitary practice. It’s possible the edible cone was invented to avoid breakage and sanitation problems.
An alternative to the penny-lick was the hokey-pokey, a square of ice milk thickened with cornstarch and wrapped in paper. Italian immigrants introduced the hokey-pokey to America. Sold by peddlers off carts, it was a success, as was the next Italian innovation, an ice cream square between two sweetened wafers. The ice cream sandwich was born.
The next innovation came in 1901 when Antonia Valvona invented the biscuit (cookie) cups for ice cream. He and his American partner, Frank Marchiony, soon had factories churning out these edible dishes.
The World’s Fair of 1904 in St. Louis saw the ice cream cone come into its full glory. The new “cornucopias” were wildly popular and soon became staples of fairs and gatherings all across America. Historical researchers have combed the Fair’s archives, but have been unable to pinpoint who made and sold the cones. The invention story that comes closest to the event was published in 1916 in The New York Produce Review and American Creamery.
“A certain young lady had a fairground concession selling a sweet cake which she baked flat on a waffle iron-like device. Her brother sold ice cream at a nearby stand. One customer who had bought some cakes from the sister asked the brother to put a scoop of ice cream inside of them. The brother made it work by rolling up the cakes while they were still hot in the shape of a cornucopia and pinching over the end…. He then joined forces with his sister, putting the two concessions together, and they soon did a rushing business in ice cream cones, as they were very promptly dubbed.”
All this cone history brings us to 2022 and Joy. That’s the Joy Baking Group, a third-generation business that produces 60% to 70% of all the cones sold in America. They only stick to three basic classics; the cup cone, the sugar cone and the waffle cone. Their flagship factory in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, turns out between 15 to 20 million cones a day. That’s a whole lot of joy.
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