LTHForum.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-hed-sapp-05-mar05,0,5671566.story

Robert J. Sapp, 1923-2009; 2nd-generation ice-cream shop owner

School building engineer followed his dad in serving signature dish at Original Rainbow Cone in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood

By Trevor Jensen | Tribune reporter | March 5, 2009

Robert J. Sapp grew up above his family's ice cream shop, eating crushed cones with milk for breakfast during the Depression.

The little store on a then-desolate stretch of South Western Avenue made its mark early on as a stop for families visiting the many nearby cemeteries, and Original Rainbow Cone remains a Chicago institution under third-generation ownership.

Mr. Sapp, 85, a longtime resident of Chicago's Beverly neighborhood, died of natural causes Tuesday, March 3, at Hope Hospice in Bonita Springs, Fla., said his daughter, Lynn Sapp-Stenson.

Mr. Sapp was just short of 3 years old when his parents opened Rainbow Lodge on Western Avenue, then moved the shop a couple years later to Original Rainbow Cone's current location at 9233 S. Western Ave.

His father, Joseph, a former Buick mechanic from Ohio, saw the opportunity for growth in the far southwest corner of Chicago. The family at first lived behind the store, then built a second-story apartment.

Joseph Sapp also invented the shop's signature dish, slabs of chocolate, strawberry, pistachio and Palmer House ice cream and orange sherbet.

Mr. Sapp helped out around the shop from a young age and was a soda jerk through his years at St. Rita High School. He had started classes at Xavier University but then served in the Army in the Pacific during World War II.

Returning to Chicago, he began a career as a building engineer with Chicago's schools, working at Foster Park, Green and Barnard Elementary Schools over a 36-year career.

He continued to work nights and weekends at the Original Rainbow Cone, taking over the business when his father retired in the 1960s, then selling it to his daughter Lynn in 1987. He never changed much at the store, and its reputation grew.

Other survivors include his wife of 59 years, Jean; two sons, Robert Jr. and Thomas; another daughter, Kathi Brizek; and three grandchildren.

Visitation is from 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday in Brady-Gill Funeral Home, 2929 W. 87th St., Evergreen Park. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Monday in Christ the King Catholic Church, 9235 S. Hamilton Ave., Chicago.

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

That's a damn catchy tune!

Odd that, at the close, they don't list the Madison St. location...

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

I wonder if he also performed the song.

I'm always struck, when I encounter news like this, by the realization that there are many people out there that create the infrastructure of life, making little contributions we don't even think about -- not always significant, but still part of the world around us.

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"Nothing important is easy." Patrick White (Australian Nobel laureate)

http://waltzingaustralia.wordpress.com

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

RIP. Taco Bell made my "enhanced" nights as a youth all the more tasty. I don't frequent the Bell as often, but back then, it was a great compliment to a long night out

Having gone to college in southern California, we relied heavily on Taco Bell back in the day. I had been eating Mexican food for years, but it was still not common everywhere, and I can remember the ads they ran back then: they'd talk about how American their tacos were, with beef from Colorado, lettuce and tomatoes from California, and cheese from Wisconsin, then ended with the tag line, "Think of it as a cheeseburger that goes 'crunch.'"

When I was back in California a few years ago, for a college reunion, I visited a friend who was giving a speech at some event honoring Glenn Bell, because apparently he was a major philanthropist, plowing pretty much everything he made into charitabe and educational organizations. It made me glad I'd eaten so many of those enchuritos during my student days.

Sorry to lose him. Taco Bell is not what it was when it started, but it was still fun and reliable and may have done more to introduce Americans to the idea of Mexican food (if not exactly authentic Mexican food) than anyone else.

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"Nothing important is easy." Patrick White (Australian Nobel laureate)

http://waltzingaustralia.wordpress.com

He was like a Norman Borlaug for stoners.

Never has one man done so much for so many with 4 ingredients...

Who discovered the hard shell taco?

In a Glenn Bell obit, he was credited with inventing the hard shell taco. The link above disputes this with information on how the hard shell taco evolved.

Hard shell taco b. 1948.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Robert J. Hastert, 1936 - 2010, Ran White Fence Farm restaurants


His father had the "Build it and they will come" foresight when opening in a largely rural area though now part of the Chicago suburbs.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Morrie Yohai, 90, the Man Behind Cheez Doodles, Is Dead

When I lived in Maryland, Cheez Doodles was my favorite after school snack.

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Condolences to Patty Erd of The Spice House and William T. Penzey Jr. of Penzeys Spices on the death of their father, William T. Penzey Sr., founder of The Spice House in Milwaukee.

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

So sad to see this...one of my favorite cooking classes I ever took was a hands-on Thanksgiving class taught by Paul at Marche--right around this time 3 years ago. He was so dynamic and engaging--it was a lot of fun, as well as informative. I had wondered where he went...

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Elizabeth Taylor

Really a shame. So young, and such a knowledgeable and enthusiastic chef.

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

My Dad, Bill Penzey Sr., died on September 22, 2010. My husband and I were hosting our 25 year wedding anniversary party that weekend, and we turned it into a wake for my Dad. The venue for our anniversary party, alread paid for, was the Best Place at the old Pabst Brewery, and we thought my Dad would have enjoyed that. Even though it was a totally vacant part of town on a Sunday, a parking checker decided to give us all parking tickets, including the hearse. One of our Wauwatosa neighbors is a writer for the Milwaukee newspaper. This is a link to the best response ever to an idiotic parking ticketer. http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/103977429.html My Dad would have really had the last laugh here. On the next day, Keith Olberman, on television, listed this ticketer as the worst person on Earth. And a few weeks later, a funeral researcher from Ireland posted that in all of his years of research of funerals throughout time, he had NEVER found a hearse had been ticketed. This might go down in history as a first. So way to go Dad, you always had the trump card. We miss you very much.

Patty,

Thanks for the link and the story on the funeral party receiving parking tickets.

I hope your Dad was pleased to be waked at the Pabst Brewery Bar. I sensed he had a great sense of history and would have loved everything about this unique funeral.

Sorry for your loss.

Regards,
Cathy

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Merle Ellis was the author of Cutting Up in the Kitchen, one of the better books on butchering.

http://www.marinij.com/ci_14304213

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Paul Robinson, who, with Joe Gilbert, invented the fern-bar concept, originating with Houlihan's Old Place on Kansas City's famed Country Club Plaza. The rest, as they say, is history.


Geo

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Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!

Donald J. Tyson, Food Tycoon, Is Dead at 80 - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/busin ... ref=dining

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"A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do."
-- P. J. O’Rourke"

Nathan "Nate" Batt, age 93, of Northbrook, owned the famous Mama Batt's Restaurant. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/chicag ... &fhid=6785

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"A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do."
-- P. J. O’Rourke"

Most shocking of all was Ric Hess of Sheffield's at the age of 50, met him once and spent a few hours chatting, nice guy...my friend Mark wrote up a nice obit on Chicago Foodies.http://www.chicagofoodies.com/2011/01/ric-hess-thank-you-for-bettering-the-chicago-beer-community.html

I believe he was actually 48 which would make the dates '62 or '63 to 2010 (2000???)--not sure how you came up with this exactly but it seems kinda disrespectful to have the thread title be so whack.

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Elizabeth Taylor

Sorry I didn't mean to be inconsiderate. I apologize.

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Marie Wuczynski, 1922-2011: Charismatic bartender ruled at Marie's Rip Tide Lounge



I only visited Marie's Rip Tide Lounge a couple of times, but was luckily enough to meet Marie on my first visit. She bought a round of drinks for my friends and me, poured a Jägermeister for herself, and sat and talked with us for a while. None of us were regulars. She seemed like a very sweet person.