I was motivated to research and write this article by my memories of the giant roadside Presto Whip cans that I marveled at as a boy.
A cream alternative
Bob Rich was a former dairy man from New York who was working as a consultant for the federal government monitoring milk production in the Great Lakes region. During World War II whipping cream sales were prohibited and dairy products were rationed.
A purchasing agent from Ford Hospital in Detroit explained to Rich that their entire supply of milk and cream was produced in Dearborn by Henry Ford's Carver Laboratory from soybeans. Rich was astonished as he had never heard of anyone producing milk from plants.
Rich visited the Carver institute and saw how Ford was isolating soy proteins for a number of different applications from car parts to food. The enterprising Rich was able to license the process for $1 a year from Ford.
1944 – Bob Rich forms Rich Products Corporation and develops one of the world's earliest and most popular commercial food products to use isolated soy protein as a significant ingredient--Rich's Whip Topping.
Delsoy
1945 – “Bob Smith (a former Ford researcher) and Herbert Marshall Taylor introduced Delsoy, a soymilk-based non-dairy whip topping. Made in Dearborn, it was sold mostly in Detroit to the restaurant trade. In the spring of 1945 it was introduced through retail stores in New York. “
Presto-Whip
1946 - Delsoy modified Chicago's Super Whip co's nitrous and valve design to create Presto Whip, the first soy based product in a pressurized can (with valve) of any food product. “Delsoy was America's earliest known commercial non-dairy whip topping. But it never became a very successful product. In part because it was not a frozen food, its distribution was limited to the Detroit area.”
Delsoy Products and Distributors and its successor operated out of a site at 2023 South Telegraph, at Harvard Street, Dearborn, Mi.
1963 – Delsoy is purchased by Harvey Whitehouse of Whitehouse Products Inc.
Sometime in the late 1960’s Whitehouse could not get permits to erect new storage tanks at the facility. Instead thery got permits to erect two large 30 foot Presto Whip signs with valves on their bottoms. These were placed conspicuously on Telegraph road and also helped to advertise this locally manufactured product.
Today
Sadly the original cans came down sometime during the ‘80’s, likely 1983 at the time Whitehouse Products, along with the Presto Whip trademark were sold to C.J. Christoff and sons of Lowell Michigan.
Every army marches on its stomach. The legions of auto workers that staffed the arsenal of democracy were no different. I recently re-experienced a Ford Motor company food favorite that has nearly lost its tradition. The Pepperoni Roll.
Lunch for the Rouge
When Henry Ford's massive Rouge plant opened in 1928, the east end of Dearborn was still the village of Fordson. At first, many workers at the plant traveled by streetcar to make their shifts at the factory.
As the prosperity and wages of the workers grew, these laborers were now able to afford their own Ford automobiles. Employees could now drive themselves to the Rouge in their new rides.
Support business grew rapidly in the shadow of old man Ford's place. Rooming houses, bars, and restaurants popped up like mushrooms along avenues like Miller, Michigan and Schaefer.
In 1929, Fordson consolidated with the village of Dearborn to become the City of Dearborn.
Schaefer Avenue, was a major thoroughfare that routed workers to the Rouge from their domiciles on the burgeoning Northwest side. The road was lined with many restaurants and bakeries where Ford employees could grab a bite before or after work.
In Detroit before unionization, a 15-minute lunch break was common. A lunch that could be purchased, transported and eaten quickly was of great value to thousands of workers. Sandwiches of meat and bread became the staple of many a paper bag or lunch bucket. In the U.K., compact meat pies were very popular and this recipe emigrated to the U.S. as well.
Music during lunch hour at Morley Knight Co. Detroit - 1942
Le Roll du' sausage
The first "Pepperoni Roll" or "Sausage Roll" is said to have been created in a little bakery in West Virginia. The baker saw coal miners on their lunch break with a sausage in one hand and a loaf of bread in the other. It was necessary to balance either on one knee while drinking a beverage. The baker solved this problem by baking sausage into the roll and offering it to the miners. The one handed Pepperoni Roll soon became very popular.
Just how this idea migrated to Dearborn Michigan has been lost to the ages. One might speculate that, as many workers from the south migrated to Michigan for jobs in the factories, so too did their recipes.
The Dearborn / Detroit pepperoni roll is very well known through the offerings of the original Roma Bakery at 6142 Schaefer Road, an east end landmark.
Roma Bakery's golden era started in the late '50's and lasted through the early '80s under the skillful hands of its original owners. Catering to thousands of locals and Ford commuters daily, Roma Bakers were most certainly the originators of the Pepperoni roll in Detroit.
The Roll today
In 21st Century Detroit, there are many purveyors of the venerable pepperoni or sausage roll a favorite of the assembly line worker. In Dearborn, there are 3 major contenders, each with its own spin on the original. As the best version has long been a point of contention between this author, his family and friends, I have decided to review all three to put any comparisons to rest through a comparative review.
Capri Bakery - 2012
The Roll: The dough is very good and just the right soft consistency. The Capri roll is subject to becoming "crusty" if left out too long, so they are best ordered early in the day fresh and hot. This roll is longer and thinner than the original Roma Bakery article however. Its extruded length may be a strategy to minimize the pepperoni filling.
The Pepperoni: Excellent spicy pepperoni that lives up to the legend. Sliced properly that is in keeping with Roma's of Dearborn. A little thin in serving size as compared to the other rolls reviewed. The Construction:
The added length on this roll means the dough is rolled fewer times. Fewer revolutions mean fewer pepperoni slices need be rolled in. It does not have the ideal girth and pepperoni serving size of the Dearborn Italian Bakery roll, for comparison.
Extras: None. The basic roll is available with sauce and cheese if you prefer.
Cost: $1.45 - Wow ! Extremely affordable.
Rating: B + Capri Bakery
4832 Greenfield Rd Dearborn, MI 48126
(313) 584-4449
Dearborn Italian Bakery - 2012
The Roll: Is nicely shaped and the dough consistency is very good. This roll has the exact shape and girth of the original Roma's Dearborn roll. Not too chewy or dry. Obviously baked side by side, as you can see the separation mark. Not crusty or hard at all.
The Pepperoni: Biting in to the roll, the "mouth feel" seems correct. However, suddenly you realize this is not necessarily the best quality Pepperoni. The fat component was very high to the degree that I am still not sure if there was a layer of butter in there or not ! It's also a pretty dull pepperoni, not spicy at all.
The Construction: This is my preferred distribution of pepperoni. Sliced, applied and then spiral rolled into the unbaked loaf. Dearborn offers a generous helping of pepperoni in their rolls.
Extras: The basic roll is available with sauce and cheese if you prefer.
Cost: $2.50 However, to their credit, the rolls are 3 for $5 on Fridays. Rating: B - Had they better Pepperoni they would have scored higher. They use the same Pepperoni on their pizza that I always mark down for the use of sugar in their red sauce.
Editorial:
Today's Roma Bakery physically bears little resemblance to the old shop patronized by thousands of Ford workers and school kids alike. A Lebanese couple purchased the building and name years ago. They have since expanded the premises, menu and building.
The original Roma roll was made of soft dough with sliced pepperoni rolled in and baked.
Today the Roma product is nothing like the original. The current owners recently, quite shamelessly connected themselves to the original recipe and the late Roma proprietors in this article: http://www.semichiganstartup.com/features/dearbornsromabakery
"About five years ago the wife of the original owner who has since passed away, visited the bakery and started crying as she hugged the Nemers, and thanked them for keeping the name."
They kept the NAME not the product. Proximity to the aging original owners does not qualify you for an endorsement.
"The pepperoni rolls at Roma Bakery, its biggest seller, have been locally famous for longer than half a century. A line on the business cards reads: “The Home of The Pepperoni Rolls.”
Do NOT build your business on a product, process and company that no longer exists. You do NOT have 50 years in business. This not a half-century old recipe.
“No one makes the pepperoni roll like we do,”Amal said.
That would be an accurate statement. It certainly is unique. Do not confuse the unique with the original.
The Review:
The Roll: Poorly shaped and oversized, the dough consistency is very "chewy". It appears to be a Calzone or even a distorted Cuban sandwich or Panini. It may as well be a loaf of flatbread.
The Pepperoni:Halal "pepperoni" is used. Halal is the Arabic word for "Permitted". Meaning food that is permitted under Islamic guidelines as found in the Qu'ran. While this is fine and a requirement of and for the Islamic community, these are not the old Italian processes for Pepperoni. It is just not the real article. The spices used in the Halal Pepperoni are very tame. NONE of the original pepperoni zing and rather "chewy".
Construction: The Pepperoni is NOT rolled in to the dough. They obviously haven't got this part figured out. It's like an oddly sliced pepperoni sandwich with two halves of dough, cheese and some meat sauce.
Extras: Sauce! Are you kidding ? No original Pepperoni roll would ever have sauce. You want sauce ? ... buy a Pizza ! In retrospect, it's possible that what I was served was their "Pizza Roll". So now both the service and the Pepperoni were substandard.
Cost: $ 2.50 ! I can remember paying $.50 for a roll back in the '70's. Sure, I understand inflation, but this price for a substandard product is outrageous. Rating: F - No ethnic group owns the pepperoni roll. It's just coincidence that in Michigan, Italian bakeries picked up on this American product for the American worker. The current owners offer a kind of loaf with meat that does not follow this tradition. Not that they are required to.
The "New" Roma roll was wholly unsatisfying and frankly just plain bad.
It bears no resemblance to the Michigan original.
Roma Bakery 6412 Schaefer Rd Dearborn, MI48126(313) 581-5000
Caviet Emptor In 2012, Ford motor is doing well although the number of employees at the Rouge has greatly diminished. The old lunch pails have given way to plastic min-coolers. And, in at least one bakery in Dearborn, workers can still find a one-handed Pepperoni roll worthy of the original ROMA BAKERY.
I made it to the Henry Ford this past weekend to view the new Driving America exhibit. This exhibit is long overdue as it has been decades since the Museum made any significant updates to its automotive vehicle displays. I was pleased to see that the exhibit now represents more recent history with an eye towards the future. The timeline display of vehicles is much more complete and, finally, up to date.
Racing and trucking are still categorically represented but in a less cluttered fashion. Related artifacts are now nicely incorporated into slick exhibit cases that help tell the story of transportation and the automobile's evolution.
I understand that one reason the former display had become stagnant was due to the difficulty in exchanging vehicles in and out. The Henry Ford appears to have solved that issue as it plans to further enhance Driving America with other cars that are normally stored off-site. Movement and storage of these treasures is certainly a tricky proposition at best.
I did notice for the first time that some, if not all of these vehicles were on axle stands. Tires are hovering a millimeter or so off the ground. This makes sense as it is probably pretty hard to find a set of tires for a 1931 Bugatti or 1896 Duryea !
It's nice to see some of the old favorites as well as some seldom seen cars from the collection.
Click on photos for more details.
Texaco Service Station
I also stopped by the Texaco Service station c.1946. The station has a service bay with a plastic mock up car that kids can "service". I watched two ten year olds change a tire, unsupervised! They were having a blast and looking for the oil ...
Lamy's Diner
It's great that the museum has made Lamy's diner functional. Originally a veteran's post-war start-up, it sat at various locations in Massachusetts until it was acquired by the museum in the '80s. Visitors can now stop in for refreshments and soak up some of the vibe from the mid-century road food era.
Interactive Displays
Being a techno-geek as well as a gear head I spent as much time with the interactive elements of the exhibit as with anything else. Here is that experience (in great detail) that I recommend you try for yourself.
Have you ever wanted to see, up close, the coils on Henry Ford's 999 or closely inspect the speedometer on the 1931 Bugatti Type A Royale? Well, now you can!
The Henry Ford has made a significant investment in technology for this exhibit with eighteen 42 inch interactive touch screen kiosks sprinkled amongst the displays. The museum has organized hundreds of high-resolution vehicle photographs and digitized many related artifacts all available to each kiosk visitor. Navigation is a breeze now that iPhones and iPads have made touch sensitive gestures familiar to millions. Driving America's kiosks are like using a 42 inch iPad; they serve as windows into the collections treasures. It's fun to free associate, zooming in and out of Hi-resolution images and playing back videos by personalities such as Bill Gates and Bill Ford.
So, if you would like to read that part number off the carburetor on the 1949 Volkswagen, now you can!
This digital collection content is never limited to the vehicle stationed behind each kiosk. The entire digital collection is accessible at every kiosk as well as on the Henry Ford Collections website.
My Collections Card
Perhaps the coolest feature of the interactive kiosks is their ability to read your "My Collections Card".
The My Collections Card or "MCC", as we will call it, is your passport to taking some of the digital collection home with you for further perusal. The credit card sized MCC uses the latest RFID technology to great effect.
Creating a "collection set" from your visit.
This process requires two things; 1) a Henry Ford Collections Website account and 2) a MCC card.
1) If you have been to the Henry Ford digital collections website and have already created an account, you are halfway there. In fact, I would recommend this prior to physically visiting unless you are comfortable enrolling in front of others touring the exhibit.
2) MCCs are available from any Driving America docent and are good for one day only.
When you visit your first kiosk, place the card on the black rectangle in the lower right hand corner.
The initial presence of your card begins the login process.
If you already have a Henry Ford collections website account, just enter your account (e-mail address) and password. Otherwise, you must create an account in order to proceed.
Once a valid account and password has been submitted, the account is "linked" to your MCC.
- No personal information is stored on this card.
- No collection information is stored on this card.
The MCC merely identifies you at each kiosk when you lay the card on the little black rectangle.
These cards have zero intrinsic or functional value outside of the museum.
Now you may browse through the collection archive at each kiosk. Selecting "add to my collection" adds any photo, video, or other digital artifact to your very own "collection". Take the card with you to the next kiosk.
I saved a bunch of my favorite artifact images to my MCC and dropped the card off at the desk upon exiting the museum. The Henry Ford purges these cards daily thus breaking the connection between the user and the card.
At home I received an e-mail containing a web link to my new "collection set" labeled with the date of my visit. Upon opening the set I found all the items that I had added to My Collections Card ! Nice ...
On the Henry Ford collections website you can create additional collections and even build a "virtual exhibit" ... lots of fun! Here's my Virtual Exhibit created from items I encountered that day.
Next Time
These interactive components are great and a wonderful way to engage younger visitors. There are no fewer than 12 additional interactive games and experiences at these kiosks that I did not have time to check out.
I'll be going back to do just that and to inspect the physical artifact cases at length. Also I'll be sure to to have a seat at the diner for a beverage. I wonder if I can get a Yoo-Hoo? - Leo Early
