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Historical Phields
Letters to the editor
Hi James,
Do you have Historical Phields
information on "The Candy Kitchen" which had the most delicious hot dogs
around with that special sauce made by Pete and Gus? I worked there
as a teenager during the Christmas holidays around 1957-58.
Becky
Ayers Hortman
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James,
On the same side of Main Street where
your store is now located was a place to buy hot dogs with their own
unique sauce. It would have been between your store and where the movie
theater was. Do you have the name of that restaurant? I know there
was a pool hall along there also but I don't remember ever going into the
pool hall so I don't think the restaurant was there. I don't
even recall a place to sit down with your
food.
Susanne Sparks Runyan
Orlando,
Florida |
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Hi
James,
I was wondering if anyone had the
“Secret Recipe” for the hot dog sauce from Pete and Gus’s (not sure if this is
how you write Gus’s?) Candy Kitchen?!?! Where is Miss Thelma Wilson when
you need her?
Gayle
Smith
Watkinsville,
Ga.
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James,
Please add me to your mailing list. I have enjoyed
touring the site. Keep up the good work.
Susan Luckie
Youngblood
Macon, Georgia
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James.
I love these old photos! I don't suppose you ran across a
photo of Reddick Hardware????
Barbara Dell (Reddick)
Poston
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The Candy Kitchen
Revisited
As you
can tell, there has been a lot of interest generated by The
Spamination Society concerning The Candy Kitchen. The Candy Kitchen for most of
us in the Baby Boomer and older generations was one of our fondest
memories of Fort Valley as we grew up during the 40's, 50's and
60's.
I will try to answer
some of these recent questions with comments and articles posted
previously on www.kommish.net .
The photo of the
Candy Kitchen below was brought to me by Tom Turner who discovered it
while rummaging through some of Wilton Walton's pictures that he had
accumulated when he was editor of The Leader-Tribune. The
photo inspired me to write the very first issue of
Historical Phields which I have reprinted in part below. I have reproduced the
picture since it no longer appears on the link on my website.
Historical Phields: The Candy Kitchen - April 27,
2003
(Photo courtesy archives of Wilton
Walton & Tom Turner)
This picture is for you old
timers. You will recognize the business in the center as The Candy Kitchen
(a.k.a. Pete 'n Gus's). The Candy Kitchen was known for its famous Hot
Dogs which have never been duplicated in Fort Valley since the two Greek
brothers Pete and Gus passed away taking their secret recipe to their
grave.
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The Candy Kitchen was the favorite hang out
for kids like me who could hardly wait for the next edition of Superman or
Men at War comic books to hit the rack. You could also purchase fountain
Cokes and of course home made candy that the two brothers made in their
store on marble counter
tops. |
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At Christmas time,
you could count on fresh fruit and raisins from the Candy Kitchen to be in
your Christmas stocking.
To the left of the
Candy Kitchen is Richard Scallon's Barber Shop where I had many haircuts
in my youth. *Mr. Scallon is still alive and well and attends St.
Juliana's Catholic Church on a regular basis. His store and the upper
floors of the Winona Hotel are gone with the wind since the famous hotel
was torn down in the 60's.
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I don't really
remember the King Store on the other side of the Candy Kitchen, but
on close inspection it apparently was a clothing
store. |
(* Mr.
Scallon has since passed away.)
On The Subject of The Candy Kitchen
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| In regard to the
wonderful Pete and Gus
sauce: |
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| Talked with John
Prater at Searing, La. this morning. He worked at Pete and Gus but
never knew how to make the
sauce, |
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| Talked with
Thomas Murray at Colombia, S.C. this evening. His wife died three
years ago. He had nursed her for four years as she was an invalid.
Thomas worked at Pete and Gus and applied the sauce to
thousands of hot dogs but never knew the
formula. |
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I have no other names to
try. Guess this information departed with our Greek friends when
they journeyed to their reward.
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Buddy
Luce
Fort
Valley
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|
June (Gassett) Herbst tries to unlock the
secret of those famous Pete and Gus Hot Dogs we all enjoyed at Candy
Kitchen: |
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| In reference to
who may have knowledge of the phamous and unphorgettable (ok, ok,
the "ph"s are too difficult phor me and I'll leave that to you) Pete
and Gus' hotdog sauce, you may try Linda Roberts (Hansen). She
reminded me only this week that she worked there when she was a mere
15 yrs. old. How time flies and how the long term memory also flies,
not to mention the short term. Let's not forget their delicious
fudge and chocolate covered nuts, too.
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Am so enjoying
your emails. Keep up the good work. Thanks for including me.
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So far no one has stepped forward with the
recipe, but there's no doubt
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that
it has us all wondering and wishing for a rediscovery. I'm still hoping
someone has an
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| interior shot of the Candy Kitchen so we
can reminisce about all the goodies
inside. |
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| Do you remember
that my brother, Randall Preston, tried to reopen the Candy Kitchen?
It was in the late 60's or early 70's. I have one of the candy jars
from the Candy Kitchen when we cleaned it up. He, also tried to copy
Gus's sauce. I am also a history buff thanks to Coach
Fibbe. |
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On the Subject of Hot Dogs (Again)
Tom
Turner, our Phavorite Hot Dog Historian took time off from his Daytona
vacation to try and unlock the secret to Pete & Gus Hot
Dogs:
I was in Daytona Beach several weeks ago and stopped at
a Coney Island hot-dog vender. I asked the owner about his sauce. he
said he used the original New York sauce but it was not like the one Pete
and Gus used . He made reference to a sauce the brothers more than likely
used that was used sometimes in New York. It was a meat based sauce, he
told me how it was made . By the way Wallis Hardeman's old friend Bud
Asher is now the mayor of Daytona Beach. I thought that may be of
interest to Mr. Hardeman.
Tom Turner
Marshallville
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| On the Subject of the Candy
Kitchen |
Even I, from Reynolds,
remember coming to the Candy Kitchen and the marble counters and tile
floor......not to mention the food finery. It was such a treat to "come to
the city" (Fort Valley) from Reynolds and enjoy the treats available. What
ever happened to establishments like this.....Why aren't there any around
today??? I really do think they would be GREAT to have around. (Chain
establishments just do NOT have the same, nor will they ever, memories
available.)
Peggy Herbert
Fort Valley
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| Wallis Hardeman, the Main
Street Historian shares another interesting tale from the
past: |
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| Some of the memory loving former residents of
Fort Valley and customers of the Candy Kitchen came down several
years ago when the rained out festival was scheduled at which Miss
Dot Hudson had attempted to duplicate the sauce made by the Greek
owners Pete and Gus Wouvis. |
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| I
say attempted because the reports I got from contemporaries after
they got home with their bottles of sauce was not good although her
efforts were exemplary and most
appreciated. |
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| Since there appears to be new interest in the
sauce I have attempted what may be a different approach. I have
tried to determine who, over the years, hopped curbs at the Candy
Kitchen and might have some recollection of the desired info.
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I know, of
the former employees, that James Pearson and Lewis Gray Heckle are
deceased. But just this morning Bob Anthoine and Buddy Luce reminded
me that also on the list should be John Prator and Thomas Murray.
Surely some of your interested readers will remember others who
might be contacted.
Wallis
Hardeman
Fort
Valley |
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| Yes, I did lease the old Candy Kitchen and reopened
it in 1969. |
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| I had access to the invoices that Pete and Gus kept
for all of those years. |
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| I know the brand of additives they used, but was not
able to put it into the form
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| There was a man who worked there when we were kids
named Jimmy Robinson, and when I was planning the opening of the
Candy kitchen, he said he had the recipe but wanted to charge me
$10,000 for it. I could not afford that, and he never proved to me
he actually had the
recipe. |
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| A fun incident I remember is when I went to Spain and
Portugal in 1962, The trip sponsor (Macon Telegraph and News &
Parade Magazine) did an article on our
trip. |
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| The article stated young boys miss Candy Kitchen hot
dogs on trip. |
Pete gave me all the hot
dogs I wanted when he saw that article.
I certainly enjoy all this
work you are putting into these publications. I have been experimenting on
the chile dog used at the Candy Kitchen. I have a great Greek recipe my
friends enjoy, but, it is not the meatless chile sauce that Pete and Gus
used.
I
wonder if any of your readers have any pictures of the Bantam Chef that I
also operated on Commercial Heights. It was located at the rear of the old
A & P. My kids had wanted to see it.
Again, thanks for the work
you do and remember, " It is the applause of the nail scarred hands that
matters the most."
Randall Preston
Navarre,
FL.
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| Regarding the
Candy Kitchen. I worked there for almost two years - as far as the
sauce for the hot dogs - not sure about the recipe but when I was
there an African-American male made the sauce. He worked there for
years. He knew everything that went on as far as the food, candy
etc. Do not remember his name - he and his wife had a daughter who
was a teenager at the time so it is possible she still lives in Fort
Valley or maybe he does. Might could run an ad in the paper to ask
if anyone knows the whereabouts of the man who use to work
there. |
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| I am enjoying
all your emails. |
Linda
Hansen Roberts
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