KING OF BISCUITS con't. next column
KING OF BISCUITS con't. next column
KING OF BISCUITS continued KING OF BISCUITS continued
"King Of Biscuits"
The Hydrox Vs Oreo Story
by Scott Margolis, owner Scott’s Table
Remembering childhood food favorites
always brings a smile to my face. I could easily
talk about favorite meals that my Mom would
prepare or the seemingly hundreds of different
desserts during family gatherings. My heart
fills whenever I think about all those special
occasions. But I have decided to go a completely
different path and write about something that
most people don’t even give two thoughts about.
Remember opening your lunch box at school
to see what goodies Mom sent? Peanut butter
sandwich, an apple, potato chips in a Ziplock
bag. And if I were lucky, I got some Oreo cookies!
How could something as simple as an Oreo
cookie bring such wonderful memories, and
how did they become so universal to so many
people? Following is a little history lesson just
for you.
In the mid-19th century, commercial bakeries
evolved from a cottage industry focusing on
simple crackers to the more industrial factories
we know today that produce a much wider
variety of fancy biscuits, cookies, and other
delectable concoctions. It was during this time
that Jacob and Joseph Loose bought the Corle
Cracker and Confectionary Company in Kansas
City, Missouri and renamed it Loose Brothers
Manufacturing. Jacob believed that it didn’t
make sense to compete with other bakeries
when if they joined together, they could be more
successful. So, he hired Adolphus Green, a bigtime
lawyer, in 1890 to oversee negotiations and
the legal paperwork needed to bring multiple
bakeries under the newly–created American
Biscuit and Manufacturing company. As soon
as this company formed, it became the second
largest bakery in America. Jacob became
president, Joseph was appointed to the board of
directors and Adolphus to general counsel.
Competition among the top three bakeries
was fierce, and Jacob’s health became so
affected that he had to step down from his
position as president. His brother, Joseph took
over and was committed to ending the harsh
competition. Adolphus created an agreement
with the other two bakeries which Jacob greatly
opposed from his sickbed. Interestingly, the two
biggest competitors created the National Biscuit
Company (Na. Bis. Co.). Seated on its board of
directors were three of Jacob’s former board
members, his lawyer, his treasurer, and worst of
all, his own brother.
When Jacob’s health recovered in 1902, he
was committed to reclaim all that he had lost.
Partnering with John Wiles to form the Loose-
Wiles Biscuit Company, he pushed this company
over the next ten years to once again be one of
the largest corporate bakeries. Only second
to Nabisco, but a very distant second with $12
million in revenue versus $45 million. The
success of this company did not go unnoticed
which was mostly due to one biscuit, the Hydrox.
To this day, my Dad still calls Oreo cookies
by their counterpart’s name, Hydrox. Hydrox
were an instant success that could be found in
every ice cream parlor. Advertised as “a dessert
of itself,” the Hydrox looked like a work of art
with a scalloped edge, a boarder of scrollwork,
six seven-petaled flowers chained together
by leaves and stems and a laurel wreath in the
center. On the tenth anniversary of the Loose-
Wiles bakery, Nabisco debuted its clone to the
Hydrox, the Oreo. Although Nabisco couldn’t
match the detail of the Hydrox, it imitated what
mattered the most—the laurel wreath.
The early years of the Oreo were not very
successful as the Hydrox remained the “King of
Biscuits.” Twenty years after its debut, the Oreo
wasn’t even on Nabisco’s list of most popular
products. Unfortunately for Hydrox, the name
became their downfall as its pseudo-scientific
name became more and more associated with
chemical companies. Offering happy, colorful
advertisements about crisp, chocolaty sandwich
cookies crammed with more filling than any
other cookie, Oreo’s marketing strategy was
brilliant. In the 1950s, Nabisco completely
redesigned the cookie and heavily promoted the
new Oreos. Not long after, the Hydrox simply
became something that my parents remember
eating.
Today, Oreos continue to be a part of most
American’s lives in some way. Whether found in
my kid’s lunch boxes or in a sundae at some ice
cream shops up the street, I know that I smile
every time I get to have some Oreos. They can
also be found at carnivals and fairs with a twist.
Have you ever eaten a fried Oreo? I can tell
you from experience, that it is an otherworldly
experience. So, if you feel adventurous, come
on in to see me, and I will happily prepare one
of our special desserts just for you. Fried Oreos
drizzled with chocolate sauce over vanilla ice
cream will make your heart smile just like mine
does. ☐ Enjoy a visit to Scott's Table and
bring along your coupon. See ad p. 26.
Oreos...
Scott Margolis, Executive Chef at Scott's Table.
p.10 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. No. 136
/event
/foreproperties.com
/sandhillsgymnastics.com