I stopped in a few weeks ago after a friend told me that it was the only place in town to get a Chicago dog. I ordered one and it was delicious. I decided to go back.

Holowicki

So, I made a second trip, and this time I had the luxury of talking with Richard Deters, heir to the legacy of the famous custard business. While the dairy business no longer is owned by the family, Richard and his brother, Greg, decided to get back to their roots several years ago and try out their luck at the location on 36th street in what is now the Firehouse Pizza. That Deters location later closed. “It was too big!” Deters said.

Their current location is in an unlikely location. It stands near Staples with its front façade facing away from Busy Broadway at Broadway and 30th and opened in 2007. (They have two other locations in Weldon Springs, Mo., and St. Charles, Mo.) It is, no doubt, smaller. Menus and value meals adorn the yellow walls. The place is bright and cheery. What would you expect for a place that serves ice cream and hot dogs?

The conversation started out when I asked about why the family closed the original 12th street locations. What prompted the question were the cool little retro photos hanging on the wall with the year and location of the dairy stands printed into the photos.

“What is the reason ANY business closes? Competition,” remarked Deters. “With McDonalds and Wendy’s opening up nearby, who could compete?”

Richard wandered away from the family business to pursue other ventures, but was eventually lured back. He understands the principals behind mass produced fast food. It can do really well. After all, what town have you ever visited of 5,000 people or more that did not have a McDonalds? He notes that in any city (big and small presumably) you see a Home Depot, McDonalds, Steak and Shake and so forth. Deters wanted to be different.

So I decided to make a third trip the next day for a frozen custard. Their menu reads “Our custard is a premium French style ice cream. It combines fresh cream and eggs to create an ‘Extra Smooth Frozen Treat.’ We have selected the very finest ingredients, flavors and toppings from all over the world!”

Deters spends more on vanilla and Belgian Cocoa than most places do. I won’t tell you how much. I almost fell over when I heard. He brings in two types of vanilla and for the most part, this fine confectionary is made in-house. “I could spend less if I wanted to. I have a hard time sacrificing the quality,” Deters professes.

If you stop by, you’ll notice the facility is small by comparison to a Steak N’ Shake or a Dairy Queen. My guess is that with the price of higher priced ingredients, volume is not in the cards. Quality is.

Think back to the soft serve craze of the seventies and frozen yogurt in the eighties. A lot of these trendy places are still around, but many more have died off. Custard is as timeless to Americans as hot dogs and Chevys. That kind of commitment to perfection is really hard to come by these days.

This is my recommendation if you haven’t been to Deters in a long time:
1. Check out their website: www.detersfrozencustard.com
2. Go get some custard or a Vienna Chicago dog before it gets to cold to leave the house. Tell them I sent you!

Steve Holowicki

Chefs Cory Shupe (Executive Chef/Owner – Thyme Square) and Pete Magliocco (Sous Chef – Spring Lake Country Club) have teamed up to present “A Farm Fresh Feast,” a four course, locally sourced, gourmet meal to benefit one of my personal favorite Quincy non-profs, Quanada. This can’t miss event will take place on Saturday, June 4, at Thyme Square in Quincy. There will be two seatings for this remarkable meal, (6 p.m. and 8 p.m.) and it will feature some of the freshest and highest quality meats, cheeses, vegetables and herbs from local vendors (for those vegetarians out there, there will be options for you as well). Along for the ride will be celebrity servers: The Dark River Derby Coalition, sans skates in case you were worried. What’s so special about this event is not only does it illuminate the artistry

Magliocco

and talent of our local chefs and the quality of our local products, but it’s main focus is the continuing support this community gives to Quanada, an organization that this area could not do without-and could not thrive without our help.

The meal is $50 per person and reservations MUST be made in advance by calling Quanada at  (217) 222-3069, and feel free to bring your own special spirits to enjoy with your meal. I truly hope to see you all there; it is going to be delicious on so many levels.

Facebook invite: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=177280982326009

Quanada Website: http://www.quanada.org/

Thyme Square Website: http://www.thymesquarecafe.net/

Dark River Derby Coalition Website: http://www.darkriverderby.com

J.J. Magliocco