Like an L train rumbling over the Wells Street Bridge at sunset or the giant hot dog flexing his biceps atop SuperDawg on the Northwest Side, the sugary warmth that wafts from a Garrett Popcorn shop is unmistakably Chicago.
Newcomers to the city may sniff at how readily people will line up outside a place that sells popped corn — that is, until they catch a whiff. It’s an aroma that’s perfumed the city’s streets for 75 years.
“I like the smell. You can smell it a block away,” said Richard Phelps, 87, a retired physician who lives in the Gold Coast neighborhood and stopped off at the Water Tower Place location for a bag of popcorn earlier this week. “It’s a Garrett smell.”
Freshly made Garrett Mix popcorn — caramel and cheddar varieties — is pictured at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop on Friday afternoon.
Phelps bought the cheese and caramel mix, but he likes to eat the flavors separately, he said.
To celebrate the anniversary, the company is launching several new flavors, including Apple CaramelCrisp on Sept. 23.
“We are authentic and we’re still making Garrett popcorn the same way that they did at 10 W. Madison in 1949,” said owner Megan Chody, whose family bought the company from the Garrett family in 2005.
A familiar blue-striped tin of Garrett Popcorn.
Gladys Otto Garrett started in her Milwaukee kitchen before testing the waters at Madison and State Street in Chicago, where the corn was made in brass kettles (it’s still made that way). Back then, a bag of CheeseCorn or CaramelCrisp cost a nickel. Gladys Garrett died in 1982.
When it comes to what kind of kernels are air-popped for all the varieties offered, according to the company, it’s all from custom-grown, non-GMO butterfly (resulting in light and airy popcorn) and mushroom kernels (resulting in firm, round popcorn).
The recipe is a secret. The company allowed a Chicago Sun-Times photographer to go into the shop kitchen at the flagship store on Michigan Avenue last week, but asked her to avoid close-ups of the ingredients.
Chody says teasingly that the CaramelCrisp popcorn is made with seven ingredients commonly found in any kitchen.
David Castañeda scrapes off caramel popcorn in the mixing machine at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop.
Garrett has 14 stores in the Chicago area, as well as shops in Atlanta, Las Vegas and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and locations across Asia.
Oprah named the CaramelCrisp and CheeseCorn mix one of her favorite things. Kanye West’s mother, Donda, used to order and ship Garrett popcorn to her son and others.
Husand and wife Andy and Eva Gregory were in town Monday from Kansas City, Missouri, and were “hitting all of the Chicago hot spots,” which, for them, meant a stop at Garrett’s.
“Coming up to Chicago, it’s kind of like nostalgia. I feel like we have to go,” Andy Gregory said.
In the last 12 months, Garrett Popcorn made 122 million gallons of popcorn, with the help of 6 million pounds of brown sugar and 9 million pounds of cheddar cheese, company officials say.
Jariah Alvares packs an order at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Popcorn is for sale at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Customers Beza Mammo, right, and Melat Gebre, who are visiting from Colorado, look at popcorn at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Garrett Mix popcorn is for sale at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
David Castañeda scrapes off caramel popcorn that stuck to the mixing machine at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
An employee mixes caramel popcorn in a container at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Jariah Alvares (right) and Monica Harris work at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Popcorn is made at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Caramel popcorn is made at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Davis Castañeda brings out popcorn to refill containers at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Workers pack an order at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Cheese popcorn is mixed at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Popcorn is for sale at Garrett Popcorn Shops in the Loop, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
|
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
But surely after almost two decades of popping in and out of Garrett kitchens, isn’t Chody kind of sick of the smell?
No, she insists.
Does she eat popcorn every day?
“When I’m at a shop, I always leave with a bag because I believe in quality control,” she said. “You might as well make sure the boss is happy.”
Related Posts:
- Taking refuge from the heatwave as a movie churns up memories News Last weekend, when it was 105 degrees in Pasadena at 7 p.m., I decided to cancel my outdoor evening concert plans for a cooler endeavor. This led me to scroll through movie channels in the comfort of my air-conditioned home. When the remote control landed on the movie “Chappaquiddick,” my…
- Vikings’ Justin Jefferson Gets Real When Asked About Garrett Wilson, 49ers Sports Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson is confident and has the track record to back it up. Heading into the Vikings’ Week 2 tilt versus the San Francisco 49ers, Jefferson was asked if he would look to Week 1 for insight on how the 49ers might play him. The 49ers faced…
- ITV star teases return of iconic TV series 4 years after going on ‘break’ Entertainment To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next ITV star James Nesbitt revealed on Lorraine that he wouldn’t rule out Cold Feet returning to screens more than four years after it was last seen on screens. The British…
- Iconic 00s rapper reveals she ‘has PTSD’ from being a woman in hip-hop Entertainment Eve opens up about her long and complicated career in her new memoir (Picture: Eve) The rap genre has never been welcoming to female emcees, a reality that Eve, one of hip-hop’s most iconic figures, is now openly and bravely addressing. Her forthcoming book Who’s That Girl?: A Memoir, which…
- The Iconic Rolex Submariner Now Has Its Own Photo Book News A strong headwind carries the most iconic watches on the planet across the decades, like the Rolex Submariner, the most coveted luxury watch of 2023 (among other years, assuredly). The legendary timepiece is set to spend even more time in the spotlight, as Rolex just announced a stylish authorized volume…
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)