Fran’s Restaurant’s
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vs. |
Conklin’s hot ice cream
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Roger (pictured), Richard and Joon Kim; opened in 1940 and at the CNE since 201 | Owner(s); year established: |
Jim Conklin; 1940 |
“This year is going to be our second. It’s very historical — same thing as Fran’s. | How many years have you been at the Ex? | “Since 1937. It was part of our [Conklin Shows] carnival, which travelled across Canada.” |
“Last year the Thanksgiving waffle was a huge hit. We’re selling it again this year along with one of our new items, the deep fried rice pudding. We’ve had the recipe since the beginning of Fran’s.” | Tell us about the food that you’re serving: | “The ice cream waffle is a very peculiar product. The food booth was originally stationed beside the grandstand; people used to grab one as they came out. It has only been successful in Toronto. We tried it elsewhere, but it hasn’t worked.” |
“It took us a long time — probably a year — to come up with the perfect recipe. Labour intensive!” | What’s the key to getting the waffles just so? |
“We are still using the original irons; we just restored them recently. It’s a lot easier today ’cause we can now coat the irons with Teflon.” |
“The Thanksgiving waffle is Thanksgiving in your mouth. When you’re over at your parents’, you have a bit of everything. This is all in one. | Can you let us know more about the waffle filling? |
“We just use the one flavour of ice cream: vanilla. This is it! Why mess with it? Everybody likes it.” |
“I’m all about the classics! I head to the Polar Express for a quick spin. It always brings out the kid in me. | Favourite ride at the CNE — past or present? | “It would have been the Flyer — a permanent wooden roller-coaster on the grounds at the time. It was the noise that got to you more than the thrill!” |
“We will be launching our book, Since 1940, celebrating 75 years of the restaurant!” | Doing anything special at the Ex this year? | “It’s the 75th anniversary of our ice cream waffle, so yes, we’ll be doing something special….” |
www.fransrestaurant.com | www.conklinshows.com |