It Started at Hostess at 7 years old...
Monday, October 30, 2017 at 10:27PM 
I get asked in almost every class I teach. “What made you decided to get into the food business? Here is my story. It started in 1st Grade at Crenshaw Elementary in Torrance, CA. Mrs. Jamile showed two films one week. “Do you want to be a Farmer?” and “Do you want to be a baker.” A farmer and a baker must get up very early in the morning. Remembering the films, I thought the baker sounded more interesting. He was mixing a bunch of things in a mixer taller than he. He also took and make dollops of red raspberry jelly into the center of squares of dough. That’s all I recall. Then the last day of the week we went to the Hostess Factory! My Mom was one of the room helpers and she still talks about how they gave her the bratty group of boys.
Once in the factory, we donned or paper hats. We dropped off our sack lunches in the employee workroom first. Walking past the Twinkies. WOW!!! I never liked those. But watching 3 “needles” shoot cream filling into the bottom of the sponge cake was exciting. I noticed how all the workers seemed so happy. The aromas of sugars and chocolates filled the air. oh boy. I was in heaven. Next the icing of the cupcake area. After they had their chocolate tops, they filed in a row underneath the swirling white glaze. (I was told every cupcake has 7 swirls, which meant. 7 days of freshness). Then the donuts. (Donettes as they call them) being tossed in the white sugar powder. The tour guide grabbed a few for each of us in our group to try. Hot and Fresh! Nothing like I had ever eaten.
We all went to the lunch room to enjoy what we brought (Mom always packed my favorite for field trips. (A tuna fish sandwich). Only on field trips and I don’t think I have had one since. We each got a dessert of a Hostess Product to savor after our lunches. Then prior to loading back into the bus we each were given a large bag of powdered sugar donettes. I had never seen such a large bag. Only the 6 pack. We all carried our prized possessions back to school and then home. Even after a full day of travel these donettes were the softest and freshest you have ever tasted.
Yes. I knew for sure in 1967. I was not going to be a farmer but a baker!
Years following, I enjoyed my share of Hostess Products. On Friday nights in the summer, after dinner my sisters and I would walk down to the corner store and get one of the products for our dessert. They were 16 cents. I could name all the products that had. Ho Ho’s, Cupcakes, Ding Dongs (King Dongs on the East Coast), Glazed Honey Buns, Apple Pies, Snow Balls. The list goes one and on.
Years later after culinary school I was piping red raspberry filling into squares of Danish. A little smile came over me. I was thinking about that film.
50 years later, last month I was in that Hostess Building. It no longer makes the sweet baked goods, but is a prop house. They still do have a few pictures and signs of the old factory up.
Last week I was defending on Twitter a colleague with CBS News in another city as to his vice is Hostess cupcakes. Hostess read my tweet and asked me to direct message them with my address. Today.. a huge box (that I could never eat myself) of Hostess Products came. I sent them around the neighborhood hoping that one of the kids will be inspired to also be a baker. Sad the factory tours are no longer. But I have those memories as if they are yesterday!
Reader Comments (1)
What a wonderful story. I remember a similar field trip and Wonder bread bakery. Great memories. You have inspired many over the years and definitely a few fourth graders in my classes. Thanks for sharing your stories and talents.