Made in California, Volume 2: The California-Born Burger Joints, Diners, Fast Food & Restaurants that Changed America, 1951–2010

By George Geary

Beloved food historian and chef George Geary is back with even more remarkable stories of the countless international chains that started in the Golden State.

Ruby’s Diner. Panda Express. Yogurtland. Wetzel’s Pretzels. The Cheesecake Factory. California Pizza Kitchen. These and many more iconic American culinary establishments have their roots in California.

Focusing on the years 1951 to 2010, the second volume of Made in California highlights fifty more food startups that have captured America’s hearts and stomachs, from the Claim Jumper to the Green Burrito, Chuck E. Cheese to Mrs. Fields Cookies, Jamba Juice to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Brimming with captivating historical detail and more than 200 dazzling full-color photos, George Geary’s newest journey into California’s culinary history is sure to awaken every reader’s inner foodie.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Prospect Park Books
• Release date: May 14, 2024
• ISBN: 9781684429202

George Geary

George Geary is the author of many hit books, including Made in California: Volume 1, L.A.’s Legendary Restaurants, Fair Foods, and The Cheesecake Bible. He is a cooking teacher, pastry chef, culinary travel guide, and in-demand public speaker. A California native, George lives in the Los Angeles area. Learn more at www.georgegeary.com.

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Farmer Boys growing large fried zucchini sticks

Introduction

IN 2021, MADE IN CALIFORNIA was published to great acclaim. When I first put the book together, I had over a hundred food establishments to highlight. The book would have been over 500 pages. We decided to make two volumes of Made in California, and here is the second half, packed with over fifty locations.

I have deep admiration for learning and keeping our history alive. Walking around Europe, you will see buildings with plaques stating what happened or who lived there. Here in California, if a building is over thirty years old, it is demolished; if a chain updates its look, the building is remodeled to strip away its past. I wanted to at least document the history of these historical food locations with a book.

Today, large food conglomerates test a concept: if it is popular, they start mass expansion or begin with franchises. In years past, a family or small like-minded group had an idea and started with one location and then expanded cautiously. Across the country and sometimes the world, many have enjoyed Panda Express, California Pizza Kitchen, Johnny Rockets, and so many others. Who started their first location? What has made them famous? Where were the original buildings? I wanted to capture the stories of these essential businesses and structures before they were gone forever. And so, I did.

When the first volume was released, I had been interviewed by newspapers and agencies coast to coast, not just in California. I would be asked, Why do you think California had so many original locations of companies that spread eastward? The common denominator is the Car Culture of California and that the state has such a diverse population. California is the most populist state in the country to test a concept to the masses.

One of the thrills of writing both books was meeting the founders’ children and grandchildren, telling the stories they thought would be lost. I asked the tough questions of the history, and they gave the answers. Sitting down for coffee or a meal with the child of one of the entrepreneurs across from me was a thrill. Listening to the family stories, knowing that their family created hundreds of locations worldwide and jobs for thousands, was remarkable. These are the people that shaped the industry that I share in this book.

I also get asked why such-and-such a location was not included, or why I included a defunct place. Many locations’ media and publicity departments would not talk with me, even after having four historical food books. I also included closed chains or chains that merged into others for the history aspect.

In closing, the most challenging part of writing this book was that every time I worked on a chapter, I would start craving the food from those places. Each one of the locations has made a mark on our society and the world. Now you can celebrate with me in this book.

—GEORGE GEARY

Hof’s Hut Long Beach location

Hofmans on the beach, 1951

Hof’s Hut

ORIGINAL LOCATION: 4828 2nd St., Long Beach

OPENED: September 16, 1951

FOUNDERS: The Hofman Family

CURRENT OWNERSHIP: The Hofman Hospitality Group

CURRENTLY AT THE FIRST LOCATION: Saint & Second Restaurant

There are three Hof’s Hut locations in Southern California.

hofshut.com

IN THE LATE 1930S, Sjoukje Hofman, with the help of her husband Dirk, a merchant marine, opened Hofman’s directly on the sand in Long Beach off 5th Place. Opening the stand was not simple for Sjoukje; she had to wade through lots of municipal red tape to finally realize her dream.

Hof’s Hut waitresses, 1950’s

The Beach, as the town was called then, was very popular with sunbathers, surfers, and visiting/stationed military; Long Beach was known as the Waikiki of Southern California in 1939. Long Beach even had a National Surfing Competition until the breakwater was built starting in 1940; this calmed the waters in East San Pedro Bay, making it into more of a wading pool.

Sjoukje’s youngest son Meindert (Harold) worked the stand during the summer months before starting at Oregon State University, where he was awarded a basketball scholarship. Unfortunately, an injury disrupted his basketball career early, so Harold moved back to Long Beach and helped his mom and dad at the stand. The stand was popular and known for 15-cent Hofburgers and Hot Dogs.

In the mid-1940s, Harold took over the stand after his parents passed away. With the stand only open during the summer, only serving takeout, and having no place for diners to sit, Harold started looking toward expansion.

In 1946, Harold found love and married Donna Corbridge; little did she know that she was also marrying into the restaurant business. Knowing that the little stand could not generate enough profits in the few months it was open, he decided to expand.

The pulse of the beach town shopping district would be a perfect location in which to expand. The corner of Second and St. Joseph streets in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach was the perfect spot, only a short block from the 800-seat Fox Belmont Theater. The location could seat fifteen diners. Hearty American fare from breakfast to dinner and home-baked goods also packaged to take home were hits from the beginning. The restaurant’s grand opening on a foggy and drizzling day in September 1951 became two grand openings. Also, Craig Hofman was born on the opening day of the restaurant. Craig always said he was born into the restaurant business.

Hofman Family

As soon as Craig was able, he carried water and drinks to the tables; he worked the soda fountain at age ten. Craig was eighteen and studying at Arizona State University when his father died of a sudden heart attack in their second home in Palm Springs. Donna took over the operations of Hof’s Hut, and Craig was summoned home to help his mom in the family business. She expanded Hof’s to five locations, while he finished his degree at Long Beach State.

Like many restaurants of the day, hiring female pie bakers was the best way to get those homemade-looking pies. Marie Callender worked for the Hofman family, making pies and baked goods before venturing out on her own and creating the Marie Callender Pie Shops.

In the mid-1960s, Dick Hofman, Harold’s brother, retired from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel. Dick franchised two locations from Harold in the Colorado Springs area. He kept the group of restaurants open for about ten years, and then opened McDonald’s franchisees. Although all the Colorado locations were sold and rebranded, the new owner renamed them the Hut.

Other Hofmans in the Business

Brad Hofman: President

Ryan Hofman: Director of Construction and Facilities

Ashley Pedersen: Brand Manager

Dirk Hofman: Executive Bar Manager for Specialty Concepts

Sjoukje and Harold Hofman at original beach stand 1930’s

Hof’s Hut Locations and the Opening Years

With Craig taking over the business in 1982, Hof’s Hut grew to thirteen locations. Looking toward the future of the American dining experience, Craig noticed many theme restaurants opening with great success, with dining moving away from the typical American coffeehouse. Looking toward the future, Craig embarked on a one-year research trip into the Midwest and Southern states to study barbeque cuisine; he had noticed that the West lacked good barbeque. In 1999, Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que (page 191) opened to great acclaim. In 2015, the first Hof’s Hut was rebranded into the new concept Saint and Second, with a second location in Manhattan Beach, California.

Since 1985, Hof’s Hut Hospitality Group has been awarding scholarships through the Long Beach Century Club. The philanthropical work for the community still to this day is an integral part of the Hofman family.

In the spring of 2013, the Hofman Hospitality Group was given the prestigious Long Beach Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Craig’s four children all work in the company, making it four generations of Hofmans in the restaurant business. Today there are three remaining Hof’s Huts, which keep the original hospitality alive with all the Hofman branded restaurants.

Former Franchised Locations for Dick Hofman

1st: 1968-1974 2202 E. Pikes Peak Plaza, Colorado Springs

2nd:1968-1974 421 S. Nevada St., Colorado Springs

3rd: 1973-1973 21 N. Union St., Colorado Springs

The Hat, Alhambra location neon sign

BBQ Stand

SLOGAN: World Famous Pastrami

NAME TODAY: The Hat: World Famous Pastrami

ORIGINAL LOCATION: 1 West Valley Blvd., Alhambra

OPENED: 1951

FOUNDERS: Sam and Alvin Anenberg (father and son)

CURRENT OWNERSHIP: C&J Food Company

CURRENTLY AT THE FIRST LOCATION: The first location is still in operation.

There are eleven locations throughout Southern California.

thehat.com

PROMINENT STREET CORNERS of Main Street USA always housed at least one if not more gas stations. 1925 was no different in the City of Alhambra. Standard Oil had a service station on the northwest corner of Valley and Garfield. The Standard Oil Company in the ’20s and then the Signal Oil Company of the ’30s and ’40s pumped gasoline there for over 27 years. But eventually, Sam Anenberg of nearby Montebello decided to open a BBQ stand after the Fourth of July holiday in 1951 on the gas station property he owned.

After launching several other BBQ stands around the Southland, Anenberg was looking to sell that first one. Finding that the location was perfect for a restaurant, as it was directly across the street from the 1,100-seat Garfield Egyptian theater, John and Catherine Brown purchased the stand and renamed it Johnny Brown’s Drive-In in late 1951; they referred to it as Johnny Brown’s Hat in the early days. The Browns owned and operated the Hat for over 20 years before selling it to Robert Ryan, a city police officer, and his wife, Alice. Alice cooked and served during the day until Robert came off his patrol shift. The cuisine was all-American fare, with carhops serving thick shakes, hot juicy burgers, and fresh fruit pies on trays.

Like so many towns across America, redevelopment happened fast around the downtown area of Alhambra. Brothers Ronald Corky and Joe Conzonire, alumni of Alhambra High School, recalled visiting the drive-in on the weekends with their shiny cars and their girlfriends on their arms. Corky was in the class of 1960, and Joe ten years later. The Hat was the local hangout of all the kids from Alhambra High. Then, the brothers got word that the building was to be sold and a strip mall with a dozen businesses would replace the former gas station turned drive-in. The only way to save their iconic drive-in was to purchase it themselves. Joe was not new to the restaurant business, as he owned a chain of Belly Buster Sandwich locations.

1981 was the turning point for the Hat. The Conzonire family purchased the land and the business, saving it and keeping the memory alive. They now operate the business under C&J Foods Company. The brothers run the business, while Corky’s son, Joe, is the president of C&J Foods and runs the day-to-day operations.

Other Names of the Location

BBQ Stand

Johnny Brown’s Drive-In

Johnny Brown’s Hat

Hat Drive-In

The Hat

The Hat is known for its pastrami sandwiches, as its neon sign does say World Famous Pastrami. Each large sandwich is plenty large enough to share; over half a pound of thinly sliced meat is stacked on each roll. Today, the Hat goes through approximately 15 million pounds of beef annually. Other items on the menu are hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, and French fries with cheese, onions, and pastrami packed on top of the heaping pile. The pastrami meat is made from brined brisket, seasoned with a dry rub, smoked, steamed, sliced very thin, and served on a French roll, unlike most delis that use rye bread. The carhops are gone; you must get out of your car to order and wait. At the rear of the location, you will find tables to enjoy your food. If you order the chili fries, ask for four plates to share with your three best friends.

Ownership

The family owns all the Hat locations; while expanding, they have kept the menu and look of nostalgia of each place the same as the first in Alhambra. A few new sites have been outfitted with a drive-through window. But I still say you should walk up so you can experience watching the kitchen and all the staff preparing the sandwiches and the piles of French fries.

Wrapping a pastrami sandwich in Murrieta

Current Locations

Alhambra

Brea

Glendora

Lake Forest

Monterey Park

Murrieta

Pasadena

Rancho Cucamonga

Simi Valley

Temple City

Upland

Kitchen at The Hat, Murrieta location

Original location of The Hat, Alhambra, CA

Acapulco sign in Costa Mesa

Acapulco y Los Arcos

NAME TODAY: Acapulco’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina

ORIGINAL LOCATION: 2936 E. Colorado Blvd. (Historic Rt. 66), Pasadena

OPENED: 1960

FOUNDER: Ray G. Marshall

CURRENT OWNERSHIP: Xperience Restaurant Group

CURRENTLY AT THE FIRST LOCATION: Office building

There are currently four locations in Southern California.

acapulcorestaurants.com

Acapulco menu

RAY MARSHALL WAS RAISED in an orphanage in Denver, Colorado. At a young age, he ran away and later found himself in Mexico. He loved life in Mexico; the flavors of the foods tantalized his taste buds. So, he came to Los Angeles and started working in the kitchen at the Biltmore Hotel as the night cook, his first job. He loved to cook, and started making some of the foods he’d tried in Mexico for his co-workers. Marshall also went to many small restaurants in the East Los Angeles area to taste the flavorful foods he recalled from Mexico.

In 1960, Marshall opened the restaurant Acapulco y Los Arcos, which sat on Route 66 (Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena). He slept in the kitchen on a blow-up mattress for the first year. He finally got a thriving business going, and it grew from there. Many had not tasted or even known what Mexican food was. Many thought beans with a lot of cheese and maybe a tortilla was Mexican food. People enjoy foods they are familiar with, ones they grew up eating from their family’s kitchen table, but this new kind of food was irresistible.

Because of moving around Mexico in his early years, Marshall’s flavor profiles include various northern Mexico regions, from the Nuevo Leon area, with menudo flavors from Sonoran, the pozole soup, and seafood of the Pacific coast area of the state of Jalisco.

Marshall became famous for the then-unheard-of innovation of crab enchiladas. At first, people thought cheese and shellfish seemed like an outrageous idea, but the enchiladas were a huge hit and a sign that Americans were ready for a bit of novelty in their Cali-Mex foods.

Traveling north, Marshall competed in the San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf seafood competition, winning a gold medal for his innovative dish. The Los Angeles Times highlighted the event and Marshall’s recipe in a multi-page story. The cantina had never been so busy with diners wanting to taste the award-winning enchiladas. Marshall had two versions: Crab Enchiladas Verdes (Green Tomatillo Salsa) and Crab Enchiladas Rancheras (Red Tomato Pepper Salsa).

Costa Mesa patio

Ray started demonstrating cooking classes in the 1960s in his Pasadena location on less-busy days. He was instrumental in urging fellow California Chefs de Cuisine members to follow his lead in their establishments. This was near the beginning of the trend of the cooking classes that we see today. Marshall also gave back to the communities on specific days every month, where all proceeds were donated locally.

After winning the Fisherman’s Wharf event, Marshall wanted nothing more than to compete to show America his style of Mexican food. However, in 1976, the United States Culinary Olympic Team rejected his request to join the team. The team did not feel that Mexican food represented the country; they didn’t think a medal would be won with just beans and cheese. After being rejected, Marshall organized his team of himself and three northern California chefs, flying all of them on his dime to Germany. The four chefs worked 18 hours a day for five days of competition to create a display table of 17 classic elegant Mexican dishes. The best U.S. team tied for third place, while Marshall won a gold medal in the individual competition, proving that the U.S. chefs were incorrect when they rejected him and told him Mexican cuisine was irrelevant. Marshall was a maverick, as he was not Mexican but an American born in Salamanca, New York. He had seen that the top U.S. chefs largely overlooked Mexican cuisine.

Ownership

Working hard, Marshall opened a total of 38 locations. He was in the front of the house and the field, from demonstrating at the state and local Los Angeles county fairs to teaching how to cook Mexican foods at local schools. He would draw a big crowd as he presented his award-winning crab enchiladas.

Awards and Accolades

Menu

In 1985, Marshall, at 72, sold his chain of restaurants to Restaurant Associates, who in turn shortened the name to Acapulco’s. Restaurant Associates also streamlined many of the recipes and dishes. With the sale, Marshall created a trust for his wife, Gertrude, and their special-needs son, John. But Marshall was too young to retire fully. Instead, he consulted with other restaurants, maintained his collection of over 3,500 cookbooks, dabbled in investment, and judged food contests.

Most diners only know of salsa that you dip a tortilla chip in. Francesca Carbajal, Marshall’s first chef, learned how to make fresh salsa from his mother from Guadalajara: salsa made with pumpkin seeds for chicken and fish dishes, nut salsa for rabbit and game. Like most home cooks, Francesca’s