The ConeKing Story Of The Invention Of The Gourmet Flavored Ice Cream Cone In 1984

The ConeKing Story

Here is the ConeKing's story and a little peak into life's amazing way of truly giving you what you ask for.

Born into a family of chow hounds in New Jersey, August 1952. It would be many years later that the connection between family, holidays and good times involving food would sink in as one of the wonderful hugs that bind the human race together.

My family is a mix of Spanish and Italian on my mother's side of the family (The Fernandez's) and my father's side (The Nielsen's), which were Danish, Dutch, and French.

My dad once said North American Indian was also in my heritage. But like the joker he was, I later found out he meant Indian, as in a my brother, sister and I carried on like a bunch of Wild Indians.

To this day the Nielsen Family is famous for being able to take any topic of conversation and turning it into a food topic. Example: "Hey Mom, how was your vacation? "Great! We ate at this wonderful cafe. Or the cruise ship had a fantastic buffet."

In my early teens I remember asking a friend what his dad did for a living, because he was heading out to work wearing a white double breasted jacket. He stated that his dad was a chef. I thought that was interesting as a possible career, only to find myself as a cook in the U.S. Navy Seabees. NMCB-40, 1972 thru 1975 to be exact.

In the early 1980s I remember visiting Solvang, Calif., a small Danish village for tourists that love Bakeries, Buffets and Shopping. On one of our trips we noticed a new food treat that seemed to be getting a lot of attention.

The hand made waffle cone was making its debut in America. The front window had tourists two deep pressing their noses to the window in order to get a peek at this Danish cone machine. It had six waffle cone irons on a wheel being heated by five gas flames as the master cone maker spun and flipped the irons around until a cone was ready to be rolled.

When the cone was ready to be rolled the cone master quickly moved into action. Opening up the lid of the waffle iron, he grabbed his cone shaped roller and like a pro the waffle was flipped, bent and rolled into shape. Then set in its holder to cool into a never seen before ice cream cone that didn't come out of a box.

Inside the store the counter clerk would scoop up your favorite ice cream flavor, put it in one of those freshly baked cones, that now had everyone on the street fumbling all over each other trying to get a taste.

After filling the cone, a spoonful of strawberry topping was drizzled on, followed by a small dollop whipped cream. Unlike the regular American Icon, these Danes knew how to serve up a cone.

Needless to say my mind was wandering about how the ice cream business will never be the same, and away I went jabbering to my wife how if we jumped on this idea we might have a successful business.

You see we had discovered that the owner of the ice cream parlor had begun manufacturing the cone machine we were amazed by. The owner stated that it was in his father's basement since World War II, when he decided to make them to sell. The deal was that he would sell the machine and give the purchaser the cone recipe too.

It took a while to develop a plan. One that depended on the recipe in order to create flavored cones to serve with the many flavors of ice cream available. Being dragged kicking and screaming my wife entered with me into the ice cream business.

When we finally had the money for a cone machine, the recipe was no longer available. Instead the recipe became a secret and the manufacturer had progressed on to selling bags of cone mix to the purchasers of the cone machine.

Disappointed? You bet. But I had planned to serve flavored cones to my customers as a way to set my business in the category of unique. So, away I went as a mad professor would. (A nickname my wife coined for me.) Experimenting over and over, trying to get a working recipe that I could use for my flavored cones.

Our first venture was Oxnard California's First Strawberry Festival in 1984, where we tested for ourselves the popularity of freshly made cones. Well, we won the most popular booth award at the event. It was a lot of work for all of us as we served customers that were lined up at the front serving window, as well as the back door of our booth. What fun!! I was hooked.

Next we planned for our store using the idea for flavored cone. And with the help of the bank of Mom and Dad Nielsen a dream came true. And thinking back, I believe the only reason I got the loan was because my parents had their own love of food going on.

We worked hard designing and drawing blueprints for the City of Port Hueneme, California. Hiring contractors to do the work we weren't qualified to do. And working night and day to get our store open.

We did it! Giggles' Ice Cream Parlor was born. And The Original Flavored Cone had a place to call home.

More two decades later, my wife and I, while out and about, we always seem to run into our old customers (friends) who always tell us that they wish Giggles' was still around so they can introduce their kids and grand kids to those fabulous cones.

I thank all our friends and customers for reminding my wife and I that good food, and especially dessert are the perfect crowning close to every great celebration. I have no doubt in my mind that fun, friends, and good times make it all worth while.

Now you have my story. But yours is still to be written. All the fond memories being created each birthday, holiday, or fun times with friends and coworkers. If you think hard enough, you'll recall the great food that accompanied those good times.

For this reason I'm recreating those wonderful cone recipes. They're for everyone's friends and family to enjoy. Try my ConeKing Kit and like a special Christmas cookie recipe that the holiday must have to be complete, begin another family tradition with ice cream. An American Favorite.

Please Enjoy My Cones and Don't Be Shy About Telling The World That The ConeKing Has A Delicious Treat For The Ice Cream Lover In Them Too.

Sincerely,
Eric R. Nielsen
The ConeKing

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