Ted Drewes - Rest in Peace

Post-Dispatch

St. Louis' Ted Drewes has passed away. Virtually everyone in St. Louis or its frequent visitors of the past 60 years knew Ted and his amazing frozen custard. 

When we moved to STL in 1979, our attorney and his wife took us out to dinner at Balaban's in the Central West End. The food and atmosphere were amazing. Then, Arthur said, "we aren't ordering dessert here. We're going out [someplace other than Balaban's]." We couldn't imagine to what he was referring. 

A half-hour later we knew: Ted Drewes' frozen custard. With the first bite, we were officially St. Louisans. The custard stand has been in business 94 years and it's custard is amazing. I only got to speak briefly to Ted a couple of times but the reason it was amazing was because of the ingredients. Every day, they cut up a fresh pineapple. They used real coconut. 

During our visit, Art and Fran informed us of the Ted Drewes etiquette:
  • Get in line (there is always a line, look to the right above).
  • Know your order before getting to one of the ordering windows (keep things moving).
  • Once you get your order, walk over to your car and sit on the hood or lean on the front. Never eat a Ted Drewes sundae or concrete in your car. 
  • And, it is pronounced Sun-Duh, not Sun-Day.
On my model train layout is a miniature Ted Drewes near the Gateway Arch. 

Ted's influence is nationwide. If you have ever been to a Freddie's Frozen Custard, it is a cousin of Ted's. Wichitan Scott Redler, who grew up in STL, decided that it would be different if Freddies had custard instead of ice cream. He has been very successful as a result. 

We will miss you Ted. But, you will always be remembered. 


Apologize for the typos in the first version.

Comments

  1. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/stltoday/name/theodore-drewes-obituary?id=56175782

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The East Coast Severe Weather Threat is Over

Today's Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Outlook - 9:30pm

Updated Freezing Rain and Heavy Rain Forecast