Some people trace the origins of ice cream to the 4th century B.C.—and the first ice cream cone to a Syrian waffle-maker at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
But it wasn’t until 24 years later that Ernest Hamwi’s invention achieved its yummiest expression.
You see, in 1928, I.C. Parker, a manager at a Ft. Worth, Texas candy company, had the idea of coating an ice cream cone with chocolate and peanuts.
His wife, Jewel, thought it looked like a fried chicken leg, so he called it a Drumstick. Which is way better than Fried Chicken Leg. And I.C. and his twin brother, J.T. “Stubby” Parker, opened the Frozen Drumstick Sales Co. shortly after.
Through the years, innovations were made—the chocolatey lining in the cone, for instance, and the chocolatey surprise in the bottom. New flavors were added as well. And in 1991, Nestlé bought the company.
But the next time you bite into the Original Sundae Cone, give a little prayer of thanks to I.C. Parker—and his sudden burst of inspiration.