Category Archives: Restaurants

Chili (‘chilli’) in Springfield

Posted on October 30, 2013 by editor

Springfield’s idiosyncratic two-L spelling of the dish that goes elsewhere by the spelling “chili” was institutionalized when Joe Bockelmann and Thomas McNerney opened The Dew Chilli Parlor in 1909. Although The Dew apparently was the first restaurant to spell it … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Prominent figures, Restaurants | 36 Comments

Cozy Dog Drive-In

Posted on October 29, 2013 by editor

The Cozy Dog, a battered, deep-fried hot dog on a stick, was created by Ed Waldmire Jr. (1916-93) while he was in the U.S. Army Air Corps in Texas.* After discharge, Waldmire brought the idea back to Springfield. Here is … Continue reading →

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Fast food in Springfield

Posted on October 28, 2013 by editor

The first drive-in restaurant in Springfield was the Sugar Bowl at 11th Street and South Grand Avenue, according to Fast Food: Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age, written by John Jakle of Champaign-Urbana and Keith Sculle of Springfield. The 11th … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Restaurants | Tagged , | 6 Comments

The horseshoe sandwich (with recipe)

Posted on October 24, 2013 by editor

This entry was significantly expanded in December 2023. Although accounts differ, most people credit Joseph Schweska with creating the horseshoe sandwich, the locally famous open-faced combination of toast, meat and French fries covered in cheese sauce. As the story goes, … Continue reading →

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Spaulding Orchard

Posted on October 7, 2013 by editor

The Spaulding family, starting with J. B. Spaulding, grandfather of Willis and Charles Spaulding and Maydie Spaulding Lee, at various times owned several orchards around Springfield. The village of Spaulding, next to Riverton, “got its railroad station because of the … Continue reading →

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