The Macaroon King

My views on carob have changed.

Attention readers. Today is a very special Saturday, indeed. Today is the Saturday wherein I post my exclusive footage and reportage with the elusive Macaroon King himself. Last week I was invited to take a tour of the factory, right here in Brooklyn, NY. The company is planning a move to Pennsylvania to expand, so I hopped on the J train to catch a glimpse before it leaves.

Arnold Badner, the Macaroon King, has been a health food pioneer since the beginning of time. Just kidding! Not that long. He has, however, run over thirty (full) marathons. He eats at least one macaroon per day. What does that tell you?

Here he poses by the largest oven I ever hope to see.

I had a lot of questions for him about macaroons. Who invented such a thing? And how does one become the King of a baked good? Well, the company had its start in fruit cake. In 1919, that was as good a place to start as any. During World War II, a brandy soaked cake was just the gift to send a soldier abroad.

I wonder if it is still edible? Let's not find out. Open this rum & brandy flavored treasure with a secret key.

The company also sold macaroons during Passover. Passover is every gluten-free goyim's favorite time of the year! No flour! (Except matzoh, but who wants that anyway? Not me.)

Arnold: "In 1974, I said, 'fruitcakes are dead.'" So where to go from there? And how to make a business on macaroons alone? Luckily, the product had been snatched up by GNC which marketed the treat as a health food. With only three ingredients, (coconut, honey and egg whites) it was, indeed. Then came the 1980s, when the Center for Disease Control put a ban on coconut on movie theater popcorn. (Hello! Delicious! I will try that some day.) The company took a hit, with coconut proclaimed fattening and dangerous.

Today, coconut is as popular as ever! I am drinking coconut water right now. You can find these chewy treats on your local Whole Foods aisles. And yes, Arnold loves that his image is "antithetical to what they are doing" at the high end supermarket. He's going for the "Orville Redenbacher" look! And when the factory moves to PA, they will begin producing a gluten-free pound cake: original, marble, and raisin. Expect them by September or October of this year. I can't wait!

Excuse me, now, I have to go grab the last can of macaroons from my dining room table. My roommates (or, glutenous correspondents) devoured nearly all of them. Recommendation: flatten two mini macaroons, and spread (coconut milk) ice cream in the middle. Listen. I've had a little bit of time on my hands. It's delicious.