Rocky Road Ice Cream

Classic Foods and Cocktails Invented in the San Francisco Bay Area | Eater SF

"There’s no question that rocky road ice cream — a classic chocolate flavor with nuts and marshmallows — was invented in Oakland. There’s also no question that the name is a joke about the Great Depression, the crunchy flavor intended as a sweet antidote to tough times. The only question is who invented it first: 120-year-old, independently-owned Oakland soda fountain Fentons Creamery, or equally ancient Dreyer’s, now owned by Nestle but still headquartered in Oakland. According to the Dreyer’s side of the story, ice cream maker William Dreyer invented the flavor after he teamed up with candy maker Joseph Edy to open Edy’s Grand Ice Cream in 1928 — so-named for its home on Oakland’s Grand Avenue. (Side story: The Edy’s name was later changed to Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream by William Dreyer, Jr, though the Dreyer’s company still uses the name Edy’s in Eastern markets to differentiate Dreyer’s from competitor Breyers ice cream). Joseph Edy, a candy maker, had already combined chocolate, nuts, and marshmallows in candy bar form, and William Breyer purportedly adapted the combination to ice cream, cutting the only marshmallows available at the time, which were large, with his wife’s sewing scissors. Fentons story is essentially the same, asserting that Dreyer and Edy stole the name and idea from Fentons candy maker George Farren. Hold on: Why fight over the innovation of adding a few ingredients to ice cream? Sure, in today’s Ben and Jerry’s world, rocky road might not seem to stand out, but at the time, it was a big step forward, since only flavors like strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate were commonly available. — Caleb Pershan" - Jay C. Barmann