Red Velvet Cake
By Hennem08 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Although associated with the South, the standard recipe for this classic dessert actually originates with the Waldorf-Astoria. Red velvet cake was a staple at the hotel in the 1920s (that’s their version of it pictured above).
Tootsie Rolls
64 million Tootsie Rolls are made every day. Legend has it that each daily batch picks up from the leftovers of the day before, meaning there’s a trace of the 1907 original in every Tootsie Roll sold today. Like so many New York stories, it began with an immigrant in Brooklyn. Leo Hirschfield came up with the concept, borrowing his daughter Clara’s nickname for its branding. Over a century later, it’s still one of the world’s most popular candies.
Marvel Comics
The Avengers have a place of origin, and it’s New York City. Moe Goodman was born immigrant parents in Brooklyn and went on to found Timely Comics in 1939. From offices in the McGraw-Hill building, and later the Empire State Building, a franchise empire was born. In October 1939, Marvel Comics #1 was published. MCU. movies have gone on to gross more than $29 billion, “making the franchise the most successful in entertainment history,” per a recent New Yorker profile.
Source: “Made In NYC,” by Ethan Wolff, March 2024, City Guide New York
Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann