J. Parker Ragland
Special to the Fort Worth Business Press
In honor of the Twinkie’s sweet return on Monday, July 15, Curly’s Frozen Custard has put a new spin on the traditional sundae. Their creation is none other than the Twinkie Sundae.
Twinkies have been absent from U.S. store shelves for six months, but made their return this week. In November of 2012, following a strike, Hostess Brands Inc. ceased production of the “golden sponge cake with creamy filling” and filed for bankruptcy. The 82-year-old organization would emerge again as Hostess Brands LLC, which was bought for $410 million by Apollo Global Management, a private equity group that can now be credited with the resurrection of the Twinkie.
Curly’s, which has jumped on other trends such as offering Nathan’s hot dogs during Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, decided to ride the wave of renewed Twinkie interest. “We are a fun company so it’s only natural that we would have a good time with reintroduction of this fun brand that is returning to the market,” said Bourke Harvey, Curly’s founder and managing partner.
The Twinkie returned to select store shelves last Friday but was officially released on Monday. Curly’s creation serves as a monument to this national pastime–that is, eating Twinkies–and it involves the perfect combination of vanilla frozen custard, hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts (or sprinkles), a cherry on top, and of course a Twinkie. Curly’s Frozen Custard has been providing frozen treats and hot dogs to Fort Worth for 11 years. Over the years, their specials have included Parker County Peach Custard and Three Stooges Fruit Smoothies, though their German Chocolate Cake Custard seems to be many customers’ favorite flavor.
Harvey elaborated on their new special, “In initial tests, our customers loved how the hot fudge worked its way to the bottom of cup and covered the lower Twinkie. They really like the first bite with the cake, cream filling and frozen custard. And the last few bites with the Twinkie soaked in chocolate are absolutely decadent.”
Curly’s is located at 4017 Camp Bowie Blvd.