Back in the distant past, (1955-1958 to be exact,) when I was in the U.S. Army cloak and dagger gig, the talk was usually girls, army gripes, and food. On the latter subject, Tom Glover, RA 12480163 had many conversations with my bunk mates when it came to our respective tastes in food. Lloyd Hodgkins, one of my best buddies from Jefferson Maine told of Maine Lobsters. Jimmy Herndon from Ada Oklahoma regaled us with his breakfast that always included home mad grits. Sam Steckbeck from Lebanon Pennsylvania told of his love for good old fashioned Lebonan-made Lebanon Balogna. Tom Glover? Well he was sure that Sam's Lebanon Balogna was excellent, but it could never compare to a DeLorenzo Tomato Pie or a long canvas wrapped roll of Case's Pork Roll. To my amazement, none of those guys ever heard of Tomato Pie nor Pork Roll! Well, to make a long story short, a roll of that Trenton-made pork came to Detachment "D" in Aviano Italy by air mail, and with a bit of coaxing to our cook after one of our midnight shifts, we succeeded in partaking of a Trenton made Case's Pork roll breakfast with our choice of eggs on the side. Did my buddies agree that the Trenton made delicacy was the best......even better than old fashioned bacon, run of the mill sausage, Philadelphia Scrapple, and yes, even steak? Let's just say they went back for seconds!
By the way: I can't tell you how many times I had to explain what a Trenton made DeLorenzo tomato pie was! Those guys had no idea that there was anything other than what they called a "pizza!" To this day there are those who don't know the difference, even as I explained that the pizza is a cheese-encrusted flat disk, usually very little tomato that tastes like a cheese sandwich with a just a touch of tomato. On the other hand, a tomato pie was made only by those culinary artists who knew how to blend just the right amount of tomatoes and cheese on a very thin and tasty crust! I told those guys that only in Trenton would they find restaurants who serve original Trenton Tomato Pies!
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Ralph Lucarella said... - HI TOM....I DON'T BELIEVE IT WAS GEORGE CASES'S PORK ROLL. GEORGE WAS THE BIG LEAGUE BALL PLAYER BUT IT WAS IN HIS FAMILY. IT COULD HAVE BEEN CLIFF CASE. I LIVED IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD FOR YEARS AND WE ALL LOVED THE PORK ROLL. BETWEEN THEM AND THE TOMATO PIES, TRENTON STOOD ALONE IN PRODUCING TWO OF THE BEST TASTING FOOD PRODUCTS AROUND. BEST REGARDS.
- omad said...
- Here's the skinny on this one === Pork roll is a type of sausage-like meat product commonly available in and around New Jersey and Philadelphia. In North Jersey it is usually called Taylor Ham.[1] The product, as it is made today, was developed in 1856[2] by John Taylor of Trenton, New Jersey, though several firms produce their own versions. Got this from Wikapedia. When I first left NJ and moved out west, the two things I insisted my son bring when he came out to ski were Pork Roll and Tastycakes. HI OMAD: TAYLOR (JHN TAYLOR) WAS A SEPARATE ENTITY WHO ALSO MANUFACTURED PORK ROLL.
- Sally Logan Gilman said...
- Hi Tom: We also load up on Tastykakes and pork rolls when we come to Trenton. My sons and grandson love the pork roll but the Butterscotch Krimpets are an acquired taste -- but that means more for me. We also bring back Krispy Kreme doughnuts from Acme Mrkt. on Route 1. They box them for us and have them ready when we stop by before heating north. Oh how I miss all my favorites from NJ. Regards
- Anonymous said...
- Hi Tom, how about fresh versus smoked pork roll to separate the men from the boys. If you are not a Trenton native you may be aware of Taylor since they now ship to retirement venues. A fellow on an auto site gave himself away with his avatar of Taylor's logo. He wondered how I knew where he had roots. Sadly, I think the old fashioned pie is going to fade. Much of what we loved had to be in the quality of the cheese and such. The big companies dominate the market anymore.
- Mack said...
- Hi Tom::) NOW I know why my Grandma always called it prepared Ham. Thats what it was once called:) ALSO: The BREAKFAST only theme of Pork Roll did not exist in my house and I have only come across that after starting the blog. We might have pork roll for lunch or supper as well:)Wednesday, March 16, 2011
- Bob said...
- Stop with the food! It's driving me crazy. There were so many small places that knew how to make a great tomato pies in the Trenton area. Taylor smoked pork roll was the best, especially with baked beans and home fries. And I lived on Tasty products all through high school and college. Whenever I get down there I stock up but now it's time to start having them shipped to me, hell with the expense. And yes, it has be difficult to explain tomato pies and pork roll to people in Mass and Maine.Tom Glover
- Omad said...
- Nothing like food to bring out lots of discussion. My son, who lives in Morris County, is a true Pork Roll devotee and has his three boys all addicted to it. I'm a little confused, is Charlie Gaudette, Nancy's dad, also Mike Kuzma's uncle? Nancy and I are still in regular contact, especially since I moved back to NJ from Seattle.
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Ralph Lucarella said...
