Where is the freshest s'more?

April 18, 2010 10:05 PM

I want to eat the freshest s'more in the country. Where should I travel to get the ingredients right out of the factory?

OK so you probably know this is a hypothetical question. If I wanted the freshest Hershey's chocolate bar, the freshest Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow and the freshest Nabisco Honey Maid graham cracker - where should I go to get them? I realize that Hershey's chocolate is produced in Hershey PA but where are the other two items produced?

posted by tickettrader to food & drink (9 answers total)

It would seem that all of Kraft's marshmallows are co-produced by a company called Doumak in Illinois.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:14 PM on April 18, 2010

And Nabisco's biggest bakery is in Chicago. (Google is your first line of defense here).
posted by Burhanistan at 10:16 PM on April 18, 2010

Book in at one of those business-travel extended-stay suites in Hershey, obtain chocolate, and make graham crackers and marshmallows yourself. Bring a Weber grill or somesuch and do it up proper in the parking lot.

Chocolate's a bit difficult to source and compile yourself, but graham crackers and marshmallows are comparatively simple.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 10:26 PM on April 18, 2010 [3 favorites]

I cannot speak to the 'freshness' factor, but the best s'mores I ever had were made with Trader Joe's Cinnamon Graham crackers. They are thick and crunchy. Set them on the side of the fire with the chocolate softening on them while you toast your marshmallow. This is the best.
posted by SLC Mom at 10:41 PM on April 18, 2010 [4 favorites]

You could have a much fresher s'more by avoiding factory food and sourcing fresh & local ingredients. In San Francisco, you could have my friend David make you a s'more on his s'more bike, which uses marshmallows from Recchiuti, graham crackers from Kika's Treats, and chocolate from Scharffen Berger.
posted by judith at 10:55 PM on April 18, 2010 [7 favorites]

Nabisco also has a bakery in Philadelphia, which would be a lot closer to Hershey than Chicago.
posted by Shesthefastest at 10:59 PM on April 18, 2010

I approve of Judith's plan too, but:

Hershey's subsequently began manufacturing its new artisan brands in a factory in Robinson, Illinois and in early 2009 announced plans to close both Bay Area factories, lay off approximately 150 local employees, and transfer remaining production to Illinois, effectively keeping the company alive in name only. (source: wikipedia)

Perhaps Ghirardelli would be more locally-sourced and ethical? They're a division of Lindt and Sprungli, but they have a factory in San Leandro, CA with a factory store. Same plan as my original setup, only you could get the marshmallows and crackers from Judith's friend's other suppliers if you didn't want to make your own.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 12:13 AM on April 19, 2010

Since you're in Chicago/IL for the crackers, get your chocolate from the Blommer Chocolate Company Factory downtown. They're local, cheap, and delicious.
posted by Wulfhere at 7:49 AM on April 19, 2010

You could make your own marshmallows if you wanted fresh. I've never tried this, but always wanted to - I can't help but think that homemade would make for incredible s'mores.

A side note - I'm curious what prompts a search for freshness in this particular case. I think of s'mores as camp food mostly - not particularly a place where freshness particularly matters.
posted by owls at 8:45 AM on April 19, 2010