It’s been said you should write what you know. Brian Butko may or may not believe that but there is reason to think he might believe even more in the corollary: Write what you want to know. I frequently get the impression that Butko enjoys the hunt as much as the kill, research as much as publishing, learning as much as teaching. Isaly’s Chipped Ham, Klondikes, and Other Tales from Behind the Counter gives me that impression in spades. This is Butko’s second run at the subject having published Klondikes, Chipped Ham, & Skyscraper Cones: The Story of Isaly’s in 2001. I’m not familiar with the earlier book but know that there is some unavoidable overlap. No surprise there. There is no doubt a multitude of reasons for the redo but I’ll suggest — and this is pure conjecture — that not only was it tackled in order to improve the story with knowledge learned in the intervening twenty years but as an excuse to learn even more.

In the middle half of the twentieth century, Isaly’s was a major regional presence whose farms, factories, and stores helped feed a whole lot of people in northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania. The arc of that presence is not unique. It was a family business that saw the success and growth of the first few generations eventually fade away in corporate buyouts. I’ve lived in Ohio my entire life but we missed each other. My neighborhood has been the state’s southwest corner, and the closest Isaly’s ever came to my home was Columbus. Although a few Columbus stores remained in the late 1960s and it’s possible that I saw one, I have no memory of it. The company entered Columbus in 1935, peaked there in the 1940s, and officially began its exit in 1954. Everything I know about Isaly’s I learned from Brian Butko. Brian Butko learned from family members, former employees, company records, newspapers, and libraries. 

There was plenty to learn. Isaly’s operated dairy farms, manufacturing and packing plants, home delivery routes, and stores that ranged from ice cream stands to delis and restaurants. Milk, cheese, butter, and ice cream were the most notable items they produced. They rebranded coffee, soft drinks, chips, pretzels, and more. They served chopped ham in a way that made it their own.

The ham thing is a great example of the innovation that marked Isaly’s early history. Chopped ham is made by boiling pieces of ham and pressing them into a loaf. A patent for the process was filed in 1937 and granted in 1939. By the end of that same year, Isaly’s was serving it sliced extremely thin. The technique is called chipping. It eliminated chopped ham’s inherent toughness and was an instant success. It wasn’t long before ham sales exceeded ice cream sales. Isaly’s trademarked the term “Chipped Chopped Ham” in 1960. 

There were other innovations such as Skyscraper Cones, Party Slices, and Klondike Bars. Klondike Bars were the biggie. The only Isaly’s product to have success nationally, they are still available today although they are made by Unilever and no longer bear the Isaly’s name. They do, however, still bear the Isaly’s bear.

Butko makes all this learning fun. The book, both outside and in, is colorful and just looks like fun. Old and new photos abound along with reproductions of advertisements and various newspaper items. This is not a company history presented chronologically. It’s the story of people, places, and products presented in bite-sized pieces. Every chapter contains an even number of pages (either 2 or 4) so that each begins on a left-hand page with a colorful — and sometimes playful — title. The short chapters might make it easy to leave the book and return but they are so tasty that I bet you can’t read just one.

Unlike me, Brian has plenty of personal Isaly’s memories. He says that his earliest was of their macaroni and cheese. His excitement is evident when given access to a 3-ring binder of company recipes. He finds the sought-after Baked Macroni then writes, “I have yet to try the official recipe…”.  The fact that the recipe yields 60  servings might be one deterrent but I think I also detect a little fear that today’s result might not live up to yesterday’s memories. I, for one, encourage Brian to face his fear and look that macaroni right in the elbow. Finding 59 mac & cheese eaters should be easy.

Isaly’s Chipped Ham, Klondikes, and Other Tales from Behind the Counter, Brian Butko, Senator John Heinz History Center (2021), 9 x 9 inches, 148 pages, ISBN 978-0936340319

Available at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburg, PA, or their online store here