Hold the cheese, please.
Imagine the scene: You step into your favorite fast food restaurant and as you begin glancing over the menus items your mouth begins watering in anticipation and your stomach growls so loudly you expect it to attack. Then you hear the lady in front of you place her order:
“I’ll have a large soda, medium order of fries, and a double bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickle…and hold the cheese.”
You stop. The sweet smell of grease and sound of the drive-through buzzer fade into the background. Did she really just ask for no cheese on her cheeseburger?
This scene may seem absurd, but at one time cheese on a burger was not even an option because the cheeseburger failed to exist. All of that would change thanks to a local restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky.
The fast-food world was forever changed in 1934 with help from a chicken coop.
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Kaelin decided to open up their own restaurant in Louisville, Ky. when they came across an advertisement in a newspaper they were using on the floor of their chicken coop to catch feathers. The ad described a restaurant that was for sale. They took advantage of the situation and appropriately named the restaurant Kaelin’s.
Carl Kaelin was always looking for ways to spice up his food to increase his business. According to the restaurant’s website, Kaelin created his first cheeseburger on October 12, 1934.
At this time, the hamburger was already a staple on most menus across America. On this day, Carl Kaelin was making hamburgers as usual when a new thought arose above the steam of the kitchen. His idea involved the slice of American cheese he held in his hand.
It occurred to him that perhaps if he added a slice of cheese to the patty just before it was done, the cheese would melt down into the patty. He tried it and loved the new tang he added to the once dull burger.
The customers loved the new invention as well. From that day forward, the invention named the cheeseburger would satisfy the taste buds of people worldwide.
Kaelin’s is also credited with two other firsts. The restaurant was one of the first to offer curbside service. This is a service provided for customers that allows for them to call in their order and pick it up outside.
Kaelin’s was also one of the first places to sell Kentucky Fried Chicken. Harland Sanders (Colonel Sanders) himself met with Carl Kaelin and asked him to try his new chicken. Many artifacts presented in the Harland Sanders Museum in Corbin, Ky. came from Kaelin’s.
Carl Kaelin’s cheeseburger has evolved into the most-bought item on fast food menus across America. The actual restaurant is still in business today but is under new management.
Howard Creech, Louisville resident and critic of local businesses, describes how the restaurant is today. Creech said, “Today Kaelin's is much like it was in 1934, the restaurant is still in the original old Highlands house on Newburg Road, the original sign still sits out front, and asks, “if you can't stop, wave.”
Regarding the actual food, Creech said, “The cheeseburgers are still cooked in cast iron skillets and never on a grill, old fashioned milkshakes and sundaes are still served, the pies on the menu are baked fresh, and the buns are still baked by Ehrmann's Bakery (one of Louisville's oldest bakeries) just as they were in the thirties. The Top Cheese Lounge and curb service are gone, but the great original cheeseburgers are here to stay.” The Top Cheese Lounge was once a jazz bar located in the upstairs dining room at Kaelin’s.
Although Kaelin’s is regarded as the birthplace of the cheeseburger, another restaurant tries to take credit for the invention the Americans love so much.
According to cheese-burger.net, a man named Lionel Sternberger claims to have invented the first cheeseburger in Pasadena, Calif. at the age of 16. Some food critics believe that Sternberger made the first cheeseburger while working at his father’s sandwich shop. The restaurant name and date of the supposed invention is unknown.
Lindsay Higdon, a University of the Cumberlands student and Louisville native, enjoys eating at Kaelin’s when she goes home on the weekends. Higdon said, “I grew up eating those cheeseburgers. They are delicious and better than any McDonald’s style cheeseburger. The restaurant also has many other items; their menu is huge. A lot of people order the Hot Brown.”
When asked what a Hot Brown was, Higdon described it as layers of turkey breast, swiss cheese, bacon and tomatoes over two pieces of toast.
Higdon was amazed at the fact that someone else tried to claim that they invented the cheeseburger. Higdon said, “This guy’s last name may be ‘berger’, but we [Louisville residents] have the bragging rights for the cheeseburger.”
Louisville designates every October 12 as “Kaelin’s Cheeseburger Day”.
The cheeseburger is the most-bought fast food menu item by Americans today. Americans today are also suffering from obesity. Cheeseburgers contain an average of 500 calories. This total does not include calories and fat added from condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, etc.), double patties, or bacon. Add in an order of fries and a soda and the caloric intake increases even more.
The tantalizing taste of the cheeseburger (and other fast food items) is too hard to pass up.Tim Mason, a physical trainer from Corbin, Kentucky, was not surprised to hear that the first cheeseburger was invented in Kentucky. Mason said this was not surprising because of the obesity rate.
Mason said, “63 percent of Kentucky adults are obsess or overweight. This is a big problem in our state because we have one of the highest obesity rates nationwide. Fast food is the devil.”
Thanks to Carl Kaelin and his innovative restaurant, the summer air will always be filled with the scent of charcoaled cheeseburgers.
