December 2024/January 2025
Happy Holidays Clueless Cooks!
The Zed-tastic History of Zed's Drive-In!
Hey there, Clueless Cooks! Did you catch that little nugget at the bottom of the Clueless Cooking 101 webpage? Yep, it says "Zed's Drive-In LLC!" So, let me spill the tea on the legendary Zed's Drive-In and the adorable pup, Zed, from our CC101 logo. Spoiler alert: Zed is a real doggo! Fun fact: it was my mom's nickname. How cool is that? How she got it is a mystery....
Now, let’s hop into our time machine and zoom back to Butler, Ohio, where Zed's Drive-In was a cozy diner in a super tiny town....the only eat-in spot on the way to Mohican State Park, Clearfork Ski Resort, and Pleasant Hill Lake Park. It was right by the railroad tracks, so train crews would stop their freight trains just to grab a bite at Zed's. Talk about a lunch break!
Zed's was the go-to hangout for the Hi-Lo Trailer folks (yep, the trailer factory) and all those early birds heading to factories that have mostly vanished now. And get this: coffee was just 5 cents for half a cup (no refills, yikes!) and 10 cents for a full cup with one refill. My mom had to hire some serious math whizzes to keep track! Open from 5 AM to midnight, 7 days a week, Zed's had a summer addition where you could walk up and grab soft serve ice cream cones, milkshakes, and sundaes. It was a blast serving up treats through the window!
Now, let’s talk burgers! Zed's was famous for having the best burgers around. Fresh beef was sourced from local farms and bought from the only butcher in town—a woman-owned business way ahead of its time. I remember those 25-pound orders of ground beef being scooped into trays and wrapped in butcher paper. No fancy barcodes or labels back then!
At just 5 years old, I had the super important job of making hamburger patties. I’d take a scoop of ground beef, sandwich it between two pieces of wax paper, and SMASH it with a giant can of green beans. Talk about a workout! I took pride in every patty, and they were always fresh and ready to hit the grill. They were SO good! Just ask my daughter, Simone—she’ll tell you her grandma made the best burgers ever, even long after Zed's was sold. Grandma still had that magic touch!
Fast forward to today, and my grandson got a new puppy. Let’s just say, five-year-olds aren’t the best at naming pets. So, when I decided to make this pup our Clueless Cooking 101 mascot, we named him Zed in honor of Zed's Drive-In! Check out the pic my graphic artist used for inspiration. This little guy grew into a giant, gangly dog (we’re talking Irish wolfhound size) and is still a goofy puppy at heart!
One of my most treasured items is my mom's handwritten cookbook from Zed's. It’s all about that white trash cooking (aka comfort food), which isn’t exactly health food, let’s be real. So, I’ve given those recipes a makeover with healthier ingredients and, dare I say, even better flavors!
Now, you can learn how to whip up the iconic dishes from Zed's Drive-In, a 1960s gem in Butler, OH. That’s the mission of Clueless Cooking 101: to teach you how to cook from scratch, eat cleaner, save some cash, and keep the Zed's Drive-In spirit alive! So, throw on your apron, crank up the tunes, and let’s get cooking! 🎉🍔✨
