BY SCOTT STIFFLER | Move over, motorized movie camera. Enjoy your place on the back page, evidence of cosmic radiation. Despite our exhaustive look through the 1912 record books (and mind you, we’ve been known to go as far as four pages into a Google search), we couldn’t find any invention or discovery that could claim a greater, more lasting impact than the one set to be celebrated nationwide on Thursday, March 6.
That’s the fateful date in 1912 when, writer Laura Rutherford tells us, “Oreo cookies were first developed and produced by Nabisco in New York City.” In her 2023 article for The Sugar Association (titled The Sweet History of the Oreo Cookie), Rutherford notes, “The very first Oreos were sold to a grocer in Hoboken, New Jersey, named S.C. Thuesen in March of 1912. Nine and a quarter pounds of Oreos cost the store $1.85 and the tin they came in cost an additional 50 cents. The cookies were a hit, and an American tradition was born.”
As for where the cookie itself was born, one need look no further than Ninth Ave. and West 15th Street in NYC, where a sprawling manufacturing facility owned by the National Biscuit Company (aka Nabisco) stood. The building still stands today, better know as Chelsea Market.
And so, “in a sweet nod to its history as the former Nabisco factory, Chelsea Market will host a special activation in honor of National Oreo Day on Thursday, March 6,” say event organizers. To commemorate the day, Oreo-themed menu items will be offered across the Market, with a variety of vendors putting their spin on the classic treat or working it into their own signature offerings. Participants include:
–Oreo gelato and a giant Oreo cake from L’Arte Del Gelato
–Black sesame soft-serve with Oreo crumble at Seed + Mill
–Fried Oreos from Creamline
—Oreo cookies-and-cream mini-doughnuts at Doughnuttery
Chelsea Market is located at 75 Ninth Avenue (btw W. 15th & 16th Sts.). Concourse/Market Hours are 7am to 10pm, daily. To visit Chelsea Market online, click here.
BONUS COOKIE CONTENT: A Girl Scout Cookie Sale Pop-Up will happen at Chelsea Market on Saturday, March 22 at 12pm and on Sunday, March 23 at 5pm. For more info, click here.
—END—
ChelseaCommunityNews.com (CCNews) is an independent, single-owner online newspaper providing news, arts, events, and opinion content to Manhattan’s Chelsea community and its adjacent areas (Flatiron/NoMad and Meatpacking Districts, Hudson Yards, Hell’s Kitchen, Broadway/Times Square, and the Penn Station area). Our editorial content is made possible by advertising revenue, grants, quarterly pledges of support, and voluntary reader donations (click here for our GoFundMe campaign). To join our subscriber list, click here to receive ENewsletters containing links to recently published content–as well as an occasional “Sponsored Content” email featuring an advertiser’s exclusive message.
ChelseaCommunityNews.com is a member of the New York Press Association (NYPA) and the Empire State Local News Coalition. Our content is collected for placement in the United States Library of Congress’ LGBTQ+ Studies Web Archive. (“We consider your website to be an important part of the historical record,” read a July 26, 2019 email.) Our freelance reporters have been recognized by NYPA’s annual Better Newspaper Contest, with Honorable Mention wins for Best News or Feature Series (2021 & 2023). CCNews is a three-time winner in the Coverage of the Arts category (First Place and Honorable Mention, 2022 and Third Place, 2023).
PLEASE SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: HELP CHELSEA COMMUNITY NEWS THRIVE BY FREQUENTLY VISITING THIS WEBSITE TO READ OUR ARTICLES AND CLICK ON THE ADVERTISEMENTS.
Questions? Comments? Want to Place an Advertisement or Make a Donation? Email Founder/Editor Scott Stiffler at scott@chelseacommunitynews.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login