Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor is a restaurant in Columbus, Indiana.
History
editThe restaurant was founded in 1900 by James, Lewis, and Pete Zaharako, three candymakers from Sparta, Greece, who opened it as a confectionary shop.[1][2][3][4] After visiting the 1904 World's Fair they added ice cream to their offerings.[1] By the early 1910s they had added soda fountains, a mahogany backbar, and a 1908 Welte orchestrion.[1][2] By the middle of the century there was a self-service area.[1]
The restaurant closed in 2006 when the youngest generation of the Zaharako family weren't interested in continuing to run the business.[1] The orchestrion was sold to a California collector.[3]
In 2007 Tony Moravec, a local businessman, purchased and restored the restaurant, including purchasing the orchestrion from the collector who had bought it, at a total cost of $3.5 million and reopened it in 2009.[1][5][6] The family living quarters above the shop were also restored, and Moravec also opened the space next door as a museum of 19th-century soda fountains and mechanical musical instruments.[1][7] As of 2019 the orchestrion was the only one in the country available for the public to hear play.[3] By 2013 the building had been named to the National Register of Historic Places.[8][9]
Moravec died in 2022 and his son took over the business.[5][10]
The restaurant is also known for its Gom Cheese Brr-grr, a type of sloppy joe or loose-meat sandwich with cheese.[6][3][8]
The restaurant was used as the primary set for Robert Moniot's short film The Ice Cream Man about Ernst Cahn, a Jewish ice cream parlor owner in Amsterdam whose arrest sparked the February Strike.[7][11]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Crichton, Ginger (26 May 2021). "A Scoop of Americana in Columbus, Indiana". Midwest Living. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ a b Hartz, Michael (2020-01-23). "Zaharakos: A Columbus favorite where history and tradition are served daily". WRTV. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ a b c d Caruthers, Teree (2015-05-19). "Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor Serves Up Fizzy Business". My Indiana Home. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ Blair, Brian (2022-08-25). "Hollywood producer from Seymour visits Zaharakos for video series". Seymour Tribune. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ a b Sanderson, Emily (2023-11-17). "This hidden gem in Indiana has an old-school soda fountain and a banjo that plays itself". WLWT. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ a b Watson, Jenna (7 August 2019). "The butter pecan, hot fudge sundae at Zaharakos will complete your summer". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ a b "Columbus ice cream parlor ready for its close-up". Indiana Landmarks. 2023-05-10. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ a b Blume, Aimee (4 June 2013). "Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor continues sweet 110-year-old tradition". Courier & Press. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ Jane, Tori. "The Historic Ice Cream Parlor In Indiana Where You Can Still Experience The Early 20th Century". Only in your state. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ "Business leader and preserver of historic Zaharakos dies - 101.5 WKKG". WKKG. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ "Story Of Jewish Resistance Fighter Targeted By The Infamous Butcher Of Lyon Wins Claims Conference Emerging Filmmaker Contest". Claims Conference. 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2024-09-08.