If you ever visited the Nut Tree, two words will bring all the memories flooding back: Marshmallow sauce.
From 1921 to 1996, the fanciest place to grab a bite and a souvenir on the drive between the Bay Area and the Sierra was the Nut Tree.
sfgate.com/food/history/a…
From 1921 to 1996, the fanciest place to grab a bite and a souvenir on the drive between the Bay Area and the Sierra was the Nut Tree.
sfgate.com/food/history/a…
That soft, fluffy sauce, draped over fresh fruit, was the epitome of the high-end roadside stand.
According to legend, the first seeds of the Nut Tree were planted by migrating pioneers passing through Vacaville in the 1860s.
According to legend, the first seeds of the Nut Tree were planted by migrating pioneers passing through Vacaville in the 1860s.
A single black walnut tree sprung up near the side of what would become the Bay Area’s main thoroughfare, marking the property of the Harbison family.
Helen Harbison grew up on that farm, and in the late 1910s met a man named Edwin “Bunny” Power at a tree-trimming class.
Helen Harbison grew up on that farm, and in the late 1910s met a man named Edwin “Bunny” Power at a tree-trimming class.
They married and moved back to the Harbison farm, where Helen ran the family business.
A harsh spring frost in 1921 wiped out much of their fruit crop. Normally, the Power family shipped their fruit back east for sale, but now they didn’t have enough viable fruit.
A harsh spring frost in 1921 wiped out much of their fruit crop. Normally, the Power family shipped their fruit back east for sale, but now they didn’t have enough viable fruit.
Helen proposed the idea of opening up a fruit stand for the Fourth of July weekend.
A few years after its grand opening, the LA Times called it “one of the most unique and profitable fruit marketing stands in the country.”
A few years after its grand opening, the LA Times called it “one of the most unique and profitable fruit marketing stands in the country.”
In the 1950s, the Nut Tree Restaurant boomed, serving millions of visitors their famed chicken curry, tiny individual loaves of bread and, of course, the marshmallow sauce.
The stunning dining room featured a glass aviary in the center.
The stunning dining room featured a glass aviary in the center.
At its height, the Nut Tree even catered lunch for a royal visit to California, setting off several culinary tizzies in the process.
But those were the halcyon days. In the early 1990s, trouble was brewing within the Power family.
Read more: bit.ly/2UenE1G
But those were the halcyon days. In the early 1990s, trouble was brewing within the Power family.
Read more: bit.ly/2UenE1G
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