Schmidt's Bahama Mama crowned Columbus' official food
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the official food of Columbus: Schmidt’s Bahama Mama.
Perhaps Schmidt’s should consider renaming it the Columbus Mama, as Dispatch readers have crowned it queen of the city’s edible delights.
I knew controversy would ensue when I broached the subject of an official city food, and the resulting politicking and vote-jockeying proved reassuring.
A handful of you suggested that I, as a newcomer to Columbus, had no business sticking my nose into such important city matters. Columbus had gotten along just fine all these years without an official food, you noted, so why does it need one now?
I can say confidently, though, that many other people liked the idea. Hundreds weighed in during the nomination process, and almost 6,500 of you took the time to vote online or clip the paper ballot from the newspaper and mail it in.
“I think this contest is an excellent idea,” Plain City resident Gwen Ball wrote on the ballot she mailed. “Of course Columbus needs an official food. When we have out-of-town guests, Schmidt’s is the place to go, and the Bahama Mama is the most popular. It reflects Columbus’ German heritage.... I’m looking forward to the results of this contest.”
Ball’s preference captured more than 2,900 votes, or 46 percent of the total.
The White Castle Slider placed second with 21 percent, followed by the Schmidt’s cream puff (14 percent), the buckeye candy (13 percent) and Columbus-style pizza (7 percent).
Perhaps it’s fitting that, among the five finalists, the most authentically Columbus food beat out the others.
The Slider originated in Wichita, Kan., and moved to Columbus only in the 1930s. The buckeye is certainly a local favorite, but every corner of Ohio can rightfully claim the candy as its own.
The Bahama Mama was born in Columbus — a descendant of the J. Fred Schmidt Meat Packing House, which opened in 1886 in German Village.
Of the finalists, the Bahama Mama is the one that truly reflects the city’s history, perhaps even more than the Schmidt’s cream puff. The Schmidts were making German sausages in the 1880s; the cream puff dates from the opening of Schmidt’s Sausage Haus restaurant in the 1960s.
Maybe that’s why, when the family had to decide, Schmidt’s asked its fans to vote for the Bahama Mama: The restaurant used its Facebook page to direct traffic to the online Dispatch survey. (Think of it as the cyber equivalent of driving voters to polling sites on Election Day.)
To mark the crowning of Columbus’ official food, I celebrated by eating my first Bahama Mama. I enjoyed it loaded with sauerkraut and slathered with brown mustard. Although it was a little short on bun, I understand why the Mama has so many fans. It is yummy.
The spicy sausage is having a notable year.
In the summer, Schmidt’s will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its sausage booth at the Ohio State Fair. On May 14 (coincidentally, also the day I asked for nominations for the official city food), state Rep. Michael Stinziano, D-Columbus, introduced a resolution in the Ohio House to make the Bahama Mama the official state sausage. Apparently, the Bahama Mama is not the only Ohio sausage being talked about for this designation.
No matter, though. The Mama has captured the crown where it matters most — at home in Columbus.
Now, if I can just persuade the mayor to issue a proclamation.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Schmidt's Bahama Mama crowned Columbus' official food
