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Durkee Foods
Posted by:
Kchi
()
Date: March 23, 2012 06:25PM
Back in the late 60s early 70s, I used to walk to Diversey River bowl. I remember passing a number of buildings and storage tanks that were labeled Durkee Foods around Elston, Logan Boulevard and Diversey. There is currently a Target store and a shopping center where I believe these buildings once stood. Does anybody know when the complex closed? The Durkee name is not a name I recognize from the grocery store or remember seeing commercials for. Just what type of food did they sell? Did they just process food components to be used by other manufacturers?
Re: Durkee Foods
Posted by:
PKDickman
()
Date: March 23, 2012 07:59PM
They make sauces and spices including.
"Durkee Famous Sauce, reportedly a favorite of President Abraham Lincoln"
I don't know about the factory.
"Durkee Famous Sauce, reportedly a favorite of President Abraham Lincoln"
I don't know about the factory.
Re: Durkee Foods
Posted by:
Mornac
()
Date: March 24, 2012 12:40PM
The only product I ever knew that carried the name Durkee was those crunchy french fried onions in a can that are a necessary ingredient for the mushroom soup green bean casserole that became an American classic in the 1960's. They're still made by French's in a similar looking can. Perhaps French's bought them out at some point.
Re: Durkee Foods
Posted by:
celticjunker1
()
Date: March 25, 2012 07:48AM
If you can imagine your grandmothers cupboard for a minute...Durkee thyme, sage, parsley, cinnamon, etc came in small tin cans only about 2 1/2 or 3 inches tall. My mom lined hers up in alpha order on a shelf over the stove and I still have a few of hers that I put on the xmas tree. If you saw them you'd know them.
Re: Durkee Foods
Posted by:
sgsiegfried
()
Date: April 13, 2012 11:17PM
The factory was an vegetable oil refinery. It closed in 1990. There is a sister factory that is in Channahon along the Des Plaines river just off of I-55. It is now owned by IOI Edible Oils, and makes palm oil.
Re: Durkee Foods
Posted by:
redcat
()
Date: December 04, 2014 06:19PM
Yep, it was an edible oils refinery - I used to work there as a quality control lab technician, many years ago! (1979-84, I think...)
Re: Durkee Foods
Posted by:
Mornac
()
Date: December 09, 2014 01:35AM
celticjunker1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you can imagine your grandmothers cupboard for
> a minute...Durkee thyme, sage, parsley, cinnamon,
> etc came in small tin cans only about 2 1/2 or 3
> inches tall. My mom lined hers up in alpha order
> on a shelf over the stove and I still have a few
> of hers that I put on the xmas tree. If you saw
> them you'd know them.
--Yeah, now that you mention it, I do remember these little cans;
The ones in our house were typically Kroger brand.
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you can imagine your grandmothers cupboard for
> a minute...Durkee thyme, sage, parsley, cinnamon,
> etc came in small tin cans only about 2 1/2 or 3
> inches tall. My mom lined hers up in alpha order
> on a shelf over the stove and I still have a few
> of hers that I put on the xmas tree. If you saw
> them you'd know them.
--Yeah, now that you mention it, I do remember these little cans;
The ones in our house were typically Kroger brand.
Re: Durkee Foods
Posted by:
davey7
()
Date: December 09, 2014 02:33PM
Nice assortment of vintage spices there!
Re: Durkee Foods
Posted by:
dkennycpd
()
Date: August 07, 2015 05:03AM
I bought a commercial building in downtown South Haven, Michigan several years ago and after studying the history of the building I found that it was built in 1914 by a man named Durkee (which I also find an usual surname)in which he opened a store named Durkee's Grocery. I've never been able to find much else about it or him except it's closing about ten yrs later.
Re: Durkee Foods
Posted by:
SWEDE
()
Date: August 08, 2015 12:39AM
Celtijunker wrote:
If you can imagine your grandmothers cupboard for a minute...Durkee thyme, sage, parsley, cinnamon, etc came in small tin cans only about 2 1/2 or 3 inches tall. My mom lined hers up in alpha order on a shelf over the stove and I still have a few of hers that I put on the xmas tree. If you saw them you'd know them.
Celticjunker, If you still have those little 2oz cans check the sideseam for the logo of the can manufacturer. You may find CANCO or CCC. I worked for American Can Co (CANCO) for 38 years and we made many of the Durkee labels in the 60's.
If you can imagine your grandmothers cupboard for a minute...Durkee thyme, sage, parsley, cinnamon, etc came in small tin cans only about 2 1/2 or 3 inches tall. My mom lined hers up in alpha order on a shelf over the stove and I still have a few of hers that I put on the xmas tree. If you saw them you'd know them.
Celticjunker, If you still have those little 2oz cans check the sideseam for the logo of the can manufacturer. You may find CANCO or CCC. I worked for American Can Co (CANCO) for 38 years and we made many of the Durkee labels in the 60's.
Re: Durkee Foods
Posted by:
Anonymous User
()
Date: September 15, 2015 02:28AM
I worked at 2665 N. Elston Ave. an International Harvester Truck Dealership across the street from Durkees. I recall once that Durkees had an accident with their process. All the cars and trucks were covered with grease that had accidently been discharged into the air. What a mess. Durkee's made good, however, and paid for the entire clean up.
