Mrs. Cubbison's Foods is a company that specializes in

stuffing Stuffing, filling, or dressing is an edible mixture, often composed of herbs and a Starch#Food, starch such as bread, used to fill a cavity in the preparation of another food item. Many foods may be stuffed, including poultry, seafood, and v ...

products (also known as dressing). Founded in the U.S. in 1948 by Sophie Cubbison, Mrs. Cubbison’s Foods has grown to include other products, such as croutons and meatloaf mix. It was acquired by

Hostess Brands Hostess Brands Inc. is an American bakery company formed in 2013. Its main operating subsidiaries are Hostess Brands, LLC, and Voortman Cookies Limited. The company owns several bakeries in the United States that produce snack cakes under the ...

in 1975, and is currently owned by Sugar Foods Corporation.

History

The founder of Mrs. Cubbison’s Foods, Sophie Cubbison was born in September 1890. Sophie was born on a

lima bean A lima bean (''Phaseolus lunatus''), also commonly known as butter bean, sieva bean, double bean or Madagascar bean, is a legume grown for its edible seeds or beans. Origin and uses ''Phaseolus lunatus'' is found in Meso- and South America. Tw ...

ranch in

San Marcos, California San Marcos ( ; Spanish for " St. Mark") is a city in the North County region of San Diego County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 94,833. It is the site of California State University San Marcos and ...

, as Sophie Huchting. (Her father was of German descent, and her mother a Californian of Mexican descent.) At the age of 16, Sophie began cooking for her father and brothers as well as the hired hands on the ranch during the summer and early fall to save money for college. She baked ‘black bread’ for the workers which is a bread made from 100%

whole wheat flour Whole-wheat flour (in the US) or wholemeal flour (in the UK) is a powdery substance, a basic food ingredient, derived by grinding or mashing the whole grain of wheat, also known as the wheatberry. Whole-wheat flour is used in baking of breads ...

. She learned the recipe from her father who had in turn learned it from his mother while they lived in Bockhorn, Germany. Sophie also baked cakes, doughnuts, cookies, cup cakes, pies, puddings and stewed fruits. Sophie attended

California Polytechnic State University California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or Cal Poly) is a public university in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, - Cites the location of the university and shows that the university ...

(San Luis Obispo) and graduated with a degree in home economics in 1912. Sophie met Harry G. Cubbison and married him in 1916, changing her name from Sophie Huchting to Sophie Cubbison. Her father had died previously and Sophie now supported her mother on $30 a month. Sophie and Harry became partners in a bread business with Harry acting as the salesman and deliveryman and Sophie doing all of the baking. They purchased a small bakery and added a small mill to grind the wheat flour. Sophie would travel to different stores and delicatessens to demonstrate the bread. At home, she would experiment with

Melba toast Melba toast is a dry, crisp and thinly sliced rusk, often served with soup and salad or topped with either melted cheese or pâté. It is named after Dame Nellie Melba, the stage name of Australian opera singer Helen Porter Mitchell. Its name is ...

. In 1925, Sophie and Harry sold the bread business and started Mrs. Cubbison’s Melba toast and

Zwieback Zwieback () is a form of rusk eaten in Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Scandinavia, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey. It is a ...

. In 1925, The Mayo Brothers prescribed the “Eighteen Day Reducing Diet” to

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

which included Melba toast. Sophie and Harry’s products were high in demand. Because Sophie used Melba toast for her own cooking when she breaded or stuffed meats and vegetables, she decided to introduce a new line of Melba toasted, all-purpose prepared Poultry Dressing and Corn Bread Stuffing. Sophie Cubbison retired in 1955, but remained a consultant to the company. She died at the age of 92 in November 1982. Mrs. Cubbison’s Foods produces stuffing, turkey brines,

croutons A crouton () is a piece of toasted or fried bread, normally cubed and seasoned. Croutons are used to add texture and flavor to salads—notably the Caesar salad— as an accompaniment to soups and stews, or eaten as a snack food. Etymology T ...

and

meatloaf Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat that has been combined with other ingredients, formed into the shape of a loaf, then baked or smoked. The final shape is either hand-formed on a baking tray or pan-formed by cooking it in a loaf pan. It is ...

mix.

References

Mrs. Cubbison's FoodsKSBY InterviewMrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook

External links

*{{official website, http://mrscubbisons.com Bakeries of the United States Food and drink companies based in California Hostess Brands Food and drink companies established in 1948 1948 establishments in California