An Apple a Day

image 1, apple dumpling

After I stepped under the shade of a moderately sized red-and-white tent on a cool Saturday afternoon, I took in my surroundings. The murmur of the crowd and laughter of children echoed in my ears and my eyes darted from a mash up of stands, to trinkets, to various cuisines. However, my nose only picked up on one minuscule element. In front of me sat an apple dumpling infused with cinnamon sugar, wrapped ever so delicately in a flaky, crisp, homemade dough, and baked until soft and golden brown (see image 1). The best part? The generous dollop of savory cinnamon ice cream on the side. My mouth began to salivate as my nose picked up on the scent of the baked apple and cinnamon. The freshly-made dumpling was still searing, as if it just came out of the oven that very minute, and it melted the ice cream to provide the perfect combination of hot and cold. Before I knew it, my once full bowl was empty.

image 2, Cheri Bissinger

 “How was everything for you today?” a woman in her late forties with uncontainable auburn hair and a contagious smile asked (see image 2).

Cheri Bissinger, the owner of Bissinger’s Apple Dumplings (click to visit their FACEBOOK PAGE), was sixteen when she first dipped her toe into the dumpling trade that is now a tremendous success. Born into a family that owned both a restaurant and fair business for the majority of their lives, Cheri has always been familiar with operating a business. After Cheri began to run the family restaurant, her father offered her a small segment of the fair business, the ice cream portion, to help pay her way through college. Recognizing that she couldn’t survive solely on ice cream, a common fair food, she began brainstorming ideas to add onto the business. Jim Campbell, her brother, suggested she sell the apple dumplings that were such a huge hit in her restaurant. Seeing the potential in this idea, Cheri remembered a recipe for cinnamon ice cream she had once used at an event she catered for the Buckhorn Guild. After a quick conversation with the owner, Cheri received permission to mass produce and sell the cinnamon ice cream (see image 3) that is a trademark to her business today.

image 3, vanilla (left) and cinnamon (right) ice cream

                You may notice if you follow Bissinger’s around to their different events that the setup remains the same every time. Cheri’s husband and business partner, Kevin, can take all credit for that. Kevin, married to Cheri for twenty years, is a man in his late forties. Built and tan from years of strenuous work, he manages to keep a playful smile on his aging face, showing off his benevolent character. Twenty-two years ago, when Cheri and Kevin entered a committed relationship, the handyman made many essential changes to the business. When he first partnered with Cheri, the system lacked organization. “Have you ever seen a little oven you can find in an old lady’s house? That’s what she was cooking out of” Kevin jokes, a smile crinkling his eyes. Bissinger’s Apple Dumplings can now mass produce 150 apple dumplings in 15 minutes in convection ovens in comparison 12 dumplings every 45 minutes. What sets apart Bissinger’s Apple Dumplings from competitors like Grandma’s or Vance’s is that any customer can watch the process. The stand, put together using white boards and Plexiglas (see image 4), creates a viewing station for customers that surrounds each part of the dumpling-making process. Customers can see the freshly peeled apples and peaches, employees making and rolling homemade dough, and watch each piece of fruit get wrapped neatly and precisely before being put on trays and baked to perfection. “You wouldn’t think the design of the stand would do that much for business, but when we cook out of a trailer and people can’t see us actually making the dumplings, sales drop by 25% or higher. It’s crazy” Cheri exclaims, hands moving as fast as her mouth.

image 4, Plexiglas front

image 5, apple peeler

                The quality of the apple and peach dumplings really draws the hordes of people in. The process starts way before any fair does. Hours upon hours of tedious work is put into making the dough that makes the dumplings so irresistible. The process has been crafted into a science. A group of people come together and hand mix tub after tub of dough. The Bloomsburg fair alone takes over fifty, eighteen-gallon tubs filled to the brim of a mix of flour, sugar, salt, and vegetable shortening. A quarter of one these tubs takes approximately fifteen or more minutes to mix. In total, just for one fair, fifty hours of work is needed just to make the dough. Once the fair begins, peaches are pitted and peeled by hand every morning. At the Allentown fair, anywhere from five to eight crates of peaches will be peeled while at larger fairs, such as Centre County Grange Fair, Bissinger’s employees peel twelve to eighteen crates. Then, the dry ingredients blend with water to make a ‘dough ball’ that will be rolled (see image 6) into a rectangle and cut into 15 squares. Since Bissinger’s possesses special apple peelers that peel, core, and slice apples in one quick step, employees only peel apples when needed (see image 5). After placing the fruit in the center of a square of dough, a mixture of cinnamon and sugar is added inside of each piece of fruit, wrapped tightly, and has each corner pinched to avoid juice leaking out of the dumpling. Finally, they receive a dusting of cinnamon sugar for the apple and pure sugar for the peach, are trayed, and baked. To gain Cheri's approval, every step in the process needs to be followed accordingly. “I look for pretty dumplings and if they’re not, they get pitched” Cheri declares, a hint of sass in her tone. The big question is, what’s the secret ingredient? Any employee will tell you hard work and, of course, love. (to watch the process, click HERE)

image 6, rolling the dough

                The pride and love for their business shines through both Cheri and Kevin. However, the people that keep the business open are the consumers. While the product itself appeals to the customer in that the produce comes from all local orchards, the ice cream comes from a small, family owned dairy, and no preservatives can be found in anything sold at Bissinger’s, so many more aspects  make this vendor popular. The pleasant staff members, reasonable prices, and a fast-paced system explains why customers come with a smile on their face, and leave with one too. “Our business really grew through word-of-mouth, but a clean, neat stand and a friendly face at the counter definitely draws people in.” Cheri states, her voice soft, portraying her easy-going personality. One customer in particular, known as “Bissinger’s Number One Fan” travels quite a way to get a bite of an apple dumpling. This woman, by the name of Sarah, makes the journey from Hawaii to Pennsylvania during the week of the Bloomsburg Fair. She buys a dumpling every day of the week and fills a suitcase full of them to take home and eat throughout the rest of the year. Another fair-goer, Jason Grader, is also a dedicated customer. He has been a returning customer for 3 years now. Jason, an easy-going man in his thirties with a big smile and dressed in Kutztown University apparel can be described by being almost as passionate about the dumplings as his Alma Mater. “If I don’t come to the Allentown fair for a Bissinger’s peach dumpling, I’m probably dead. I wouldn’t miss this for the world” Jason explained, his voice deep but depicting his amiable personality. Bissinger’s Apple Dumplings creates a light, jovial, and comfortable atmosphere. Between flitting back and forth from the front counter, to running ovens, to rolling dough, you wouldn’t expect Cheri to have time to check on her customers. “I make it a priority to talk to all of my customers. My favorite part of the job is talking to the people, you can’t do that from behind the counter.” When she had a spare minute, she sat down with a couple who had just purchased a dumpling and conversed. From her smile to her rapid hand movements, it is apparent that she loves her job, and her customers.

Just like at any other job, crazy things happen. "I mean, this seems really dumb, but we bake things accidentally. One time, some kids glasses got on a tray and we just baked them. Don't know how we didn't notice, but we sure did when we saw all that melted plastic. Another time, we baked money boxes. That was bad. And of course, knifes. Lots of knifes." Cheri recalls, shaking her head at the memories. One of her favorite recollections involves her husband. Kevin stood on a milk crate to try and fix part of the tent. After a few seconds, his foot went through the crate and to balance himself, he stuck his other foot on another crate, fell through that one, and was stuck for over a half-hour until the emergency response team could break him out of them. No one will ever let him live that down!

                As the daughter of the business, I see all the hard-work that can’t be seen on the surface. The most extensive, humdrum part of the entire fair process, according to the Bissinger family, would be the clean-up. Every piece of equipment that is used has to be cleaned, so by the end of September I’m very familiar with the bottom of an ice cream freezer. However, both of my parents will agree on their favorite part of their jobs, the end of Bloomsburg Fair. It’s stressful, exhausting work, but they do it with smiles on their faces. There’s never a day that you don’t hear laughter in the stand. After the fair season comes to an end, we vacation as a family and enjoy time that we have together that doesn't involve getting elbow-deep in flour. 

                “Kevin, honestly, what do you contribute to this business?” Cheri huffs, irritated that her husband keeps interrupting her.

                “Everything,” he responds, a smile playing on his lips, “I’m pretty much why it works.”

                Glaring, but a hint of a smile and a spark in her eye, “You couldn’t do it without me.”

                “Yup” Kevin says, nonchalantly, sending a wink in my direction.

Owning a small business is no walk in the park. Cheri cannot begin to explain how much time, effort, and money it takes. The sad reality that Bissinger’s Apple Dumplings will not always exist has not crossed many customers, and even employees, minds. Cheri and Kevin admit that they plan to give it another ten years, but afterwards the fate of Bissinger’s Apple Dumplings rests in the laps of their children. While I am grateful for the lessons our business has brought me, I can say that I will not be taking the reins. My brother, Austin, on the other hand, shows more interest. Even though the future of Bissinger’s is uncertain, one thing appears to be; they are, without a doubt, the best dumpling in the world. Remember what your doctor says, "an apple a day…"

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