Cheez Doodles, the addictive air-puffed, cheese-flavored snack was developed by Morrie Yohai (’41), who passed away in July at the age of 90. The Harlem-born, Bronx-bred Yohai was president of Old London Foods—founded by his father and cousin in the early 1920s—when he and his team came up with the idea for Cheez Doodles.
Old London, originally called King Kone, first specialized in ice cream cones and later branched out into popcorn, cheese crackers, and Melba Toast. Looking to introduce another snack in the 1950s, Yohai learned of a machine that processed cornmeal under high pressure into a tube shape, which could be flavored with cheese and other seasonings. Though he never liked to take credit for the entire process, Yohai did come up with the product name.
Cheez Doodles proved so popular that Old London was bought by Borden in the mid-1960s and became part of the company’s Wise Potato Chip brand (now Wise Foods, Inc.). Yohai subsequently became vice president of Borden’s snack food division, which also included Drake’s Cakes and Cracker Jack. (One of his executive duties was deciding which prizes would be placed inside the boxes of candy-coated popcorn and peanuts.)
Before his career in snacks, Yohai, who received a graduate degree from the Wharton School of Business, worked at the Grumman aircraft factory on Long Island. During World War II, he served as a pilot for both the Navy and Marine Corps.
Later Yohai would leave Borden when it relocated to Columbus, Ohio, to teach at the New York Institute of Technology, eventually becoming associate dean of its school of management. He also studied Jewish mysticism, wrote more than 500 poems, and published two books of poetry.
His death garnered extensive press coverage and a new appreciation for his bright orange, finger-staining snack.
—Marina Zogbi
Who knew!
I love cheez doodles