Fred Calev holds his plaque afer being inducted into the Craver Hall of Fame by White Castle. Photo provided by White Castle
BY DEB AND TIM SMITH
While there are various Halls of Fame to acknowledge various types of achievements, today we will recognize a Honeoye Falls resident who has recently been inducted into one of the more unique shrines in the pantheon of American Halls of Fame. Here at the Sentinel we were the recent recipients of a letter from a corporate headquarters in Columbus, Ohio informing us that one of our local residents was being inducted into the “Craver Hall of Fame.”
The letter went on to ask us if we would be interested in covering the induction of Fredric Calev, Rush Mendon Rd., Honeoye Falls. Well, when the inductee is living on the same road that we do, it becomes an opportunity that just cannot be missed! But we need some more information on what exactly it is that is being craved here.
That answer would be hamburgers, but not just any burgers. Those in question would be the small square “sliders” that are the trademark dish of the White Castle chain of fast food restaurants. There are no White Castle outlets in our area so this will be a learning experience for many of our readers. We promise to circle back to the White Castle story, but first let’s honor Fred.
For three-quarters of a century, Fred has had one true Crave – White Castle’s iconic sliders. His father took him to White Castle when he was three years old, igniting a passion that continues to this day. Fred celebrated with Sliders when he returned home from a two-year tour of duty in Vietnam during that war. Upon Fred’s return from Vietnam in 1969 his father picked him up at the airport in New York City and the proud Papa told his homecoming hero son that he wanted to take him out to a steak dinner at the finest restaurant in NYC.
But Fred had other ideas. He told his father, “You know what, there is not a single White Castle restaurant in Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia, and that is where I want to go for my homecoming dinner.” So, White Castle it was!
He and his wife often stop at White Castle during their frequent travels, sometimes going 100 miles out of their way to enjoy a Slider topped with diced onions, a pickle and ketchup. Fred even passed down the tradition of eating Sliders to his son and grandsons. Being chosen as a Craver Hall of Famer is the crowning glory to his lifelong Slider passion.
So here’s that White Castle story as promised… The company was founded on September 13, 1921 in Wichita, Kansas and has generally been credited as the world’s first fast food hamburger chain. There are 345 restaurants currently open across 13 states, predominately in the Midwest and the New York City metropolitan area. In 2014, Time magazine named the White Castle slider “The Most Influential Burger of All Time.”
Right now a few readers in our audience might be thinking, “I thought I remembered going to a White Castle in Rochester at one point. If that’s the case, we bet you’re probably thinking of the White Tower restaurant which was located at 555 Mt. Hope Avenue, and closed in 2016. White Tower, right down to the name, was basically a rip-off imitation of White Castle.
When the story first surfaced at Sentinel headquarters, our publisher Chris Carosa pointed out that the hamburger gods had kind of aligned the stars on this story. May is National Hamburger Month, with May 28 being designated specifically as National Hamburger Day. And when it comes to hamburger history, Chris is locked and loaded.
Of the several books he has written, he is notably the author of Hamburger Dreams which is the definitive book on the history of the hamburger, right down to the point of detailing how that American food staple had its birth in Buffalo. In his September 2, 2022 Steve Cochran Show appearance on WLS 890 AM, in Chicago, Illinois, Chris was referred to by the host as “America’s Premier Hamburger Historian.” Just tellin’ it like it is!
Earlier this month, Fred traveled to Columbus, Ohio to attend his official induction ceremony, enshrining him in the Craver Hall of Fame, Class of 2025. We’ll close by sharing the letter which Fred Calev submitted to White Castle; the one that earned his way into the hallowed halls of that White Castle Craver Hall of Fame…
As a young boy, before I was 5, I would get excited when my father would take me to a White Castle in the Bronx. Later, when we moved to Long Island, we’d go to the Lynbrook White Castle. I could easily delight in eating 10 to 12 sliders per visit.
I passed the White Castle crave on to my son and he has passed it to his sons. While none of us live near a White Castle now, we always visit them wherever we find them on our travels.
On the first day that I returned from my army tour in Vietnam in 1969, I had to visit a White Castle restaurant and get what I had waited for 2 long years, a bag of White Castle slider hamburgers with onions, pickle and ketchup. That was so good after going 2 years on army food and rations. For me, it was better than a steak dinner.
My wife of over 53 years would laugh at that simple statement. I guess she would say that I make it a passion to make sure that at least one, or more, White Castle restaurants are on our frequent travel routes. We disagree on whether 100 or more miles out of the way constitutes a reasonable route. Seems reasonable to me. After all, who could resist the lure of 100+ degree temperatures at your Scottsdale, Arizonia location. A road trip from the Florida Keys to your Orlando location was a must visit. Those facilities are impressively huge and efficient.
Your sliders never disappoint me. They’re always worth the trip. I swear that the sliders that my wife bought from a location near our hotel cured me when I felt ill during a trip through Ohio.
Any marriage, especially as long as ours, is bound to have some rough spots, but you have to love a woman who would do that for me. My goal is some day to take that wonderful woman to a White Castle restaurant for your Valentine’s Day celebration.
I have amassed an impressive collection of logo items. If you decide to induct me for selection into the “Hall of Fame”, the certificate would be the crowning glory.
There are days when I feel every one of my 77 years, soon to be 78 years, but as soon as I walk into a White Castle, I’m a young teen relishing in the smells and tastes of your timeless crave worthy sliders.
Thanks for staying true to your quality food for all these years.
Fredric E. Calev. (a devoted fan for over ¾ of a century)
