Balboa Island’s Frozen Bananas

 

Sugar ‘n Spice Iconic Beach Treat

 

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

Since July 4, 1945, a summer ritual for kids in Orange County (the O.C.) has been to head to Sugar 'n Spice on Newport Beach's Balboa Island for a chillicious chocolate covered frozen banana on a stick.

The frosty treat, with an array of sprinkles and other tempting toppings to choose from, has reached iconic status, drawing locals and tourists to the 400-sq.-ft. stand near the beach.

 

The stand's signature frozen bananas came about by accident when original owners Bob and Dorothy Cook’s son Don made a mistake and stored the bananas overnight in the freezer instead of the fridge.

Rather than throw the frozen bananas away, they decided to cover them with melted chocolate and sprinkles and serve them on a stick.

 

An immediate sensation, the frozen bananas have become so well-known that the stand has even played a key role in the long-running TV show "Arrested Development" with the main characters running Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana Stand.  

SurfWriter Girls Sunny and Patti are big fans of the frozen delights and have been going to Sugar 'n Spice since we were teens. It's fun to look at all the toppings and decide which ones to choose. 

 

You can get Balboa Bars, sundaes, ice cream cookies, frozen cheesecake, frozen tiramisu, and other icy desserts, too. But we always go ape over the bananas!

 

Just ask our friend Moe.

 

SurfWriter Girls

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.