"Erik Smith: The iconic brands of Detroit. Now, wait a minute, this is Highland Park, so why start here? Well, the city of Highland Park is in the city of Detroit, after all, and this is where Henry Ford built his iconic Model T, the very first affordable car for the working man. And the guys working there, of course, had to eat something. So, when the Coney Island hot dog came along, boy, it made a real splash."
"The Model T plant was just up the street, of course, so lunchtime? (Laughter) This was the perfect recipe. Good bun, great dog, a layer of mustard, and then the coney sauce, and some onions, oh yeah. OK, if you haven't heard about Red Hots, I know you know about those two Coney's right there at Michigan and Lafayette, The Lafayette and The American, iconic Motor City cuisine."
Detroit's Coney dog originated in the early 1900s and became popular among Model T factory workers in Highland Park. The classic preparation combines a good bun, beef hot dog, mustard, a distinctive coney meat sauce, and chopped onions. Family-run operations like Red Hots and the rival Lafayette and American locations near Michigan and Lafayette helped popularize the dish. Grace Keros is the third-generation owner of American Coney Island; her grandfather Gus opened the original American on Michigan Avenue in 1917. Local figures such as Joe Grimm, Ken Brown, and Don Kosch are associated with the Coney's history and rise to fame across Detroit.
Read at Detroit PBS
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