Ted Drewes Jr. didn’t found the frozen custard business that bears his name. For generations of St.
Louisans, however, his face and eager declaration that his custard “really is good, guys — and gals” were as synonymous with summer as Cardinals baseball and fireworks at the Gateway Arch. Drewes died Aug. 26, his family confirmed.
He was 96. "Few people have played as big and sweet a role in shaping the identity of St. Louis as Ted Drewes Jr.
," said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones in a statement. "I'm sure many St.
Louisans have their own delicious and happy memories tied to his famous frozen custard. Chocolate chip concretes were my biggest cravings when I was pregnant with my son, Aden, and I still crave them during spring and summer nights. "Although I never met Ted personally, I’m certain that St.
Louisans share a sense of pride that we are the home of Ted Drewes. His family, friends, and all who knew and loved him are in my thoughts and my prayers." Alderman Tom Oldenburg, of St.
Louis Hills, remembered Drewes as a sweet, jovial man who was proud of what he had accomplished. “He built an iconic brand and an iconic product that rivals ice cream-slash-custard throughout the world, and he will be sorely missed,” Oldenburg said. At an event a few years ago celebrating the stand’s 90th anniversary, Oldenburg accidentally referred to the frozen treat as ice cream in front of Drewes.
“But he was quick to remind me it was custard,” Oldenburg said. Decades before Drewe.
