There are some foods that instantly transport you to a specific place and time the moment you eat them.  They trigger specific memories (both good and bad) the second that familiar taste hits your tongue.  For me, one of those foods is Gibble’s potato chips.

As soon as a bag is opened and I smell that heady aroma of lard and salt, I am an 11-year old kid again, sitting on my father’s front porch at a summer family reunion.  There is an overdone hamburger and fruit salad on my plate, as well as a heaping handful of those delicious, golden chips.  I am a happy, happy, boy.

Gibble’s snack foods were as synonymous with the four-state region as green beans and ham, hog maw, slippery pot pie, or an American Legion steak feed.  They had been pumping out heavenly salty snacks at their Chambersburg, PA plant since 1959[1].

But alas, in 2013, it looked as if Gibble’s potato chips, cheese puffs, pretzels, and popcorn would be lost forever, as the company was bought and – without warning –  the plant was shut down and the Gibble brand was discontinued.  All over the area, folks clamored to buy up the remaining stock, hording bags in closets and freezers to extend their snack food cravings for as long as possible.  Single bags of chips sold on eBay for upwards of $17 or more.  Wow – that is love.

Then, after an outcry that lasted almost a year, business couple Rob and Amy Hartman purchased the factory and returned the beloved snack back into production, much to the delight of the public at large[2].

Whew, that was a close one.

What makes Gibble’s potato chips so good?  Well, maybe it’s the ingredients.  Potatoes.  Lard.  Salt.  That’s it (well, there is a flavor protectant chemical in there [TBHQ], but for the sake of my beloved chips, I’m willing to let that one slide).

They are just the right consistency.  Not too thin, not too thick, and able to stand up to a swath through one’s favorite dip.  Man, I want to go out and buy a bag right now.

If you haven’t tried a Gibble’s potato chip, first of all – shame on you.  Secondly, grab a bag and give them a chance (and if you ever find them on sale – jump all over it because finding Gibble’s chips on sale is a rarity – like spotting a unicorn or seeing a leprechaun).

Check out all of the delicious snacks offered by the Gibble’s brand at www.gibblesfoods.com

Sources:

• 1 – Huffington Post (3/11/2013)
• 2 – lvb.com (3/14/2014)