I've always had an affection for the grocery store pudding known as Kozy Shack. Perhaps it was the hokey name, with its intimations of home and hearth, but I also thought it tasted suspiciously good.
Vincent Gruppuso, the founder of Kozy Shack Enterprises, died on Dec. 29, and through his New York Times obituary I was able to find out the origins of the company. Turns out my instincts were right to a certain extent, because the story behind the pudding is a fairly homespun, heartwarming one.
First of all, there was an actual Kozy Shack. It was called Cozy Shack (no K), and it was a deli on Seneca Avenue on Brooklyn. Gruppuso was a bread delivery man and he used to stop there for a break. They made a great rice pudding that attracted the guy's attention. He worked out a deal where he started delivering the pudding to his customers. In 1967, he bought the recipe and started a factory. The company is based in Hicksville.
I will no longer feel guilty for liking Kozy Shack Pudding.
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