Immigrant inventors shaped the history of the ice cream cone

The history of the ice cream cone is rooted in the innovations of immigrants seeking to solve serving challenges. Before the edible cone, vendors used ‘penny licks’—thick glass vessels that customers licked clean. However, concerns over disease and broken glass led to bans, such as in London in 1898.

Italian immigrants contributed significantly to the evolution of the treat. In 1902, Antonio Valvona received a U.S. patent for a metal mold to create edible waffle-like cups. In 1903, New York vendor Italo Marchiony was granted a similar patent and later developed the ice cream sandwich.

The modern ice cream cone gained widespread popularity following the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. One prominent account credits Syrian immigrant Ernest Hamwi, who, while selling fried pastries called zalabiyeh, rolled them into ‘cornucopias’ to assist a neighboring vendor who had run out of paper cups. Hamwi later founded the Joy Baking Group.