Food - Drink
The Hearty Fried Chicken Dinner That Helped Build Knott's Berry Farm
By ELIAS NASH
Knott’s Berry Farm is mostly known today as an amusement park, but it started off as a berry farm when Walter Knott bought the land in 1927. Famous for selling the world’s first boysenberries, Knott’s Berry Farm also became famous for its fried chicken made by Walter’s wife, Cordelia Hornaday.
Cordelia’s renowned dish was her “Special Southern Chicken Dinner,” and it was so popular that the tea room had to be expanded from a seating capacity of 20 to 350. However, the guests still had to wait hours for a table, so Walter built attractions around the farm to entertain them while they waited.
Walter added the iconic Ghost Town in the 1940s and he partnered with amusement park designer Wendell "Bud" Hurlbut to add more rides in the 50s. Although the rides may be the main draw to Knott’s Berry Farm, the park still celebrates its origins every year with the Boysenberry Food and Wine Festival.