NORFOLK, VA — The start of fall kicked on Thursday, a strange day to have national ice cream cone day.
For ice cream cone lovers, it was the perfect day to indulge in a waffle cone from Dourmar's Cones and Barbeque. Unbeknownst to some, the waffle cone has its roots right here in Norfolk.
As the story goes, the creator of the waffle cone, Abe Doumar was at the 1904 world's fair in St. Louis when he bought a waffle, rolled it up and stuck some ice cream on top.
Three years later, Doumar and his brother opened a stand at the ocean view amusement park, bringing the waffle cone with them.
Over the years Dourmar's on Monticello and 19th in Norfolk has become the hot spot for the signature treat. Employees like April McMainus believe that a taste of nostalgia comes with each order.
"We have a lot of young people who come in because their grandparents came in or because their great grandparents came in and it reminds them of their family. I've specifically had a few customers who are dementia patients who come in here once and twice a week because it's something they remember from when they were kids," explains McMainus.
Dourmar's has been at its current location at Monticello and 19th since the 1930s.
