Get a glimpse of the cosmos with a new popcorn flavor at Abe’s in downtown Belleville
If you haven’t heard, Abe’s Gourmet Popcorn in downtown Belleville has a new flavor inspired by the upcoming solar eclipse.
I recently stopped by the shop to learn more about the new flavor, and the first thing one may notice upon entering is that the shop smells amazing.
Employees Cindy Erwin and August Logan were making popcorn when I arrived to meet with owner Dave Schoenborn at the shop, right next to Lincoln Theatre on East Main Street.
Logan was making the caramel corn while Erwin prepared to make the cookies ‘n cream (made with real Oreo cookies).
At the same time, the blue raspberry candy for the new flavor, appropriately named Eclipse, was cooking.
Schoenborn said the new flavor came about when someone asked if Abe’s was going to do something special for the April 8 eclipse.
The crew at Abe’s did some research and decided they wanted to make something tasty and pretty.
And they nailed it.
Eclipse is a combination of lighter (in flavor and in color) versions of their blue raspberry and grape flavors, colors that resemble images of the cosmos with blues and purples. A touch of yellow is provided by part of the popcorn left uncoated by the candy flavors.
After the blue raspberry and grape popcorn flavors are mixed, it’s drizzled with chocolate, and star-shaped sprinkles are added.
Eclipse made its debut in late January. If it continues to sell well, it may become a regular flavor and be renamed “Galaxy,” said Schoenborn.
He said the turnaround on Eclipse was fairly quick.
“Sometimes [new] flavors take a few tries, sometimes we get it on the first one,” he said.
And sometimes there are happy accidents.
A variety of flavors
One “accidental flavor” is the shop’s Belleville Blend, a combo of caramel corn and jalapeño white cheddar.
I asked Schoenborn if the Belleville Blend was like a Chicago blend. He replied that it’s similar, but likes to say that Belleville, as a city, is spicier than Chicago.
The Belleville Blend is a spicier version of Abe’s Mix, which is a blend of caramel corn and classic cheddar, a flavor combo that is traditionally known as Chicago-style popcorn.
Schoenborn said that they use mushroom popcorn for the majority of their flavors.
Mushroom popcorn is a type of popcorn that pops into a circular mushroom-shaped ball. It’s great for coated popcorn, like the confectionary delights at Abe’s.
It’s larger than butterfly popcorn, which pops into pieces with “wings,” much like one would find at movie theaters, including the Lincoln.
Schoenborn said they make a few new flavors each year.
They always have new ideas, often thinking of them around the holidays, when they’re too busy to do anything about it, said Schoenborn.
Fun flavors you can find at the shop include:
Ballpark Nachos – jalapeño seasoning on their classic yellow cheddar popcorn;
Salted Caramel – the homemade-from-scratch caramel corn “enhanced with extra salt to bring out a bolder flavor,” according to the website;
Mermaid – a colorful combo of purple/grape, blue/raspberry and white/vanilla candy popcorn;
Witches Brew (fall seasonal) – orange (orange), green (green apple), and black (vanilla) flavored candied popcorn;
Winter Mix (winter seasonal) – caramel corn covered with white chocolate, craisins and winter sprinkles;
Santa’s Mix (Christmas seasonal) – chocolate-covered caramel corn
Gustav (Christmas seasonal) – a blend of caramel, green apple and cherry-flavored candied popcorn;
Plus Dill Pickle, Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate Peanut Butter and many others.
Recent offerings included flavors and colors to celebrate Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day and National Chocolate Day. You can currently find Shamrock (vanilla and plain green candy with white chocolate drizzle and glitter), St. Patty’s Blend (green apple and vanilla) and Caramel Apple.
Spring and Easter flavors are also available now.
Pick up a bag (or two or three …) of Spring Mix (blue raspberry, green apple and pretty pink) or Bunny Blend (strawberry, banana, green apple and blue raspberry).
Abe’s Gourmet Popcorn is all hand-tossed/hand-made. If you stop by at the right times, you can catch the staff in action.
They make the caramel and cheddar popcorn flavors almost daily, said Logan. Other flavors are made as needed, and everything is made fresh weekly.
The candy-flavored popcorn has a shelf life of about 3-5 months, said Schoenborn. The cheddars will keep for 6-8 weeks.
About Abe’s Gourmet Popcorn
Abe’s Gourmet Popcorn is located at 101 E. Main St. in downtown Belleville.
The shop was part of a $600,000 Lincoln Theatre expansion project in 2011 and opened in August of that year.
In 2014, the popcorn shop expanded into the space at the corner of North High and East Main streets when Bracelets & More closed after 13 years in business.
The shop started out with about 20 flavors on offer. Today, the store has more than 100 flavors throughout the year, according to Logan.
Hours at Abe’s Gourmet Popcorn are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. The shop is closed Sunday-Monday.
For more information about Abe’s, call 618-233-9010, visit abesgourmetpopcorn.com or check out the Facebook page.
