ATKINS — He’s mentioned in The Encyclopedia of Arkansas, and his creation, Fatman’s Original Fried Dill Pickles, is to Atkins’ natives what nectar is to bees. In fact, for the lines of folks who flock to the booth during the annual PickleFest, the event just wouldn’t be the same without the unique breaded tartness of Fatman’s pickles.
Born Bernell Austin in 1921, but known throughout his entire life as “Fatman,” he cooked in the Navy and ended up leaving a culinary legacy to his hometown community when he passed in 1999, son David Austin said.
Under a constant threat of severe thunderstorms on Friday, the Austin family labored under a canopy at the same corner in downtown that they’ve occupied since 1992, when the first PickleFest convened.
“Last year, the water was so high we were backed up all the way to the sidewalk,” David said as he gestured to the much higher ground off the street level. “That didn’t slow down the customers, though.”
And so dozens of fans, half of them peering from under brightly colored umbrellas, patiently waited in line for their yearly fix.
“It all began when my dad ran a drive-in restaurant called the Duchess right across the street from the Atkins Pickle Plant,” David said. “He was always trying new things to attract customers, and one day in the summer of ’63, when business was slow, he decided he needed to capitalize on the whole pickle theme.”
Oh, the fried pickle concept wasn’t new, he admitted, “but my dad thought he could do it better.”
Fatman first toyed with jarred pickle slices, a la hamburger-style.
“He was a typical Southerner,” Austin said. “Deep frying was the only way he even considered cooking them.”
He sold them, 25 for 15 cents.
“From day one, they were a complete hit, but dad wasn’t completely thrilled with them and was always devising new recipes for the batter,” David said. “One thing he thought was that the jarred pickles were too salty, so he moved on to fresh pickles and started slicing them long-ways and came up with a batter that worked.”
They were so popular Morton Frozen Foods (now ConAgra) approached him and expressed interest in buying the recipe, David said.
“He wouldn’t sell it for anything, and when the company told him they could take a sample to their lab and figure out what ingredients were used in the batter, my dad told them it wasn’t the ingredients alone that was important but how you added them that made the difference,” he said. “It is tricky to make a batter that sticks to the pickle.”
Fatman opened a restaurant called the Loner in 1968, to take advantage of the traffic resulting from the newly built Interstate 40. He took the Original Fried Dill Pickle with him and for 10 years the local diners were joined by traveling Arkansas Razorback fans who routinely stopped for the iconic pickles.
After closing the restaurant, Fatman and his family joined the PickleFest festivites never dreaming their business under two white tents would perpetuate their pickles for 20 more years, David said.
“And the support is as strong as ever,” David said.
The secret is safe within the family ranks.
“We’re the only ones who have the recipe, and that’s the only way it’s ever been,” David said. “I grew up with a sister and a brother, and we all worked after school and during the summers at the restaurant. Some of us started out standing on Coke crates washing dishes.”
David and Karen, ConAgra employees, take a week of vacation to make preparations and run the pickle venue. They are joined by David’s sister Sharon, their mother, Sue, and four members of the up-and-coming generation.
“Mom and Dad worked side by side,” David said. “They met as teenagers when they both worked at Sadie and Jack’s (Atkins restaurant from way back). She took care of him until the day we lost him. PickleFest keeps her active, and she sees so many friends that she only sees that one time a year. She loves hearing the memories. You couldn’t get her to stay home during the festival.”
David said you can gussy up the pickles a number of ways, but it’s hard to beat them au naturel.
“We serve ketchup and ranch dressing, but every one of us generally likes them plain,” he said.
Some people are hesitant to try Fatman’s creation without getting an idea of what they’re getting into.
“People would always asked my dad what they tasted like,” David said, “and one day he said, ‘Stupid, what do you think they taste like? Pickles!’ Finally, one day a woman asked, and my father told her they tasted like ice cream. That’s become a family joke.”
Now that the Atkins pickles are no more, the Austins use Vlasic dills purchased in 5-gallon tubs.
“It takes a good, hard month of preparation to put this pickle frying marathon on every year,” David said. “And then there’s the standing all day and leaning over the deep fryer. If it wasn’t for the guys at the Masonic lodge helping, we just couldn’t do it all. We typically fry 10,000 pickle slices for PickleFest.”
All the proceeds from the pickle sales, $3,300 from this year’s sales, are directed to and dispersed by Atkins Masonic Lodge 172 to support the charities close to the heart of Fatman and his family.
The family enterprise has entered into the modern age, somewhat, with the opening of a Facebook fan page.
“We recently celebrated our 1,000th member,” David said. “People have shared such wonderful memories about my dad on that page.”
The pickle is still king in Atkins, and the local economy continues to profit from PickleFest, where a preponderance of pickle-related endeavors such as the pickle-eating and pickle-juice-drinking contests draw the natives home and the curious from far and wide.
Nearly inhaling the delicacy, Jagger Hendrix and Molly Gibson, members of the Atkins Red Devil softball team, were on a rush to leave town for a game.
“But we couldn’t leave without eating our pickles,” Gibson said. “We’ve been eating them since we were, like, babies.”
“There’s other people who make these, but they don’t compare,” Gibson added.
Her companion agreed.
“There’s absolutely no comparison,” Hendrix said.
“It’s what our family is known for,” David said.
Fatman’s Original Fried Dill Pickles will be sold at the 64 Galore Yard Sale slated for Friday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 14, at Mrs. Fatman’s home 3 miles east of Atkins.
“We’ll have our banner up, so you can find us,” David said. “Even if you don’t want pickles, stop by and visit if you get the chance. We’re always glad to see everyone.”
Fatman’s Favorite Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds leftover pork or beef roast, chopped
2 cups ketchup
4 dashed Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon Wright’s Liquid Smoke
4-8 dashes Louisiana Hot Sauce (add to personal taste)
Directions:
Stir all ingredients together and cook on medium heat until hot. Makes about 6 servings.
Ice Box Pickles
Submitted by Sue Austin
Ingredients:
Approximately 4 cups cucumbers, sliced into chips
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups sliced onions
1 tablespoon celery seed
2 cups white sugar
White vinegar, quantity needed to fill jars
Directions:
Fill canning jars with cucumbers, peppers, onions, celery seed and sugar, cover with vinegar, seal and place in refrigerator for 2 days. Remove from refrigerator and eat. Refrigerate uneaten portion. Makes 1/2 gallon.