57 Varieties

As the story goes, the founder of the Heinz Empire, Henry J. Heinz, was inspired to write his famous tagline “57 Varieties” in 1896, after seeing an advertisement for a shoe company that had 21 styles. 

To him, his fledgling company needed to go big. So he took his lucky number five and his wife’s lucky number seven and combined them. 57. It was a very big number, but not too big. Fifty-seven. It had a nice ring to it and it caught on. 57 is on Heinz Ketchup and every other product they sell.

In 1911, Heinz Beefsteak Sauce was invented. It morphed into Heinz 57 Steak Sauce years later. It was a staple at our house. My grandfather served it at his restaurant, where we spent most weekends growing up. 

Last week in Key West, I had a literal “cheeseburger in paradise.” It had lettuce, tomato, onion, and Heinz 57. I also had french-fried potatoes, a big kosher pickle, and a cold draft beer. Yep, the exact burger from the famous Jimmy Buffet song.

But that wasn’t the only thing that gave me Jimmy Buffet vibes in Key West. The tourists were not “covered in oil,” but they were covered in paint and neon and tutus. 

Although we didn’t plan it, our cruise dropped us off in Key West for FantasyFest. If you’re not familiar with FantasyFest, it was started by a few locals in 1979 to bring tourism to the island before “the busy season.” It is a 10-day costume party that consumes the entire island; morning, noon, and night. I haven’t seen a party like that since Mardi Gras in New Orleans…and that was all before we had to leave at 4 p.m. to get back on the boat. 

Oh and another thing, I turned 57 yesterday. It’s a huge number. Although we arrived in Key West accidentally and unprepared, I think a return trip is now on my bucket list for my 58th birthday.