Fries are a big seller at Connors Hot Dog Stand in Angola where they are made fresh daily with potatoes picked that morning from the farm at nearby Chiavetta's Potatoes & Greenhouse.
Chiavetta's fresh potatoes are peeled, soaked in water and cooked at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
Shortly after dawn on late summer mornings, farm workers set out in the fields of Brant to dig potatoes that later that day will become some of the freshest french fries in Western New York.
It’s in those fields where Mike Chiavetta and his staff harvest 120 acres of potato crops on the farm his father, Sam, started in the 1950s – up to 20 tons per day. At 9 a.m., the crew is back at the Chiavetta’s packing house, washing and bagging that morning’s yield.
Michael Chiavetta of Chiavetta's Potatoes & Greenhouse picks potatoes in the morning and by lunch they are being served at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
By midmorning, either Mike or Bill Connors has arrived to pick up that day’s potatoes, loading up to 25 50-pound bags into their truck. They then drive back through the Village of Angola to the lakeshore, where their family has operated Connors, one of the region’s most beloved roadside hot dog stands, since 1944.
The stand’s “fry boys” – fourth-generation Simon Connors and Devon Shepherd – get to work peeling, washing, cutting and frying the potatoes. At lunchtime, Connors customers are enjoying fries that several hours earlier were still potatoes surrounded by fertile soil a few miles away.
Devon Shepherd,15, prepares fresh potatoes to be peeled, cut and cooked at Connors. The potatoes are soaked in water before cooking.
“It’s tradition. You don’t change tradition,” second generation co-owner Bill Connors said. “When you lose the tradition, you lose the whole quality of your work.”
The homegrown french fries at Connors are perhaps the most storied tradition at the 76-year-old stand, which also hand-cuts its pickles, serves Italian sausage from the Lakeside Market down the street and is in rare company for featuring Wardynski hot dogs. The fries emerge from the fryer a light golden brown and are perfectly crispy and lightly salted on the outside, and filled with fluffy, fresh potato. They’re as much a part of summer in Grandview Bay as the breezes that blow from the lake into Connors' open-air seating area, and the beaches, beach bars and cottages that line the rest of Old Lakeshore Road.
The origin of Connors french fries began decades before “farm-to-table” and “shop local” became buzzwords. French fries were not initially a top seller at Connors, but demand grew after McDonald’s popularized them in the mid-20th century. Connors late founder Thomas Connors first purchased Chiavetta’s potatoes soon after the farm opened in the 1950s.
Homegrown french fries have been a Connors staple ever since and appear as soon as the Chiavetta’s potatoes are ready in August.
“My dad was a big local guy. He bought everything he could locally,” Bill Connors said. “We’ve stayed as long as we possibly could to keep buying locally.”
Potatoes picked in the morning at Chiavetta's Potatoes & Greenhouse in Angola are served at lunch at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
Sourcing potatoes for Connors is a point of pride for Mike Chiavetta, 52, who began working on his parents’ farm more than 40 years ago before inheriting it and has named his dogs over the years Spud, Tater and Yukon. Chiavetta (a cousin of another branch of the family that runs an iconic chicken barbecue business down the street in Brant) was a frequent customer at Connors growing up; the stand even named an off-menu double cheeseburger, the Vetta burger, after him.
“When people hear of potatoes, everyone thinks they come from Idaho,” said Chiavetta, who also runs a greenhouse and produce stand off of Route 20 with his mother, wife and four children. “We’ve got our own little secret right here in Western New York.”
Michael Chiavetta stands in his family's potato farm in Angola where every August potatoes are picked and taken to Connors Hot Dog Stand to be made into fresh fries.
The decadeslong ties between the Chiavetta and Connors families have helped keep the french fry tradition alive and well, Connors second generation co-owner Karen Connors Erickson said.
“Mike’s like family to us. That does make it special. We’re so happy he’s following his father,” she said. “Those are the people you love to support.”
Co-owner Karen Connors Erickson packages hot fries for a order at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
For Connors Erickson, serving Brant potatoes runs deeper than providing her customers with a quality product. Connors management makes a point of supporting surrounding businesses in the southernmost towns of Erie County whenever possible – even opting to buy new appliances from Shultz & Company Hardware in the heart of Angola rather than head to the chain stores closer to Buffalo. In turn, Connors Erickson sees the employees and management from those surrounding businesses show up at Connors for a hot dog and fries.
“Places like ours are few in numbers. We’re not on the beaten path,” she said. “Part of our mentality here is the loyalty and being local. Especially in a small community, it’s the right thing to do.”
Shannon Shepherd, a family member, prepares fries at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
8905 Lake Shore Road, Angola (549-1257)
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Nearby: Want to make your own locally sourced french fries? Pick up a bag of potatoes from Chiavetta’s Potatoes & Greenhouse (9784 S. Main St., Angola), just a few miles away from Connors. It is open Monday through Saturday; 549-0458.
Suggested scenic drive
Instead of driving the Thruway to Angola, take Route 5 to the beginning of Old Lakeshore Road, then follow it all the way to Connors. The drive includes sweeping vistas of the Lake Erie shoreline, views of lakefront mansions and points of interest like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff Estate and Bennett and Wendt beaches. Dine-in or use Connors new drive-thru to take your meal down Old Lakeshore Road to scenic lakeside spots like Lake Erie Beach Park or Evangola State Park.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Fries are a fan favorite at Connors Hot Dog Stand on Lake Shore Road in Angola.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Karen Erickson, one of the owners, packages hot fries for a order.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Karen Erickson, one of the owners, packages hot fries for a order.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Potatoes ready to be peeled, cut and cooked at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Devon Shepherd, 15, prepares potatoes for french fries at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Fries are soaked in water before cooking.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Devon Shepherd, 15, prepares potatoes for french fries at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Devon Shepherd, 15, prepares potatoes for french fries at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Karen Erickson, one of the owners, gets a bag of potatoes from her storage unit at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Shannon Shepherd, a family member, prepares fries at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Shannon Shepherd, a family member, prepares fries at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Fries are ready to be served at Connors Hot Dog Stand.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Fries are ready to be served at Connor's Hot Dog Stand.
Connors Hot Dog Stand fries
Fries are a big seller at Connors Hot Dog Stand on Lake Shore Road in Angola.
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August 25, 2020 at 08:22PM
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Afternoon Drive: Chiavetta's and Connors Hot Dog Stand team up for french fry tradition - Buffalo News
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