Staff Writer

Adam Gertler had never seen a marshmallow waterfall before he visited Biddeford for the first time.

“That was a real Willy Wonka moment,” said the Food Network host of his behind-the-scenes tour of the Hostess bakery in Biddeford.

Gertler, host of the new Food Network show Kid in a Candy Store, said he was eager to visit the Hostess bakery in Biddeford to see exactly how Sno Balls are made. Now 33, Gertler said it’s hard not to feel like a kid in a candy store when feasting on classic treats like the coconut and marshmallow-coated chocolate cupcake.

Sno Balls were first introduced in 1947 when Americans were looking to indulge in a sweet treat after years of flour and sugar rationing during World War II. The original Sno Balls were white marshmallow and shredded coconut-covered chocolate cakes. The crème filling was added in 1950 and, in an effort to add “a little pizzaz,” the coconut was tinted pink, according to Hostess history.

Today, Hostess sells more than 25 million Sno Balls each year and the Biddeford bakery supplies most of the East Coast, according to Biddeford Plant Manager Marc Matter. Several thousand packages of Sno Balls are made in Biddeford each week depending on demand.

While Sno Balls are not exactly cutting edge, many people have fond memories of cracking open a package to feast on the sweet treat, Gertler said in a telephone interview from California.

“I definitely remember the Sno Balls,” he said. “When I was a kid I had a thing about dissecting them. It was one of my favorites of the Hostess cakes because there’s so many elements.”

Gertler’s visit was only his third time in Maine – he traveled here before to cook lobster in Kennebunkport and “borrowed” a wife for the National Wife Carrying Competition. Biddeford was “awesome” and the Hostess facility was “pretty cool,” he said.

Gertler said he was surprised by the size of the bakery and the elaborate system of tubes that carry flour and sugar from large silos.

“It’s not a factory, it’s a bakery. A bakery on a mega, mega scale,” he said.

Sno Balls start as a crème-filled cupcake and pass under two marshmallow waterfalls to create the dome shape, Gertler said. Once that shape is achieved, it’s time to coat the entire creation with its distinctive pink coat.

“It literally looks like a snowstorm because of all the coconut flying around,” Gertler said.

After seeing exactly how Sno Balls are made, Gertler said he went to a Hostess outlet bakery to talk to people about the classic treat. He said he had people “describe their moves” and found many people have a specific eating strategy.

Matter said employees at the Biddeford bakery were excited to show Gertler how Sno Balls are made and are eager to see the show.

So are the people who make Sno Balls also big fans?

“Of course I like them, everyone likes them,” Matter said. “There’s still a little kid in all of us.”

“Take the Cake,” the first episode of “Kid in a Candy Store,” premieres at 8 p.m. July 12 on the Food Network. The episode also features Kickass Cupcakes in Somerville, Mass., Lutz Café and Pastry Shop in Chicago and Holy Cacao in Austin, Texas. 

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.