Garrett's makes Chicago's most iconic popcorn

• We visited Garrett Popcorn in Chicago, Illinois to see how they make their legendary sweet and savory popcorn mix.
• The secret family recipe that's been handed down over three generations is still made in old-fashioned copper kettles.
• Handcrafted in small batches throughout the day, Garrett's serves their popcorn fresh to customers and can make anywhere from 30 to 150 batches everyday.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Medha Imam: There's nothing more satisfying than the crispy, airy crunch of popcorn. And one Chicago spot does it better than anywhere else. Its name: Garrett Popcorn.

Customer: It's really buttery and cheesy and good. Maybe not the healthiest, but it's really good. [laughs]

Customer: People who come to Chicago look for Garrett's and know Garrett's.

Oprah Winfrey: I bought Garrett's for everybody!

Medha: We're on Michigan Avenue just steps away from Millennium Park, and we're about to head to Garrett's Popcorn, which has been serving some of the best handcrafted popcorn in the city since 1949. And if you wait long enough, you'll see lines snake out of their stores. So, why the long lines, and what makes this popcorn taste so good?

Garrett is known for the iconic mix of two of its specialty flavors, CheeseCorn and CaramelCrisp. Garrett handcrafts its popcorn in small batches throughout the day. It serves its popcorn fresh to customers and can make anywhere from 30 to 150 batches a day, depending on customer demand. And my arm is now getting tired. [laughs]

Customer: If you like popcorn, you should probably try it. If you don't like popcorn, you probably should try it. It's delicious.

Medha: It was actually customers like these who invented Garrett's world-famous popcorn combo. Officially called the Garrett Mix but locally known as the Chicago mix, fans of Garrett Popcorn in the 1970s used to come into the shop and buy one bag of CaramelCrisp, one bag of CheeseCorn, and one empty bag.

Crystal Allen: And then we saw that they were mixing the two recipes together. And then once we saw that there was a high demand for that, we decided to actually add that to our menu. We noticed it had that sweet and savory combination, and it just, it was an unparalleled experience from there.

Medha: Other shops have their own version of the mix, but Garrett remains the fan favorite. Since 1949, Garrett's popcorn has been made in old-fashioned copper kettles and follows a secret family recipe that has been handed down over three generations.

Crystal: We stick to the same process of using our copper kettles and making small batches daily.

Customer: This is definitely one of the landmark Chicago staples of food that you have to try if you're in town. There's usually a line out the door.

Medha: The popcorn starts off with a hybrid of butterfly and mushroom kernels, which are grown just for the company. The kernels are then air-popped, which means no oil is necessary. Once air-popped, the kernels are set aside, while the caramel heats to an optimal temperature.

There are a total of seven ingredients in the CaramelCrisp flavor. Garrett Popcorn wouldn't tell us all of them, but it did say two were water and caramel, while the other five can be found in most pantries and refrigerators.

The smell of the caramel is overwhelming, and its beautiful. And it's taking all of my willpower not to just grab a piece of that CaramelCrisp. I'm really surprised that none of the popcorn itself is being crushed by the weight of the caramel.

That's because the CaramelCrisp begins with butterfly kernels. And butterfly kernels, as the name denotes, have wings on them. So when mixed in with the caramel, the larger surface area on each and every kernel allows for more caramel to be glazed on top without crushing it. Next, the vat of coated popcorn is poured onto a cooling tray.

Oh! Oh, my God, it smells so good. And we're doing this not to make it clump, right?

Eric: Yeah.

Medha: Am I doing a good job?

Eric: Eh... Somewhat.

Medha: [laughing] Go ahead. I was booted out.

So, Eric here stepped in because we only have a small window until the CaramelCrisp cools off, and we needed to separate it enough so that when it cooled off there was no clumps. And we have to do this so lightly so that we don't crush the popcorn.

Next comes the CheeseCorn. It's made with mushroom kernels that are round and fluffy. After popping, they're smothered with a mouthwatering cheddar cheese sauce. But beware: Garrett's CheeseCorn has a reputation for staining your fingers.

Conan O'Brien: A lot of viewers noticed something during Kelsey's interview. Here's a still from the interview. He was eating the cheese popcorn with his hand, and it got all over his hand when he came out.

Crystal: For the CheeseCorn, we're using real cheese, and you can spot another, you know, fellow Chicagoan with the cheesy fingers when you're walking down the street.

Medha: So, I've never tried this before, because I tend to be a person who doesn't like to mix her sweet and savory. But this is me trying out the CaramelCrisp and the CheeseCorn together. That's surprisingly good. That's really good! I never think to mix a salty snack with my sweet, but this makes it like you can... you can do both, and you can enjoy it.

And what I noticed is that there's a lot more flavor in this popcorn than movie-theater popcorn. Like, movie-theater popcorn, I feel like I just have to keep dumping the butter onto it to get some semblance of flavor, but with this, with one bite I can feel it exploding in my mouth, which is pretty good.

Customer: It's very addicting.

Medha: But how did this iconic Chicago popcorn chain get its start?

Crystal: So, Garrett Popcorn originated in 1949. It was Gladys Garrett. Her family, they sat around the table, they had a contest to come up with the best CaramelCrisp recipe.

Medha: Then the Garrett family opened up their first stop on 10 West Madison. Soon enough, they had opened up eight additional shops all around Chicago. And before they knew it, they were everywhere.

Halle Berry: My Garrett's popcorn. This is all I need, right here. I don't need a husband. I just need my Garrett's Popcorn.

Oprah: Have you been to Garrett's? Have you had Garrett's Popcorn?

Steve Harvey: Yes, yes, yes.

Oprah: It's my favorite, favorite.

Steve: Oh, man, you and my wife.

Medha: In 2002, Oprah Winfrey helped launch the Garrett Mix to international fame when she named it as one of her favorite things.

Oprah: I bought Garrett's for everybody!

Medha: The afternoon of the broadcast, Garrett had over 100,000 web hits, and its sales volume for the month increased by over 100%. Now competing brands all over the world sell the sweet and savory Chicago-style popcorn, and Garrett has expanded to locations all around the world. And its iconic tin has been featured on TV shows like "Glee," "Modern Family," "How I Met Your Mother," "Insecure," and "Shameless."

But with all the fame and celebrity hype, it still remains humble and meaningful to the local Chicago community.

Crystal: For many of our fans, they've grown up coming into our lines and getting Garrett. So for them this is part of their experience, it's part of their memories, it's part of their childhood and their tradition as well.

Customer: It tastes like nothing else we've ever had before, so it makes it special to come here to get it.