BOARDMAN — Wanting to give a positive spin on the area’s history with a topic that everyone can relate to, historian and author Thomas Welsh of Youngstown gave a presentation Saturday on several food empires that got their start in the Mahoning Valley.

His talk was hosted by the Boardman Historical Society and took place at the Lariccia Family Community Center at Boardman Park. Two dozen people listened to Welsh talk about “Tastemakers of the Valley,” which focused on Good Humor, Isaly’s and Arby’s.

His lecture began with Harry Burt, who was born on a Cortland farm in the 1870s to a single mother, which in Victorian times was an embarrassment. Welsh believes this is one reason Burt always emphasized respectability and wholesomeness.

When people were reluctant to purchase food because of spoilage, Burt started a fleet of refrigerated trucks to drive around neighborhoods selling ice cream. His salesmen wore white outfits to emphasize the cleanliness. After children and their parents complained that his chocolate covered treats were too messy, he put a stick in them, thus starting the Good Humor bar.

Burt died unexpectedly in 1926, but after a series of mergers and acquisitions, the Good Humor bar can still be found in supermarkets around the world.

In 1833, cheesemaker Christian Iseli emigrated from Switzerland to Switzer Township in Monroe County, Ohio. He anglicized his name to Isaly. His descendants expanded their dairy business and in 1918, opened a store at 1033 Mahoning Ave. in Youngstown.

At its height, there were 129 Isaly’s in the Youngstown region alone, as well as a few hundred more in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, serving the affordable and popular chipped chopped ham and the impossibly tall skyscraper ice cream cone. Welsh said the skyscraper was difficult to construct so anyone who did it well had “street cred.”

After soldiers returned from World War II, the federal government encouraged people to leave cities and move to the suburbs. Brothers Forrest and Leroy Raffel already had a successful business designing kitchens for schools and hospitals, but they saw an opportunity in selling roast beef sandwiches to the growing suburban population.

The Raffels opened their first store on U.S. Route 224 in Boardman in 1964. A second one came to Liberty a year later. They grew steadily and in 1970, the brothers had 350 restaurants, until liquidity problems caused them to file bankruptcy.

Although the Raffel Brothers sold the business, and Arby’s is now a large worldwide company, Welsh said they have never forgotten their roots. They have especially honored the original employees from 1964. Boardman resident Mark Luke noted that even now when he buys a sandwich in Boardman, the bottom of the receipt says, “Store Number One.”

The original store was located across Route 224 from where it is now — next to St. Charles Church near the intersection of Market Street.

Boardman Historical Society president Debbie Liptak praised Welsh’s wealth of knowledge and said people always enjoy his presentations, as well as his books on various subjects, including not only local restaurants, but also Strouss’ department store, contributions of Jewish people in the Mahoning Valley and an upcoming publication about the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown, who are marking their 150th anniversary in the Valley this month.

Welsh observed that while there is plenty of discussion about less inspiring occurrences in our past, “It’s so nice to talk to people about local history in a way that reflects positive contributions.”

Boardman resident Judy Soccorsi concurred, saying, “We need to brag about our area.”

The society’s next meeting will be at 10 a.m. Oct. 12 at the historic Oswald Detchon home on the Boardman Park property.