Oprah's Favorite Snack Comes From A Chicago Icon (And She Loves Mixing Flavors)

Oprah Winfrey was born in Mississippi and now resides primarily in California (although the billionaire media mogul owns an enviable portfolio of homes across the country). However, when it comes to snacks, Oprah is partial to a legendary treat from one of the Midwest's best food cities: Chicago-style popcorn from Garrett Popcorn. This sweet, savory, and slightly addictive blend of handcrafted caramel-coated popcorn and cheddar-dusted kernels has been a Windy City icon for over half a century. 

Oprah has honored the "Garrett Mix" as one of her annual favorite things multiple times and the host of "The Oprah Show" even collaborated with the company to release a limited-edition popcorn tin. While that exclusive tin is sadly no longer available, the good news is that you can purchase the original Chicago-style popcorn online with a quick trip to the Garrett Popcorn website. "It's the best popcorn on the planet, I think, and you don't have to fly to Chicago to get it," she affirmed on her website.

These days, Chicago-style popcorn is well-established as Illinois' most iconic snack food, and similar caramel and cheddar blends are sold across the state and country. However, there's no question that the original and authentic Chicago Mix is sold by Garrett Popcorn. As legend has it, customers began mixing 5-cent bags of Garrett's CaramelCrisp and CheeseCorn not long after the shop opened in 1949. Workers took note, and the company officially debuted the unique sweet, salty, and crunchy "Garrett Mix" in the 1970s. The unique cheese and caramel blend quickly became a Windy City classic, colloquially known as Chicago-style popcorn or Chicago mix.

While Oprah's endorsement certainly helped Garrett Popcorn and its flagship product gain national (and international) popularity, it's worth noting that she is far from the only celebrity with a documented taste for the sweet and savory snack. The company counts Conan O'Brien, Sabrina Carpenter, the Obamas, Halle Berry, Beyoncé, and Terry Crews among its many famous fans. Nowadays, people regularly wait in long lines to buy the real deal Chicago-style snack from Garrett Popcorn, and the company has expanded to operate over 50 locations worldwide. Whether you're on a mission to sample all of Chicago's most iconic delicacies or simply enjoy a good sweet and savory treat, this Oprah-approved snack mix is a must-try Windy City specialty.