Warren Mumford of Mumford Sheet Metal Works said he would gladly create another giant frying pan, if one was needed. (Photo: WBOC)SELBYVILLE, Del.- It was a rush job in 1950 that put Mumford Sheet Metal Works on the map. In just three days, Warren Mumford and his brother crafted a frying pan 10-feet in diameter for use at the Delmarva Chicken Festival. The giant frying pan has become the symbol of the Delmarva Poultry Industry's annual event.
"It's amazing how much chicken has been cooked in it," Mumford said. "As far as I know, it was the original world's largest frying pan."
The frying pan weighs around 650 pounds and can cook 800 chicken quarters at a time.
Mumford said he never could have expected the amount of publicity this giant frying pan would bring to his family's metal working business. When DPI needed to replace the frying pan in the late 1980s, the Mumfords once again went to work. This time, Mumford helped his son build a segmented pan that could be reassembled.
Mumford, who still works at the age of 91, told WBOC he would gladly create a third giant frying pan-- should the need arise.
"If they ever have to make another one, we'd be proud to do it," Mumford said.
