EDWIN TRAISMAN, 91 Helped create Cheez Whiz
Edwin Traisman, a food researcher who helped create Cheez Whiz and, as an early McDonald's franchise owner in Wisconsin, co-developed the freezing process used to make McDonald's french fries, died Tuesday at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison after suffering a heart attack, said his wife, Dorothy Traisman.
He had worked as a director of food research at Kraft Foods, where he was instrumental in the development of Cheez Whiz cheese spread, instant pudding and other food products, before buying the first McDonald's franchise in Madison, Wis., in the late 1950s.
Mr. Traisman's claim to fame in McDonald's corporate lore rests with his work on the humble french fry.
"Ed Traisman made a major, major contribution to McDonald's and french fries as we know them today," said Lisa McComb, a McDonald's spokeswoman.