First Lady Cathy Keating pours batter into a new heart-shaped waffle iron with help from Oklahoma Waffles president Doyle Beck from Shawnee as Gov. Frank Keating observes.

Bulky metal waffle irons haven't changed much over the decades -- until now.

Doyle Beck, owner of the Shawnee-based Waffles of Oklahoma, 101 S. Kickapoo, recently teamed up with Gordon Cooper Technology Center and the Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence to manufacture a better waffles iron.

Beck and his company supply waffle batter and furnish and maintain waffle irons used in some 900 restaurants and hotels across the state. Alliance broker agent Richard Huff arranged for Beck and Gordon Cooper welding instructor Tommie Daniel to work together to design and construct a light-weight stainless-steel tubular base for a waffle iron. The new design cut the weight of a waffle iron in half, making Beck's irons more portable and convenient for events held in hotel meeting rooms and other places.

"This training helps my business stay competitive," Beck said.

Daniel also spent time at both the Waffles of Oklahoma site and the Gordon Cooper welding shop to teach Waffles of Oklahoma employees how to do the Mig welding required for construction of the waffles iron bases. The training was underwritten by the State of Oklahoma, at no cost to Beck.

"A lot of the guys think a lot of Tommie. He helped with a lot of things, including the design of the base," Beck said.

Beck recently presented custom-made waffle irons to Gov. and Mrs. Frank Keating. The presentation was made during a Made in Oklahoma school nutrition program at the state capital agriculture building. The waffle iron given to Cathy Keating was made in the shape of a heart. The iron given to the governor makes waffles in the shape of a GOP elephant head.

The Keatings each made a waffles on their new irons using Beck's new product, easy-to-use batter mixed in the can. Beck calls the new product line a Saturday morning breakfast kit in a can.

Beck and his employees cooked up Mickey Mouse shaped for elementary school children from the Oklahoma City area and Wellston. Gov. and Mrs. Keating talked to the children about the importance of a nutritious breakfast as the children enjoyed waffles, milk and juice.

In addition to working with hotels and restaurants across the state, Oklahoma Waffles sells frozen Belgian waffles and other treats across the nation. The Shawnee company has a contract to provide 100,000 cases of stick waffles to New York City schools this year.

The Shawnee operation uses a "space ship" rotary waffle iron system to cook 72 waffles every two and a half minutes. That's two waffles every four seconds. The waffles are quick frozen in a minus-40 degree nitrogen tunnel before shipping.

Waffles of Oklahoma also has a new sweet potato pancake mix as well as corn dog mix and funnel cake mix.