There has probably been no greater force for the dissemination of recipes developed by home cooks than recipe contests. State and county fairs in the 19th century hosted many cooking contests as a part of their “ladies” programming. These fairs were an opportunity for women gather and to show off their “domestic arts”, from needlework…
I’m accustomed to unsolved food mysteries. Cycles of confusion and research are so ingrained into my process that it is hard to write without them. The mystery IS the story, and so there is no story to “John Masetta – A Recipe from Hollywood.” I imagine that Helen Virginia Halpine (née Bullard), got the recipe…
Mrs. Ronie Venables made honorable-mention in the first annual “National Chicken Cooking Contest” at the Delmarva Chicken Festival in 1949. Were she able to prepare her fried chicken on a wood-burning stove, she told a Universal Press reporter, she could have beaten out Mrs. A.L. Karlik for first place. The Press reporter contrasted the two…
When I finally took a stab at baking the Shady Side specialty Hard Jelly Cake, I nervously wondered how my reputation would fare. Treading in the steps of experts is always a setup for embarrassment. If my beaten biscuit experience taught me anything, it’s that the flame-keepers of some of our state’s more forgotten foods…
Note: This interview is from April. I had the pleasure of seeing Bernard Herman speak not long before we all began isolating. I really enjoyed reading his book but had a hard time writing anything expository to go with this interview. The book makes a beautiful gift so I did my best to get this…