Chicago Foodways: Learning to Cook 1898 - Oct 13 @ 10 AM

Chicago Foodways Roundtable

Learning to Cook in 1898: A Chicago Memoir

Presented by
Ellen F. Steinberg, Ph.D. and Eleanor Hudera Hanson

Saturday, October 13th, 2007
10 AM
Kendall College
900 North Branch Street, Chicago
(West of Halsted Street, North of Chicago Avenue)
Free Parking

Cost: $2 per person, free to Kendall students and faculty with ID.

‘Learning to Cook in 1898: A Chicago Culinary Memoir’ presented by Ellen F. Steinberg and Eleanor Hudera Hanson. Learning to Cook in 1898 is more than just a cookbook or a collection of nostalgic recipes. While the volume does contain treasured family recipes, the book’s primary focus is on the efforts taken by Irma Rosenthal Frankenstein, a young, American-born, middle class Chicago bride of Jewish heritage, to educate herself about cooking, nutrition, health and household management at the turn of the century. In this volume, author Ellen F. Steinberg analyzes primary material found in Irma’s “First Cook Book” and memoirs. Steinberg focuses on approximately one year in Irma’s life, during which the bride-to-be collected recipes for a variety of entrees, vegetable dishes, soups, salads, tea sandwiches, baked goods and desserts.

Ellen F. Steinberg, Ph.D. is an anthropological researcher and writer who was born and raised in Chicago. She is the author of two multidisciplinary works, Teach Me: An Ethnography of Adolescent Learning and Irma: A Chicago Woman’s Story, 1871–1966. She teaches as a visiting professor at local colleges, is a past president of Yonah Hadassah, and is vice president and Chicago-area chair of the Society of Woman Geographers.

Eleanor Hudera Hanson is a food consultant and founding partner of FoodWatch trend consulting company. Prior to founding FoodWatch, she worked with Kraft foods for seventeen years as manager of grocery products and later as director of Kraft Kitchens. Hanson is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the Food and Culinary Professionals.

This program is hosted by the Chicago Foodways Roundtable. To reserve, please PM Cathy2 then leave your name and how many people in your party or e-mail: chicago.foodways.roundtable@gmail.com

Hi,

Just a reminder for those who may have forgotten.

These ladies did a similar program for the Highland Park Historical Society. The source information for this book was from a chance visit to a used book store. Irma's diaries and homemade cookbook were purchased on this visit. Later when the books were offered back to her family, they were declined. They have since been donated to the Spertus Museum.

This talk is in two parts: 1) following the story of the woman, and 2) how to create contemporary recipes from vintage recipes presented in sketch form.

Regards,

Recommended readings and resources from the presenters:

African Americans in Food Service:
anacostia.si.edu/exhibits/online_exhibitions/food/bibliographies.htm

America's Collectible Cookbooks: The History, The Politics, The Recipes, by Mary Anna DuSablon, Ohio University Press, 1994. Comment: Mostly recipes.

Case Western Reserve Cookbooks:
library.case.edu/ksl/ecoll/exhibits/cookery/cookerybooks1.html

Collector’s Guide to Cookbooks: Identification & Values, by Frank Daniels, Collectors Books, 2004.

Cookbooks Worth Collecting, by Mary Barile, Wallace-Homestead Book Co., 3rd edition, 2003.

Food History News:
www.foodhistorynews.com/notebook.html

Food in Global History, edited by Raymond Grew, Westview Press: Boulder, 1999

A Guide To Collecting Cookbooks: A History of People, Companies and Cooking, by Colonel Bob Allen, Collector Books, 1998.

Hearth Archive at Cornell:
http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/

Irma : A Chicago Woman’s Story, 1871-1966, Ellen F. Steinberg, University of Iowa Press; 2004.

Learning to Cook in 1898: A Chicago Memoir, Ellen F. Steinberg & Eleanor Hudera Hanson, Wayne State University Press; 2007.

Michigan State University cookbook project:
http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/coo ... index.html

University of Iowa Szathmary collection:
www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/Bai/szathmary.htm

Vintage Cookbooks and Advertising Leaflets, by Sandra J. Norman and Karrie K. Andes, Schiffer Publishing, 1998.