Southern Food and Beverage Museum
Dear Friends,
In this newsletter, we are happy to announce some very exciting additions to The Southern Food and Beverage Museum. We have received the wonderful donation of the bar from the third oldest restaurant in New Orleans, Bruning's. We are asking for your help in restoring this bar to its original condition. After all, what is a food and beverage museum without a bar? Chris Smith writes about the details below. We have some new exhibits opening this month and hope that you will take the opportunity to come back by to enjoy them. Please scroll down to read more about these exhibits.
Also in this edition of the newsletter, please enjoy Liz William's opinion article on the sin tax, Susannah Albert-Chandhok's musings on crawfish, and a book review of Frank Stitt's Bottega Favorita. Liz Williams greatly enjoyed the book and if it is anything like Frank Stitt's Southern Table, I am out the door to buy it.
Get green for St. Patrick's Day with a recipe for Green Goddess Dressing and discover the Southern roots behind Chicago's famous deep dish pizza.
Lastly, do not forget to peruse our event offerings for the rest of March. This weekend, Phillip Collier joins us for a signing of Missing New Orleans. If you do not yet have this book, it is worth checking out NPR's review of it. Click here.
Cheers,
Stephanie Carter
Editorial Director
stephanie@southernfood.org
Food News
Stephanie Carter
Chicago Tribune photo by Don Casper, 1976Deep Dish Pizza has its Roots in the South - During St. Patrick's Day, it is hard not to think about Chicago's St. Patrick's Day Parade and the tradition of dyeing the river green. These musings naturally lead to that other Chicago tradition - Deep Dish Pizza. Interestingly, Chicago can thank a Southerner for its most well known food.
Ike Sewell, the creator of Chicago's original deep dish pizza, was born in the small Texas town of Wills Point, Texas (the bluebird capital of Texas). Sewell graduated from UT Austin after receiving national attention as a football star.
In 1943, Sewell was living in Chicago where he began to consider opening a restaurant with friend Ric Riccardo. At first, he considered a Mexican restaurant, but settled on pizza instead. At the time, pizza was eaten as a snack and Sewell wanted to create something more substantial - something that could be eaten as a meal. So, they came up with the deep-dish concept. Pizzeria Uno opened at the corner of Wabash Avenue and Ohio Street. It took a while for the deep dish pizza to catch on. According to Sewell, "Fortunately, we had a very good bar business." Now, they define pizza in Chicago.
March Events
Phillip Collier Book Signing
Date: Saturday, March 14, 2009
Where: Museum Store, Southern Food and Beverage Museum, Riverwalk Marketplace, Julia St Entrance
Time: 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Cost: no charge
Contact: 504-569-0405
Over five years ago, the original idea for what was to become the book Missing New Orleans was conceived by Phillip Collier. Late in the spring of 2005, Collier, a collaborator with The Ogden Museum of Southern Art on graphic and design issues, brought his evolving concept for the book to the Museum. For many reasons, the Ogden Museum offered to publish the book with Collier. A tight deadline was set, and the publication's team, drawing upon the city's distinctive archival and research institutions, including The Historic New Orleans Collection, advanced the research, writing, editing, and design work required to complete the book. Its final proof form was scheduled to be delivered to Brennan's Printing in New Orleans on Wednesday, August 31, 2005. On Saturday, August 27, 2007, with news that a Category 5 hurricane was predicted to make landfall along the Louisiana coastline, the staff of the Ogden Museum executed the Museum's hurricane preparedness plan. And, like many other residents of the metropolitan New Orleans area, they evacuated the city, taking the final galleys of the book with them for safe-keeping and one last review. Hurricane Katrina hit the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts early on Monday, August 29. Within 24 hours, the original meaning behind the title Missing New Orleans changed dramatically. (text from ogden museum website)
Poppy Tooker Signs the Crescent City Farmer's Market Cookbook
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009
Where: Southern Food and Beverage Museum, Riverwalk Marketplace, Julia Street Entrance
Time: 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Cost: no charge for this event
Contact: 504-569-0405
Thirteen years in the making, the Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook tells the story of the New Orleans food community-family farmers, fishermen, chefs, and local food-loving market shoppers. The book, written by New Orleans food authority and market supporter Poppy Tooker, celebrates the city’s rich culinary heritage and recounts the city’s efforts to rebuild.
DISH Book Club Meeting: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009
Where: Southern Food and Beverage Museum, Riverwalk Marketplace, Julia Street Entrance
Time: noon
Cost: SoFAB members: no charge; all other: museum admission required
Contact: chris@southernfood.org
There are more Chinese restaurants in this country than McDonalds, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken combined. In The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, author Jennifer 8. Lee takes readers on a remarkable journey that is both foreign and familiar: penetrating this subculture by traveling the world (and almost every American state) in her quest to understand Chinese food and the people who make it.
Brunch at Twin Oaks - Natchez, Mississippi
Date: Sunday, March 22, 2009
Where: Natchez, Mississippi
Time: noon-2 p.m.
Cost: Minimum contribution is $60/person
Contact: 504-569-0405
This event supports the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Click here for the menu and more informatio.
A Quick Bite
Susannah Albert-Chandhok
In Ancient Egyptian cultures, I have heard that the cat was worshipped above all other animals. In other ancient cultures, the opposite was true as dogs were seen as the king of the four-legged land. In Louisiana, I have to say that the crawfish wears the crown. Take for instance the crawfish boil that my school holds every year. There are crawfish pies, bowls of crawfish etouffee, and crawfish bisques. There are children jumping up and down, faces decorated with bright red glittery crustacean designs, as they cheer for their favorite crawfish in the crawfish derby. People sit along long tables, hidden from the sun under a circus sized tent, and they feast on crawfish. The juicy, soft, seasoned treat is in season, and the season for the celebration of crawfish has begun.
On Sin Tax
Liz Williams
Sin tax is a common method used by government to discourage certain behavior. Often the funds raised by the tax are then applied to some laudable purpose, like education. But the sin tax creates a paradox. When the behavior is successfully discouraged, the funds available diminish and
the good cause has less funding.
How does one rely on the funds derived from a source that the state claims to wish to discourage? If the state is successful and these funds diminish, what forms the next source of income? It seems counterproductive to discourage the bad behavior.
This is the method that the Governor of New York, David Paterson, is proposing be applied to discourage drinking sweetened beverages in New York. He wants to tax them. When I lived in Germany sodas were taxed to protect
the beer industry. A soda cost more than a beer of similar size. This wasn't a sin tax, but a tax of protectionism for a local industry. But Paterson wants to discourage people from drinking these beverages for what he believes to be health reasons or anti-obesity motivations. But why these
drinks?
The state has an interest in protecting the health of its citizenry.
However, this interest should be part of a thorough plan and not just a knee jerk reaction to one report or study. There seems to be no justification for just singling out one food or one beverage. Even as a revenue generating scheme, it falls into the category of paradox. I wish to register my protest against the idea of this tax on one category of product. Health is not a justification, merely an excuse to make a public relations statement. That is not adequate reason for a tax and will reduce the validity of any truly systematic health plan.
It's Easy Being Green
Recipe: Green Goddess Dressing
With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, it is time to start thinking of green foods. Green Goddess Dressing was created in the 1920's at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in honor of William Archer's play, "The Green Goddess".
Green Goddess Dressing
yield: 2 cups
1 oz fresh spinach, stems removed
1 oz watercress, stems removed
1/2 tablespoon parsley, stems removed
1/2 tablespoon tarragon, stems removed
1 garlic clove, mashed
2 oz olive oil
6 oz homemade or good quality mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon mustard
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
lemon juice
1. Puree spinach, watercress, parsley, tarragon, and garlic with oil.
2. Add mayonaisse and mustard. Blend until smooth.
3. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste.
4. Serve over lettuce (iceburg offers a nice crunch and would have been common in the 1920s). This dressing is also good over cold, poached salmon.
New Exhibits
Chris Smith
exhibit: "SOUTHERN FRIED ELVIS”
“Southern Fried Elvis,” an exhibition of cookbooks that focus on the food eaten by the late King of Rock and Roll, opens to the public on Saturday, March 28, 2009.
The small exhibition features eight cookbooks that contain recipes of the foods that Elvis ate as well as other memorabilia including an extravagant pop-up book showing the rooms of Graceland, including the kitchen.
“We noticed we had at least eight cookbooks in the collection that focused on Elvis and we wondered why that was,” explains Chris Smith, manager of the collection. “Of course, we know that anything with the word Elvis in it sells, but we still found it odd that all of the books were published after Elvis died. Also, all but one of the books featured photos of Elvis only when he was thin. One book, which isn’t fan-based or Graceland-based, has some shots of a heavy Elvis.
The books do not make fun of Elvis eating habits but try to describe what foods he liked.
“Elvis was a classic Southern boy who liked all the hard-core foods – meat loaf, mashed potatoes, pork chops, fried chicken, white bread with gravy, cheeseburgers, the whole nine yards,” says Smith. “And then there were his legendary favorites, which included banana pudding and the infamous fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
“I think one of the things that people find interesting about Elvis is that he did not change his eating habits once he became famous,” Smith says. “Even though he had the money to eat anywhere he wanted, he did not like fancy restaurants He preferred the food he grew up with. He loved Southern food as well as fast food.”
Smith says that Elvis’ eating habits are well documented.
• Elvis did not like to eat fish
• He was crazy about watermelon and cantaloupe
• His favorite meal was breakfast
• Elvis ate a lot of sandwiches because he said he didn’t have a lot of time to eat
• Elvis liked his meat cooked very well-done
• When Elvis cooked, he generally fixed eggs and bacon
• One item to be hand made each night at Graceland was banana pudding
• Elvis did not drink alcohol
• Elvis drank milk and would say “Milk makes ya sexy!”
The purpose of the exhibition is to ask questions abut the celebrity cookbook.
“Why do people buy cookbooks that feature the names of movie stars?” Smith asks. “Do people buy these particular books because they are collectors? Do people want to eat like their favorite entertainers? If so, better watch out because Elvis did not eat low-fat anything.
“Southern Fried Elvis” will remain on display until early summer.
exhibit: "COOKBOOK CORNER"
“Cookbook Corner,” a new permanent section of the main gallery created to showcase examples of the museum’s extensive cookbook collection, is now open to the public.
The current exhibition focuses on three subjects: community cookbooks, classic Southern cookbooks, and an exhibit on the food in To Kill A Mockingbird that features a rare community cookbook.
“Cookbooks constitute the main holdings of the museum at the present time and we have some great books that need to be seen by the public,” says Liz Williams, president of the museum.”
Classic Southern Cookbooks
The exhibition consists of nine old cookbooks from various regions of the American South. They are important because they document a different time and place – when food was prepared in a different manner.
“These are old books that describe a time before food processors and microwaves,” says Williams. “They are from the distant past but it’s a time that no longer exists. They are genuinely fun to browse through but they also show how we got where we are today. “
Community Cookbooks
Community cookbooks are a unique genre of culinary literature. They are produced collaboratively by charitable organizations, churches, synagogues, heritage associations, clubs, schools, and museums. They represent the group's members and cuisine.
“These cookbooks are the spiral–bound books that have the home-made designs and they generally do not have the higher production qualities you would see in a professionally produced cookbook,” says Williams. “Many of them have recipes with cream of mushroom soups. However, these books are valuable because they clearly show what people were fixing for their family tables. They tend to be packed with donated recipes. I guarantee you that these books are read by many of the top chefs in the country who are constantly searching for new ideas.”
Community cookbooks focus on home cooking, often documenting regional, ethnic, family, societal traditions, and local history. They provide records of regional culinary cultures, and the historical, philosophical, and religious background of the people who compile them.
Charity cookbooks also show how women defined their roles, advised others, dispensed moral teachings, and preserved their own heritage for future generations.
There is another reason these books have value. “Community cookbooks have proved to be an extremely effective means of raising funds quickly,” says Williams. “Some have earned millions of dollars.”
There are 16 community cookbooks on display, one for each state in the South.
To Kill A Mockingbird
This exhibition consists of one artifact, “Calpurnia’s Cookbook”, named after the cook in the classic novel. The spiral-bound, 36-page community cookbook featured recipes of foods mentioned in the novel, as well as photographs of actors who perform in the play version of the book. The play version is performed every year in Monroe County, Alabama.
The cookbook was created by the Monroe County Heritage Museums in winter 2000.
“Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird, hates to be interviewed and she abhors anything that trades on the book’s fame,” says Chris Smith, manager of the collection. “To underscore this sentiment, Lee demanded that the book no longer be published and no longer be sold from the Monroe County Heritage Museum.”
The book was immediately discontinued and is now considered to be difficult to find by collectors and book dealers.
“Oddly, we worked with a woman who graciously designed the museum’s lesson plan and she told us she had a copy and would loan it to us,” says Smith. “That was a very weird coincidence. Her name is Virginia Howard and she found the cookbook at a garage sale in Monroeville.”
Recent Acquisitions:
Bruning's Bar
Chris Smith
The historic bar from Bruning’s Restaurant, which managed to survive the devastation of both Hurricanes Georges and Katrina, has found a new home at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.
The bar, which spent time in the waters of Lake Pontchartrain following Hurricane Katrina, has been damaged but not severely. It is the intent of the museum to restore the bar and display it as a shrine to local culinary culture.
The 16-foot bar was constructed of numerous types of wood and has faux marble colonettes. It also features numerous mirrors though the original large mirror was lost in the hurricane and its aftermath.
The bar was created between 1859 and 1871 by Brunswick Manufacturing, the Chicago-based company that today makes pool tables and bowling balls. The bar has been photographed for numerous publications including Obituary Cocktail by Kerri McCaffety.
“The Bruning family has made it possible for SoFAB to have the wonderful bar that once graced the third oldest restaurant in New Orleans,” says Liz Williams, president of the museum. “We are currently researching the bar, its construction and how to get it back to its original state. We intend to re-assemble the bar and display it.
Bruning’s was the third oldest restaurant in New Orleans; only Antoine’s and Tujagues predated it. The Bruning's legacy began in the 1840s, when Theodor Bruning emigrated from Germany to New Orleans and opened his first restaurant on Claiborne Avenue in what was then the town of Carrollton.
In 1859, Bruning moved to the resort area on Lake Pontchartrain, and started the restaurant that bore his name. In 1886, Bruning’s moved to the location where it remained until Hurricane Georges badly damaged it in 1998. The entire restaurant, which was built over Lake Pontchartrain on wooden pilings was destroyed, except for the bar and the original bar mirror.
The family was devastated by the loss of the restaurant but they had a backup plan. Because they knew about the flooding dangers in the area, the family had purchased a building on land in 1947 that was adjacent to the former restaurant.
After Hurricane Georges demolished the original building, they moved next door. Within two months of the devastation of Hurricane Georges, Bruning's was once again open for business.
After moving to the on-land building next door, Bruning’s served seafood, and was known for its raw oysters, stuffed flounder, and soft shelled crab. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the entire area including restaurants that had been there for generations. Bruning’s was completely destroyed and this time the bar did not go unscathed, but it was salvaged and placed into storage until this donation.
“We intend to set up a fund to collect the money needed to restore the bar as it was. The bar is in decent shape, but it needs attention and care,” says Williams “The main portion of the bar is in several pieces, but we have all of the pieces, except for the large mirror.”
Interested parties can make donations online at www.southernfood.org.
Bottega Favorita: A Southern Chef's Love Affair with Italian Food
You Are Where You Eatbook review by: Liz Williams
Bottega Favorita
by: Frank Stitt
My family is half Italian on my mother’s side – the cooking side. It means that Italian food with an American Southern accent is my comfort food. And this cookbook was written for people like me. It is a beautiful cookbook, of course. Christopher Hirsheimer’s photography seems to radiate the aromas of the food he photographs. So that is part of the appeal of this book. However, the recipes are screaming for a place on your table.
When I received the book I couldn’t wait to put it down and go shopping. And because now Southern pigs are in many places finding their way into salumi made locally, Italian food is even flavored with local terroir. Penne Salad with Sweet Peas, Mint and Pesto is an innovative twist on the American creation, pasta salad. I love to have things like this in the refrigerator, just in case the need to eat right now strikes me. This one keeps for a few days and just gets better. And who can argue that there isn’t an affinity between Southern food and Italian food when you consider the relationship between grits and polenta. Stitt’s Grilled Calamari on Polenta with Hot Chiles proves the point. It is wonderful. And the Roast Pork with Venetian Spinach and Tomato Chutney Aioli is so good.
In the dessert department the Polenta Pound Cake makes a delicious cake to nibble on with coffee or wine. So are you convinced? You need this book. This book has made me happy. Let it make you happy.
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