I am working on an article about Milwaukee Journal food editor Peggy Daum and have been going through the cookbook that she edited, The Best Cook on the Block Cookbook. It was a result of a feature that began in October 1977 where readers would nominate someone they considered the best cook in their neighborhood.

In the introduction, Daum wrote: “In a city where family ties are still strong and three or four generations still live in the same neighborhood , this means holiday feasts for relatives, Sunday dinners for family, Saturday night suppers for friends.” (2)

What I found interesting in the book was how many men were featured as cooks. For example, Alex J. Linder contributed Kluski with Pork or Potato Dumplings with Pork. Daum wrote of Linder: “From a family of seven boys, Linder got interested in cooking when he helped his mother in the kitchen. Now retired, he does all the cooking at home.” (66)

Another example was Tom Radoszewski who contributed Polska Kielbasa or Polish Sausage. Daum wrote of Radoszewski: “As a boy, Radoszewski watched his grandfather make sausage. Later, he evolved his own recipe from his father’s recipe. A Milwaukee cookbook couldn’t be complete without such a recipe.”

Clearly, men were beginning to take on a bigger role in the kitchen compared to past generations.

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I am working on an article about Milwaukee Journal food editor Peggy Daum and have been going through the cookbook that she edited, The Best Cook on the Block Cookbook. It was a result of a feature that began in October 1977 where readers would nominate someone they considered the best cook in their neighborhood.

In the introduction, Daum wrote: “In a city where family ties are still strong and three or four generations still live in the same neighborhood , this means holiday feasts for relatives, Sunday dinners for family, Saturday night suppers for friends.” (2)

What I found interesting in the book was how many men were featured as cooks. For example, Alex J. Linder contributed Kluski with Pork or Potato Dumplings with Pork. Daum wrote of Linder: “From a family of seven boys, Linder got interested in cooking when he helped his mother in the kitchen. Now retired, he does all the cooking at home.” (66)

Another example was Tom Radoszewski who contributed Polska Kielbasa or Polish Sausage. Daum wrote of Radoszewski: “As a boy, Radoszewski watched his grandfather make sausage. Later, he evolved his own recipe from his father’s recipe. A Milwaukee cookbook couldn’t be complete without such a recipe.”

Clearly, men were beginning to take on a bigger role in the kitchen compared to past generations.

Please follow and like us: