food journalism
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Food Editor Virginia Heffington Fights with Liberace
In doing some research about newspaper food editor Virginia Heffington, I came across this funny clip about a fight she had with Liberace. According to the article, Heffington said: “I think we should forget the story because you’re a better piano player than you are a cook. Your beef stroganoff tastes more like canned beef stew.” Newspaper food editors often interviewed celebrities about their cooking.
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Food Studies Presentation: Ohio Food Editor History
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Archival Material About Ruth Ellen Church
I was researching cookbooks and food editors when I came across the promotional material for two of Ruth Ellen Church’s cookbooks (including the one above) at the Lilly Library located at Indiana University. Here is a link to the finding aid. I just placed an order for the copies. Ruth Ellen Church (who often wrote under the byline Mary Meade) was the longtime food editor at the Chicago Tribune. She is known for being the first wine editor at a newspaper.
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Chicago Tribune Beauty Editor Eleanor Nagle
- Clementine Paddleford, food history, food journalism, Jane Nickerson, Julia Child, New York Times food, Ruth Casa-Emellos
Food Editors & Cookbook Reviews
Julia Child, the cookbook author who became a television personality and a household name, knew that for her publication to be a success it had to be well reviewed. Her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was embraced by American newspaper food editors. Yet, before that success, she worked for years to get her book published with several stops and starts along the way. In 1954, she received a letter with the following advice on getting good press for her book: “Want big splash on household page of either Herald Trib. or Times. Trib. as you know is that dame Paddleford, knows a lot, ghastly (for me) style,…
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Ruth Casa-Emellos’ 1952 shrimp frittata recipe
Last night, Lance made an updated version of Ruth Casa-Emellos’ 1952 shrimp frittata recipe – we served it with mimosa and a fruit salad for dinner. Here is a link to the recipe. Casa-Emellos was a food tester at the New York Times in the 1950s and 1960s. This dish was part of an effort to re-create the dishes served on the fashionable Italian cruise line, the Saturnia. That story is included in this cookbook about shrimp meals. I am just beginning to investigate Casa-Emellos‘ career and her role in food journalism.
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Food Studies Presentation: Ohio Food Editor History
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New Image of Food Journalists
I was working on my book manuscript about food newspaper journalism when I came across this great image of Clementine Paddleford and Ruth Casa-Emellos. They are judge entries in Pillsbury’s 3rd National Baking Contest, Waldorf-Astoria, New York City, in 1951. It can be found here at the Truman Library & Museum. Paddleford was a food writer for the New York Herald Tribune in the 1950s and 1960s. A great book was written about her life – Hometown Appetites. Her papers are in the archives of Kansas State University – where my husband earned his master’s degree. I am currently researching Casa-Emellos who had been hired as a food tester at…
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History of Restaurant Reviewers
I am writing an entry about restaurant reviewers for the Encyclopedia of Food and Agriculture Ethics. Other than Duncan Hines (this was before he became better known for his cake mix company), most reviews of restaurants were found in the food sections of the women’s pages. The NY Times’ Craig Claiborne is probably the best known early newspaper food critic as he invented the four-star rating system. Jane Nickerson had reviewed restaurants for the NYT prior to Claiborne. Here is a previous entry about food critics and the women’s pages.
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Food Studies Presentation: Ohio Food Editor History
