Jane Nickerson
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Jane Nickerson & Bread Research
I tracked down the New York Times story about bread that was cited in the book White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf. On page 143, the author was listed as “Janet Nickerson” – a mistake that was repeated in at least one other academic article. As is shown here, the author was Jane Nickerson who I will be presenting a paper on Nickerson next week at NCA.
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Food Studies Presentation: Ohio Food Editor History
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101 Classic Cookbooks
I recently received the wonderful 101 Great Cookbooks in the mail. It includes an interesting history of cookbooks along with 501 classic recipe. The book was produced by the Fales Library at New York University. The cookbook collection is largely based on the donation by Cecily Brownstone – the longtime food writer for the Associated Press. In the introduction to the book, the Fales Library Director Marvin Taylor wrote about a meeting he and Marion Nestle had with Cecily: “Cecily was bedridden at the time, but we did get to meet and speak with her. She was a small woman with a sharp mind and quick wit.” (p 13) Cecily…
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Green Bean Casserole & Food Editor Cecily Brownstone
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Studying the Pillsbury Bake-off
I was excited to see that writer Laura Shapiro will be speaking at an event for the Culinary Historians of Southern California. She will be speaking about Rethinking the Pillsbury Bake-Off. I have been writing about the Pillsbury Bake-Off, too. First, I have looked at the ways in which newspaper food editors covered competitive cooking – from chili cook-offs to newspaper-sponsored Christmas cookie contests. Second, I have looked at newspaper food editors as judges in these culinary contests where these (almost always) women were considered authorities. Third, I have looked at some of the complexities the newspaper food editors faced in balancing news and ethics. For example, in 1971, at…
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Food Studies Presentation: Ohio Food Editor History
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New Jane Nickerson Reference
I found this great reference to Jane Nickerson, the first food editor at the New York Times, in this posting from Believer Magazine. The author wrote: “Even Jane Nickerson, the New York Times’ influential food editor, replicated the unbreachable divide between gourmet taste and industrial fortitude. In an article written during the Rockford study, Nickerson compared American white bread to its European counterparts. Opposition to American white bread, she argued, was divided into two camps, one based on health and the other on flavor. The epicurean critics held a special place in her heart; indeed, they were incontrovertibly correct. Fluffy, limp-crusted, bland industrial white bread couldn’t hold a candle to…
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Food Studies Presentation: Ohio Food Editor History
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Another The Feminist Kitchen Blog Post
I am excited to have another guest blog post on The Feminist Kitchen Blog. It is available here. I blogged about the need to recognize women in food journalism with a focus on the New York Times’ Jane Nickerson. I became Facebook friends with Jane’s daughter recently. I just love the connections of social media.
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Oral History with Cecily Brownstone
I was so excited to receive a package from the Fales Library at New York University yesterday. In it was an oral history that food writer Laura Shapiro conducted with longtime A.P. food editor Cecily Brownstone. (The photo above is in her papers – this was taken at a 1951 party for the author of The Joy of Cooking.) Some highlights from the oral history:* Unlike the charges of food editors taking advertising money: “I stayed away from manufacturers in my A.P. days.” She would not mention brand names in stories or recipes. She said: “A.P. would not have allowed that. And I was smart enough not to want to…
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Green Bean Casserole & Food Editor Cecily Brownstone
