One TV show I have always enjoyed is CBS Sunday Morning. Now hosted by Jane Pauley, they cover a wide range of topics in several short pieces, including the arts. This week's episode (November 10th) had many stories that caught my eye.
One was about the book Joy of Cooking. A young married couple, John Becker and Megan Scott, are tasked with testing 1500 recipes for an updated edition of the classic cookbook. That is some task!
The original Joy of Cooking was written by John's great-grandmother, Irma Rombauer, in 1931 after her husband died at a young age, and Irma had to raise her young family during the Great Depression. Irma's daughter Marion Rombauer Becker then collaberated with her mother on another edition, then Marion's son Ethan took over the family business. Now his John and his wife continue the family tradition.
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| Joy of Cooking 2019 |
It's a great story and you can see it here. They even include links to three recipes from the new cookbook- Mushroom Confit, Roasted Mushroom Lasagna, and two brownie recipes.
They also had stories about the new cast of The Crown, a Steve Hartman story about a nurse who took in an adult autistic man who needed a heart transplant (nurses rock!), and a moving piece about Mary Whyte, an artist whose latest project, We, The People, consists of 50 portraits of veterans (one from each state) and their stories. It's a beautiful story and I encourage you to click here to watch it. It made me want to hop on a plane to Charleston to see it in person.
You can see twelve of the portraits here and buy the autographed catalog here. Proceeds benefit the Patriot Art Foundation. It would make a wonderful gift for the holidays.
We were given The Joy of Cooking for a weeding gift and I used to use it all the time. I can't remember the last time I picked it up.
ReplyDeleteMary Whyte does most of her painting in the little town we live in and one of our customers posed for her - look up The Beekeeper's Daughter. She's doing a lunch event here on November 19.
Oh that's so exciting that Mary Whyte is near you. I would love to see her show in Charleston.
DeleteThat sounds like a fascinating group of episodes on one program! It's amazing that the current generation of the family would say Irma Rombauer's husband died of a heart attack -- unfortunately, he had depression and committed suicide, which is well-documented (for example in the book "Stand Facing the Stove: The Story of the Women Who Gave America The Joy of Cooking" published in 2003 by Anne Mendelson).
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks Mae- I had that information incorrect, I fixed it.
DeleteThis book is a great beach read and time just flew away this summer. I also launched my first book with help from https://usabookreviewers.com/christmas-gift
ReplyDeleteI'm on my second copy of Joy and still using it.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Joy of Cooking was updated in the 90s (?) to much grumbling -- I can't remember why now. Anyway, I have a copy from the 70s that I still turn to for basic information. I think it's great that the authorship has remained in the family.
ReplyDeleteI still have my Joy of Cooking book from 30 years ago. I treasure it.
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