​In November 2007, Saveur Magazine published a feature story about Clementine Paddleford—a pioneer American food writer who championed American regional cuisine from the late 1920s through the 1960s. I recall wondering at the time, “Clementine who?” Why had I never heard of this Nellie Bly of culinary journalism who crisscrossed the country for three decades, collecting recipes and stories in an effort to chronicle how America eats?

After reading the article, I was relieved to learn that I was not the only one asking that question.  Kelly Alexander who wrote the article had never heard of Paddleford before her husband discovered a dusty copy of the food writer’s 1960 cookbook, How America Eats, in a used bookstore in Boston two years earlier.  Intrigued with the author’s vivid descriptions of food, Alexander decided to learn all she could about the woman who revolutionized the art of food writing—America’s culinary “it” girl of the 1950s.

~ Read the rest in today’s Journal ~

By Cathy Salter