Helen Evans Brown
Helen Evans Brown (1904–1964) was an American chef and cookbook writer. She was a nationally known expert and wrote regular food columns, as well as collecting cookbooks from other authors. She was known as the authority on the west coast food scene of the 1950s and 1960s. She was one of the first chefs to advocate using fresh produce and promoting California cuisine.
Early life
Helen Oakley Evans was born as a twin on November 16, 1904, in
Career
Brown began writing for the
In 1940, Brown began writing articles for "Baltzer’s Bulletin", an upscale grocer's newsletter, and continued to publish the mailer when the Jurgensen's grocery chain bought the original store.[2][11][12] That same year, she published articles in Californian Magazine a publication out of Los Angeles, which were collected and printed in paperback and were her first collection of printed works. In 1946, Brown published her first cookbook Some Shrimp Recipes, which was followed by the Chafing Dish Book (1950),[2] which became her best-selling book.[5] Two volumes were published in 1951, Some Oyster Recipes and the Patio Cook Book.[2]
In 1952, Brown published Helen Brown's West Coast Cook Book, which has become a classic regional American cookbook for its well-written and researched choices, as well as her knowledge of a wide variety of cuisines and sense of taste.
James Beard was so impressed with the book that he wrote Brown, beginning a close relationship that would last until her death. They wrote each other twice a week and became like family, with each visiting the other as often as their busy careers allowed.[20] They forged a partnership without competition, recognizing that while he had more expertise, she had more writing skill, and together pushed each other to make easy-to-prepare foods more palatable.[21] Love and Kisses and a Halo of Truffles (1994) contains some of the correspondence of Beard and Brown,[13] utilizing 300 of the 450 letters from Helen to Jim and his replies.[22] Beard also dedicated his book, American Cookery, to her[14] and in 1955, she and Beard wrote The Complete Book of Outdoor Cookery together.[13]
The Browns were part of a
Death and legacy
Brown died on December 5, 1964, at her home in Pasadena, California,
References
Citations
- ^ New York City Municipal Archives 1904.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Independent Star-News 1964, p. 4.
- ^ U.S. Census 1940, p. 61B.
- ^ U.S. Census, New York 1930, p. 17A.
- ^ a b c d e f g The New York Times 1964.
- ^ a b c Beard & Ferrone 1995, p. viii.
- ^ U.S. Census, Connecticut 1930, p. 32A.
- ^ "New York Passenger Lists" 1936, p. 104.
- ^ Swartley 2006, p. 95.
- ^ a b Shurtleff & Aoyagi 2013, p. 818.
- ^ a b Swartley 2006, p. 188.
- ^ Thompson 1995.
- ^ a b c Parsons 2002.
- ^ a b c Jarvits 2013, p. 219.
- ^ a b Parsons 2016.
- ^ a b Swartley 2006, p. 94.
- ^ Reichl 2016.
- ^ a b Swartley 2006, p. 187.
- ^ Ojakangas 2016, p. 135.
- ^ Beard & Ferrone 1995, pp. vii–viii, x.
- ^ Beard & Ferrone 1995, p. xi.
- ^ Beard & Ferrone 1995, p. xv.
- ^ The Independent Star-News 1958, p. 13.
- ^ Swartley 2006, p. 189.
- ^ Beard & Ferrone 1995, p. xiv.
- ^ Keown 1966, p. 44.
- ^ Longone 2007, p. x.
- ^ Brown & Brown 2001.
Bibliography
- Beard, James; Ferrone, John (1995). Love and Kisses and a Halo of Truffles: Letters from Helen Evans Brown (1 ed.). New York, New York: Arcade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-55970-318-5.
- Brown, Helen Evans; Brown, Philip S. (2001). Strehl, Dan (ed.). The Epicurean: Excerpts from Jurgensen's Newsletter. Pasadena, California: Weather Bird Press. OCLC 50174000.
- Jarvits, Janet (2013). "Helen Evans Brown". In Smith, Andrew (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. Vol. 1: A-J (2nd ed.). New York, New York: Oxford University Press USA. ISBN 978-0-19-973496-2.
- Keown, Maxine (December 31, 1966). "A Collection of Seafood Dishes with Gourmet Flair".
- Longone, Janice Bluestein; Russell, Malinda (2007). "Introduction: Malinda Russell—An Indomitable Woman—An American Story". A domestic cook book: containing a careful selection of useful receipts for the kitchen. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Longone Center for American Culinary Research, William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan. pp. vii–xiii. ISBN 978-1-425-58881-6.
- Project MUSE.
- Parsons, Russ (5 October 2016). "3 Classic (and Vastly Underappreciated) Books That Changed the Way We Cook". ISSN 1075-7864. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- Parsons, Russ (June 23, 2002). "Fusion: The California Birthright". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Archived from the originalon 15 September 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- Reichl, Ruth (August 31, 2016). "A Forgotten Food Writer". Ruth Reichl. New York. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-928914-55-6.
- Swartley, Ariel (April 2006). "Salad Days: Helen Evans Brown and the Birth of California Cuisine". 's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
- Thompson, Sylvia (April 6, 1995). "News : Philip Brown: An Appreciation and Complaint". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Archived from the originalon 11 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- "1930 U.S. Census: Hamden Twp., New Haven, Connecticut". FamilySearch. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 23, 1930. digital publication T626. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- "1930 U.S. Census: Great Neck Estates, Nassau, New York". FamilySearch. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 24, 1930. digital publication T626. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- "1940 U.S. Census: Thompsonville, Enfield Town, Hartford, Connecticut". FamilySearch. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 6, 1940. digital publication T627. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- "Cook Book Writer to Help Select Recipe Winners". Pasadena, California: The Independent Star-News. July 6, 1958. Retrieved 11 November 2016 – via
- "Helen Brown, 60, Cookbook Writer". The New York Times. New York City, New York. December 7, 1964. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- "New York City Births, 1846-1909: Helen Oakley Evans". FamilySearch. New York, New York: New York City Municipal Archives. November 16, 1904. microfilm film #1991735, reference cn25854. Retrieved 10 November 2016. and "New York City Births, 1846-1909: John Walker Evans". FamilySearch. New York, New York: New York City Municipal Archives. November 16, 1904. microfilm film #1991735, reference cn25859. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- "New York Passenger and Crew Lists 1925-1957". FamilySearch. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Administration. January 14, 1936. digital publication T715. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- "Noted Food Expert, Author Dies". Pasadena, California: The Independent Star-News. December 6, 1964. Retrieved 10 November 2016 – via