James Beard's All-american Eats - 9780847847464

The renowned James Beard Foundation chooses the greatest of America’s homegrown eateries and presents recipes for their craveworthy foods.

Every town has one: a humble restaurant serving up soul-satisfying food, a place that pulls the whole community together. Maybe in a cinderblock shack or a clapboard house, it’s the kind of place you take for granted—until you leave town and an uncontrollable craving takes over. These are America’s Classics—local eateries recognized by the James Beard Foundation as timeless institutions within their communities. This cookbook brings together 80 of their recipes so the home cook can re-create such regional favorites as St. Elmo’s Crab Mac and Cheese, The Shed’s Red Chile Enchiladas, Aunt Carrie’s Indian Pudding, Bowen’s Island Frogmore Stew, Totonno’s White Clam Pizza, Camp Washington’s Cincinnati Chili, and Gott’s Roadside Cheeseburger (with the secret sauce!).

Just as good as the food are the inspiring tales behind these mom-and-pops, told in oral histories: how an immigrant grandfather turned an heirloom dish into a booming business, or how a vengeful lover’s recipe for spicy fried chicken turned into a cult following. America’s Classics is a tribute to the local treasures and unsung heroes of true American cooking, as well as a collection of recipes for craveable classic dishes.