Recent Posts

Kumamotos-The Delicious Immigrant!

Sat, 01/28/2012 - 06:57 | by Melissa A. Trainer

Have you ever tried a kumamoto oyster from Taylor Shellfish? They are simply divine!


I first discovered these petite succulent oysters  when I was writing "Delicious Immigrant" for the Leisure and  Arts page of The Wall Street Journal. This was one of my first articles for the Journal and to this day it remains my favorite article. When I wrote the piece, I was fairly new to Seattle...the whole region was a blank slate for exploration. Having grown up on the South Shore of Long Island and spent my summers cavorting on Peconic Bay, I was well aware of how waterways and marine environments can be destroyed.


When I stepped onto those Totten Inlet tidelands late one night with Jon Rowley and Bill Taylor back in February of 1996, I felt like a little kid again. I was amazed that we could walk along the beach and simply slurp the oysters at our feet. It was a culinary revelation that I was so glad to be a part of. Back east, we were always warned that it "wasn't a good idea" to eat the shellfish we found on the beaches of Long Island. 


When I started to research this amazing little oyster that winter, I became completely fascinated by the oyster's history and the way in which it survived and thrived over the course of many years. Indeed, it wasn't a straight line between Japan and the Puget Sound, but it was the the commitment of some amazing researchers and dedicated oyster growers that literally brought it back from the deep blue sea!


For the history and background on this tideland treasure, read "Delicious Immigrant: The Kumamoto Oyster."


Photo of Taylor's Kumamoto Oysters by Carolyn B. Trainer

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Vintage Memories from Gourmet

Sat, 01/28/2012 - 06:40 | by Melissa A. Trainer

When I worked at Gourmet Magazine in New York,  I had the pleasure of sitting right in the magazine's wonderful library. I loved this library. The carpet was thick, and the walls were lined with thousands of cookbooks. Of course, many of the books were fresh off the press. Others were published long long ago. Much to my delight, my desk sat right in the middle of it all!


As much as I loved this library, there was also a very very small library upstairs. I was often charged with the task of keeping this library tidy and preventing it from becoming just another storage closet. As a result, I rolled up my sleeves and checked this library often. While doing so,  I jettisoned the audio visual equipment into the hallway and then found myself pulling many of the wonderful vintage cookbooks off the shelves.  I absolutely adored these turn of the century cookbooks and cherished the wonderful pictures in each one. There were jelly molds and tea sandwiches. There were ornate cakes and massive roasts.There were sensible tips and diagrams on how to set up a buffet table. The books often reflected the excitement of new inventions such as  Crisco and baking powder.  Many were published by corporations, and the recipes were created by home economists.


I can't recall exactly which books had the biggest impact on me, but my work in that "secret little library" set me on a path for life. I now hunt down and collect vintage cookbooks. I don't go to auctions and bid on specialty cookbooks. I just ferret around at estate sales, garage sales, and used book sales. I have found many treasures over the years, and one of my most recent purchases is shown in this photo. I nailed it at a garage sale this summer. I love it for its simplicity and for its timeless role in America's culinary culture. It isn't just a cookbook, it is a primary document that reflects a culinary moment in time.


Do you have any wonderful vintage cookbooks?


Photo by Melissa A. Trainer

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