hammond's books on cherokee street

Big Guy and I enjoy wandering the shops on Cherokee Street. As we are always on the hunt for older cookbooks, we decided to stop at Hammonds Books. There is so much to see at the store, and you really should prepare to spend time there just to take in the expansive inventory which includes books, jewelry, posters, paper dolls, and vintage paper articles.

We got lucky and found a collector’s edition of Better Homes and Gardens Famous Foods from Famous Places. I know both of us were sold on the book when one of the places featured was the Mayfair Room at the Mayfair Hotel. We loved the Mayfair Hotel, now the Magnolia Hotel St. Louis, which became a place of stories for us especially our honeymoon night when our room was given away to a Cubs fan. Do not fear, the staff took care of us and upgraded us to a suite!

Big Guy and I are delighted with our purchase and have become inspired to recreate the recipes from this 1964 book. We do not plan to go “Julie and Julia” on it, but it will be fun to think about the meals and how they were served to the patrons of these high-end restaurants in the next year.
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I guess we will have to start with the Steak Diane, Mayfair. Darn it is hard to be us, but we will be sure to let you know how it all turns out!