Jesse's Book of Creole and Deep South Recipes

New York: The Viking Press, 1954. First Edition. Hardcover. Blue and red boards. Good, in good dust wrapper. 184 pages. 22 x 15 cm. Recipes of Jesse Willis Lewis, African-American chef from New Orleans as set down by his employers, Edith Ballard, daughter of Jesse's employer. The book showcases Jesse's passion for the rich culinary traditions of the Deep South, particularly those rooted in New Orleans and surrounding regions. It is packed with recipes that reflect the diverse cultural influences of Creole cooking, including African, French, Spanish, and Caribbean elements. According to Toni Tipton-Martin in The Jemimah Code (pp.71), Jesse Willis Lewis cooked Creole dishes and Gulf Coast specialties that he had learned at his mother's knee. This cookbook was recently highlighted in the New York Times - T Magazine article "The 25 Most Influential Cookbooks From the Last 100 Years" (11/17/24). Rear end paper has one recipe for Strogonoff hand written. Light staining at foreedge of book block and toning on first free end paper, otherwise clean. Boards lightly rubbed at edges, dust wrapper rubbed. (Inventory #: 4468)