Friday, September 5, 2008

Couldn't put it down

The book was given to me by an Arizonian friend who purchased it on a tour of historic homes. This copy is for my Michigan daughter-in-law who couldn't put it down when she came to visit recently. Jane V. Phoenix, AZ

Two years in the making

In a nutshell:
The Historical League, Inc. worked for over 2 years to put together a unique cookbook that blends our passion for Arizona history with our love of cooking. We contacted historic places throughout the state- 50 years or older, that serve food, and asked their chefs to submit menus & recipes. After thorough testing to be sure the recipes could be made by cooks at home, we wrote the history of each location. We feature places like El Tovar, La Posada, Garland's in Oak Creek, Lon's, El Chorro, The Arizona Inn, and Rancho de La Osa. That's chapter one.

Chapter two focuses on people we have honored as Historymakers- like Polly Rosembaum, Rose Mofford, Erma Bombeck, the Goldwater brothers, Eddie Basha, and Bil Keane, to name a few. They, or their family members, sent in a recipe with a story about its significance.

Chapter 3 is dedicated to our League members. Like I said, we love to cook, so a chapter for us was a given. We didn't need to test these recipes...

We hired the food stylist and photographer from Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine, so "Tastes and Treasures" is beautiful. The recipes are delicious.

The response from the public has been phenomenal. We were recently featured in Arizona Highways, Phoenix Home & Garden, and Suzanne Bissette from Channel 3 filmed a TV segment for "Good Evening Arizona".

In the first 3 months that we had the cookbook, we sold 5,000 books- half of our first printing. Leslie C. Historical League cookbook committee

Combine great recipes with Arizona history

And I did see the GMAZ spot - not my usual watch for the morning but happened to catch it. I love Arizona history (am a "near native") so when I can combine great recipes with Arizona history, I'm tickled. The second is a gift for our native Arizona daughter who is living/working in Washington DC.

A huge fan of Arizona history.

I actually received a copy as a gift and wanted to pass it along in kind to others. GREAT collection! I am a huge fan of Arizona history. My grandparents moved to Phoenix in 1947 and at the time my grandfather was the only licensed pediatric dentist in the state. He passed away four years ago but his legacy lives on - I'm just finishing my last year of training at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and will be returning to join a practice in the Phoenix area.

Thanks for all you do to support the Historical League in its endeavors to share the rich and vibrant culture of Arizona's past with the present.

Charlie