The book is a treasured artifact, marked with strange stains and faded notations. Its worn cover and tattered pages suggest it’s been handed down for generations, carefully preserved and brought out only for the creation of some special offering.
This isn’t some centuries-old Egyptian relic or volume of medieval secrets; it’s the Key West Woman’s Club Cookbook, published in 1949 and cherished by home chefs ever since.
“The 1949 cookbook, handwritten and with wonderful sketches of that particular time, captures the real history of Key West,” said Marlene Thorn, vice president of the Woman’s Club whose members contributed the recipes and oversaw the book’s creation.
Ed Swift is one of the longtime Key Westers who values an early cookbook as a family keepsake. His copy was inherited from his mother Helen, an island businesswoman who opened a Hallmark card store on Duval Street.
“She had notes in the cookbook — different things that she’d try, adding a little of this and a little of that,” Swift explained. “And when she passed, I cooked out of the cookbook and had my notes.”
The original cookbook featured recipes that include papaya candy, Caribbean chowder, fish curry, guava cake and conch fritters. There’s even “Mrs. Truman’s Pudding,” saluting the wife of President Harry Truman, who spent 11 working vacations on the island during his 1945-53 administration.
“If you’re interested in Key West and Key West cuisine, that cookbook is invaluable,” said Swift. “And if you’ve moved here from someplace else and want to know about the island, you can pretty much trace its roots through the cookbook.”
The cookbook inspired many of the offerings that are demonstrated, taught and savored at the Key West Cooking School, opened this year at 291 Front St. by business partners Swift and Chris Belland. During learn-and-dine demonstration classes, participants discover island history through cuisine — along with the secrets to preparing traditional regional dishes.
Swift and Thorn, ably assisted by marketing expert Piper Smith, recently spearheaded the publication of a new and updated version of the iconic cookbook. Like the original, the new compilation showcases the local flavors, spirit and cultural heritage.
Edited by Roberta Isleib, who writes the popular Key West Food Critic mystery series as Lucy Burdette, the updated version blends the charm and content of the early volume with new recipes contributed by current Woman’s Club members.
They include the Eleanor Cocktail, contributed by club president Aundrea Wagner in honor of Eleanor Curry Hellings, an 1892-1906 resident of the Duval Street home that has been the organization’s headquarters since 1940.
“It’s really interesting the way that so much of Key West’s history can be told through food,” said Swift. “Key West was an island of Bahamians, people from Cuba, New England, New York, Georgia — and all of that is reflected in the cookbook.”
Last Bites
Dish of the week: Tia’s Flan. Rich, creamy flan is featured in the Key West Woman’s Club Cookbook and also at the Key West Cooking School. National Flan Day is Aug. 21, so make the caramel-flavored custard dessert and serve it chilled and topped with caramelized sugar.
Helpful kitchen hack: What’s the secret to preparing dishes that celebrate Key West’s culture and history with delicious authenticity? Start with recipes from the Key West Woman’s Club Cookbook, available at the cooking school, the Woman’s Club and many other local outlets.
Hungry for more? Visit keywestcookingschool.com.
