Having missed the grand opening, I finally had a chance to visit Omnivore Books on Food, a newcomer on Cesar Chavez Blvd.(at Church St.) in Noe Valley. What a gem.
Celia Sack, the proprietor, greeted me immediately. I was l hoping to find books about corn. What were the odds I'd actually find something so specific, I wondered.
Celia guided me to two sections. Not only did I find several possibilities, I found two definites. I should have bet some money on this search.
The first book, Concha's Mexican Kitchen Cook Book: delightful stories of customs, holidays and life in the land of Moctezuma, by Catherine Ulmer Stoker, is sweet. A bit audacious for a title, but the book was published in 1946. Concha is our guide through this recipe book, weaving stories to dishes typically served for some of Mexico's most observed holidays and celebrations.
The second book, The Book of Corn Cookery, One hundred and fifty recipes showing how to use this nutritious cereal and live cheaply and well, by Mary L. Wade, published in 1917, was my true find. Just below the author's name I found this sweet epigraph from the Farmer's Bulletin 565 that reads Corn may be called the American Indian's greatest gift to modern civilization.
I would have to agree with the Farmer's Bulletin - it is, afterall, the gift that gives us tamales.
Omnivore has a wonderful balance of rare books (some are signed), classics, and new classics, no doubt due to Celia's experience as an antique book dealer - which dovetailed into her passion for collecting cookbooks.
You'll find current titles for sure, but Omnivore is, at least it is for me, about unexpected finds; finds like a collection of recipes by Alice B. Toklas, or the one on animal husbandry, or even the one on pre-historic kitchens; or the small selection of carefully chosen magazines - like The Art of Eating - probably one of the most beautiful food magazines I've ever picked up - food writing that often reads more like poetry.
There had been another title on recipe writing, but it now occupies a space in my own library.
Visit Omnivore Books on Food the next time you're in Noe Valley, or make it your reason for visiting Noe Valley. It'll be time well spent.
!Buen Provecho!
Omnivore Books on Food · 3885a Cesar Chavez Street · San Francisco, CA 94131 · 415.282.4712 · Hours: Tues-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
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