Book review of Hometown Appetites

This award-winning book is about a food writer (Clementine Paddleford) who made an impressionable mark in history during her time. She was not only one of the few women who made her mark in the field of food writing, she flew thousand of miles a year on her own Piper Club plane to interview her audience and gather important research materials for her reviews. She was amongst the most successful food writers in her field.

I found this book to be an easy read. One of the pluses that I found throughout this book is that not only were the food appetites rated and reviewed, good ole Classic American recipes are given with detailed instructions on how to prepared each meal. Enabling you to have a "firsthand" experience of what Ms Paddleford was trying to convey to her audience.

There is a lot of continuity and flow to this book. Though the author chronicled different scenarios of Ms. Paddleford’s expert findings, the book continued to promote harmony within each chapter, almost as if you were seeing a picture come together come together with each strong of the pen.

The author did a good job relaying the passionate desire that Ms. Paddleford had with wanting to marry American cuisine, with the all American family, to bring about the ultimate American dream.  

Clementine Paddleford’s was a great contributor to doors opening up for women and has paved the way for many successful culinary icons that we have the pleasure of experiencing today, such as Rachel Ray and a host of other prominent female chefs on the Food Network.

I was touched by Ms. Paddleford’s deep concern for her fellow man; that she even made sure her maid Lois Leak was not forgotten in her last will and testament. Her deep devotion to her cats throughout her lifetime does not surprise me that in her last will and testament, she made sure her cats well cared for after her passing.

If you have a passion for food and want to try some great Classic American recipes, I would recommend this book. However, you need to keep in mind that this book is not intended to be a book of recipes. It’s a biography about a great American food author who cared deeply about America’s eating habits.