Nathalie Dupree's Influence On American Cooking

She's overshadowed by more-famous culinary figures, but she inspired many people to cook

Hello and welcome to the CulinaryWoman Newsletter! It’s so nice to welcome new readers. I especially want to greet people who found CulinaryWoman through

Jennifer Rubin

new Substack newsletter The Contrarian. CulinaryWoman focuses on stories about food with a business angle, and my experiences as a journalist, cook and restaurant customer.

A Lifelong Influence And Friend To Many: The Late Nathalie Dupree

If you were to visit my house in Ann Arbor, Mich., you’d spot my vast collection of cookbooks and books about food. The woman who wrote the first book I ever asked to receive died this past week, and I want to pay tribute to her.

Nathalie Dupree can justifiably be called the Julia Child of the South. Before Martha Stewart got as big as she is now, before Ina Garten became a household name and

Dorie Greenspan

won all our hearts, there was Nathalie.

As I told our paid subscribers in their weekly preview on Friday, I became aware of Nathalie through our local PBS station, Detroit Public Television. Not long before my mother sold the house where I grew up, I was clearing things out of my room and I had my little TV on in the background.

As I was tidying, the program changed and I was distracted by a dicussion of Southern food. The presenter was Nathalie Dupree.

My mother, who worked at the Eastern Michigan University library, brought home empty card catalog cards— the kind with the holes in them — to use as scrap paper. I hunted one down and wrote her name and the name of her cookbook. I asked for it and got it that Christmas.

From that program, I became a fan of Nathalie’s cookbooks and her subsequent television shows, which you can easily find on YouTube.

She had a warm, conversational style and gave viewers an insight into preparing dishes that might not have been familiar outside of the South. While she was from New Jersey, she lived in Charleston, S.C., and spent ample time in Atlanta, eventually retiring to Raleigh, N.C.

In both Atlanta and Charleston, she founded chapters of Les Dames d’Escoffier, women in the culinary arts and associated professions. I joined the New England chapter in 2016 and am also an associate member of the New Orleans chapter.

Meeting Nathalie

It was during a Dames (we pronounce it in the French way, not the South Pacific way) event in London that I met Nathalie. I was abroad for a magical week at a cottage on the grounds of Balmoral Castle and to attend the Royal Windsor Horse Show, where I got to sit in the royal box, and directly opposite the Queen.

While I was there, a group of American Dames were connecting with British Dames. I arrived at the Duke of Cambridge pub in Islington to find a lively group of women that to my surprise, included Nathalie. She’s at the far left end of this photo - you can see the top of her white hair.

I introduced myself and thanked her for sparking my interest in cooking. She looked delighted and we ended up sitting together on a bus ride to the next stop, the marvelous culinary shop called Divertimenti. Nathalie was just as funny as you’d hope, with her big smile and a devilish wit.

We kept in touch for years via Facebook, where she shared tales of her speaking engagements and ultimately, her big estate sale and her move to assisted living in North Carolina, where she died last week at age 85 after breaking her hip.

Along with her own work, Nathalie encouraged the work of other women. She was a mentor to authors and culinary experts including Virginia Willis and Cynthia Graubart, with whom she collaborated, and she had a vast following in her region.

Remembering Nathalie

South Carolina Public Radio aired a 45 minute tribute to Nathalie, who also received an obituary in the New York Times (gift link). The Charleston City Paper published this sweet article in her honor.

Said the City Paper, “If there was ever a guide for success recommended by Dupree, it surely would include these dozen maxims:

1. Have fun. 2. Speak your mind. 3. Don’t sweat the small stuff (in life). 4. Follow the recipe (but improvise if you need to). 5. Use real butter. 6. Pay your talents forward. 7. Tell the truth. 8. Get involved in your community. 9. Be prepared. 10. Have grace. 11. Use common sense. 12. Laugh more.”

I can’t think of a better way to remember her than that. If you have memories of Nathalie, please add them in comments, which are open to everyone today.

Do Not Take A Seat, Starbucks Says

When I was growing up, one of our hang outs was Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor. But as the mall emptied out in the following decades, I wondered where young people met up. My nephews had an answer: Starbucks.

It was a place to meet your friends, do class work, and use the lavatories — a key feature in big cities where clean public bathrooms can be hard to find. However, it sounds like today’s kids are not going to get that opportunity without showing a receipt.

Starbucks announced last week that it is ending its policy of welcoming anyone, regardless of whether they made a purchase. To spend time at Starbucks, you now have to buy something. According to The Guardian, Starbucks said it was making the changes because “we want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable in our stores”.

On one hand, it makes business sense. Coffee shops aren’t public libraries. But on the other, it seems inhospitable, especially given the frigid cold that is settling across the country.

Starbucks has been bouncing around on its philosophy toward indoor guests. A few years ago, it went all in on a strategy of encouraging drive-thru customers, rather than have people come inside.

It removed the seats from a number of its cafes and pushed diners to order and pick up drinks via its mobile app, even opening stores that primarily accepted mobile orders.

That brings up the logical question: even if Starbucks customers want to hang out, is there any place for them to sit? We’ll see if those comfy armchairs make a return — for those who make a purchase.

The Ultimate Tribute To Bob Uecker

Even if you are not an avid baseball fan, you probably know about Bob Uecker. Along with being the play by play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers, he appeared in movies such as Major League, made beer commercials and was a regular guest on late night talk show.

In Milwaukee, fans are remembering him by leaving cans of Miller Lite at the Brewers’ ball park. In suburban Menominee, he’s being mourned at his favorite Chinese restaurant.

For 45 years, Uecker was a customer at Harvey Moy’s Chinese and American cuisine. They met when Uecker suggested modifying one of the dishes on his menu.

“He said, ‘I like the duck dish, but I like it sweet and sour,’” Moy reminisced to TMJ4 News.

It is on the menu as Ala Bob Uecker Lychee Duck. He also loved Hong Kong Steak, a sizzling dish with filet mignon and mushrooms, and often ordered a vast appetizer platter. If you want to eat where Bob ate, here’s a link to Harvey’s. It’s offering a seven-course Chinese New Year’s dinner for $25.99 a person.

Chicago’s Food Scraps Program Is Working

In November, 2023, Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation set up a food scraps collection program. It placed bright green bins at 20 sites around the city where residents could drop off refuse.

I was skeptical that it would be effective: who wants to walk or drive around with food scraps? But, people apparently are willing to do so. From January through November, 6,000 Chicagoans took part in the program, dropping off 295 tons of food scraps, according to Block Club Chicago.

That’s a tiny portion of the 173,000 tons of food waste the city estimates Chicagoans generate each year. However, it’s a start. “People are following the rules extremely well,” said Chris Sauve, the department’s deputy commissioner for policy and sustainability. “There’s almost no contamination” that could degrade the composting process.

Big Companies Order Workers Back; Will It Help Restaurants?

Axios recently wrote this roundup of major companies that have ordered employees back to the office most of the time. Over the past two quarters, the percentage of companies requiring at least three days per week in office increased to 28 percent from 19 percent.

Those who are ending remote and hybrid schedules include Amazon, AT&T, Dell, Snap, Citigroup and Boeing.

In New York and Miami, office work has returned to 90 percent of 2019 levels. But in San Francisco, it’s about 50 percent while Chicago is about the same.

The big question is whether the return to offices will boost restaurants in business districts. Many customers could be dismayed to find prices that are higher than they were before they began working from home.

Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman

I’ll be back tomorrow with Red Beans & Advice, a weekly feature for paid subscribers. It’s Restaurant Week in many places, including here in Ann Arbor, and I’ll have some tips for getting the best value and a good meal.

Feel free to reach out at culinarywoman (@) gmail dot com.

Stay warm, those of you in the Polar Votex. Stay safe, Calfornia readers. If you are getting Monday off (or taking Monday off) I hope you will have a reflective day. See you next week.