Kansas City

November 30, 2015
Kansas City, Mo., home to Charlie Parker and the strains of modern jazz, also rests at the culinary crossroads of America, as culinary historian Broomfield observes in this straightforward survey, part of the Big City Food Biography series. The city is located in the fertile Central Plain, where the soil is ideal for cultivating grain and producing fields of grass where cattle can graze. Broomfield’s tale of the life of food in the region begins with the earliest contributions of native tribes such as the Kaw, and their cultivation of maize and squash. Prior to the Civil War, Kansas City’s food reflected the cuisine of the South, including beaten biscuits, pies, gumbos, fried chicken, and catfish. In the 19th century, a number of immigrant groups helped shape the city’s cuisine with Mexican tamales and chilis, German beer, Swiss confections, and Italian minestrone and pastas. Broomfield offers a brief history of many of the markets and groceries that helped establish Kansas City as a center of culinary hospitality, such as the E. Whyte Grocery, Fruit & Wine Company; Wolferman’s Grocery; and the City Market. Broomfield’s guidebook also includes an overview of Kansas City’s signature dishes (with recipes), such as Myron Green’s cinnamon rolls and Harvey’s Westport Room Chicken Maciel. Readers will enjoy this entertaining, in-depth look at the foods that have made Kansas City famous.

February 15, 2016
The latest in the Big City Food Biography series examines the culinary contributions made by the center of the heartland's bread basket, Kansas City. Broomfield's research is meticulous and balanced. She notes that Kansas City straddles a state line historically and culturally and pays equal attention to both sides. This is not a book for the casual cook looking for gastronomic descriptions and recipes. Her prose is engaging and lively, even though not an ingredient, restaurant, cook, or restaurateur detail goes unmentioned. Serious chefs and foodies will appreciate the history behind the Midwest's melting pot of cuisines and the people who made Kansas City's signature dishesburnt ends, KC strip, and green rice casserolethe mainstays of hearty Kansas City fare. Of particular interest is the chapter on African American Contributions and Kansas City's Southern Traditions. Readers will be fascinated by the ways music influenced restaurants in Kansas City's jazz age. A worthy addition to all collections serving the serious chef.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)