The
following interview was conducted in May 2007. Lukins died on
Sunday, August 30, 2009.
A Conversation with Cookbook Author Sheila Lukins
Celebrating the 25th anniversary edition of the seminal Silver Palate Cookbook, the Parade food editor explains what's changed in the new book and the truth about recipe theft
Epicurious: The Silver Palate takeout shop in Manhattan inspired the book of the same name. Who came up with the recipes? The name?
Sheila Lukins: I did a lot of the cooking, but Julee [Rosso] did brilliant marketing, and opening the store was her idea. At this time, two women in business was a big deal. Especially on the Upper West Side. [The New York Times's] Florence Fabricant was writing about the renaissance on Columbus Avenue and Florence needed to know what we were going to name this store. Because she had a deadline for an article. We had all these names like the Purple Onion and Seaboard Deluxe, which in coffee terms means "to go." And she said, 'Oh no, it sounds like a railroad station. Why don't you just call it the Silver Palate?' which worked out very well for us.
Epi: Your book has turned out to be prescient, using once uncommon ingredients that have now entered the mainstream.
SL: You could barely get mushrooms when we wrote this book. I mean button mushrooms were a stretch. Or certainly arugula. That was like: Forget about it. We served these things in our store in salads.
Epi: What was the phrase for this cuisine at the time: creative American?
SL: It was just good home cooking. I didn't go to cooking school. I have my bachelor of science in art education. With honors. A distinguished alumna from NYU. I started off as a schoolteacher and artist. I did graphic art for a while, but I made so little money; no one ever wanted to pay for anything.
Epi: What about the Silver Palate resonates with readers?
SL: It was friendly, not scary cooking. The instructions were easy, like run, Spot run. They were very clear. And this wasn't French cooking. This was stuff anyone could do. It was kind of fun. And there was information on every page. The quotes were fun. Cooking wasn't such a serious thing. You could go into your kitchen and enjoy it.
Epi: What have been the most popular recipes?
SL: There are certain dishes that people make all the time. They make chicken Marbella, they make linguini with tomatoes and basil. Certain dishes appeal to certain age-groups. I have two daughters, and they love to make linguini with tomatoes and basil. It's fast, yummy, and all their friends love it. This is one of the most popular recipes in my book.
Epi: Did you adapt or modernize any of your recipes for the new edition?
SL: When we redid the book, we went over some of the recipes. If years ago, [a recipe] was made with a cup of oil, well, now we cut it down to half a cup. We also moderated the fats and added newer recipes such as roasted asparagus, roasted carrots, tomatoes, stuff like that. Made it a bit more modern. Julee spent a lot of time updating the cheese section and the charcuterie. Things have changed.
Epi: Do you ever see your recipes in restaurants or in other people's cookbooks?
SL: You know what: I do. Yeah. I'm sure everyone does.
Epi: Do you feel upset or flattered?
SL: I don't think anyone feels flattered. Do you? I think everyone feels a little pissed. No one is happy to see that. They're like: "That's MY recipe!" Or if they see it on the Food Network: Nooo!
Epi: Do you ever look at other people's cookbooks?
SL: Everyone looks through other people's books. But I like my own recipes best. I have tried some other people's recipes and their books (none to be mentioned) and the recipes don't work. They just don't. The majority of them.
Epi: Does that mean you personally test all your recipes too
SL: The woman who's been working with me for 15 years is Laurie Griffith, and we do all our own recipes. We do everything: All testing is done right in my kitchen. I don't farm anything out. I think a lot of chefs get others to test their recipes. It's a very tricky thing to test recipes. And the one thing I am known for: They may not be the most exotic recipes in the world, but my recipes work. We also have copy editors for the recipes, and they are tough! I am telling you. When those flags come back, there are eight million flags on every recipe. But I can answer them because I made the recipes. Unless you did the recipe, you can't answer them correctly.
Epi: Who decided to add the terrific color photos in this edition?
SL: Peter Workman. He's an extraordinary publisher. He's very clever. And he does like to celebrate in color. The food was photographed in California and it was all done digitally. They did a beautiful job of it. We photographed chicken Marbella, all the openings of the chapters, and the main events, an aïoli platter, filet of beef, turkey, you want the big things. Finger foods are photographed, the ones that people should see.
Epi: I was amazed by the praise for your book. Fans include Thomas Keller, Rachael Ray, Eric Ripert, Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, Ina Garten. Do you know all these people?
SL: I used to go to Tom Keller's restaurant when he was on Varick Street. I remember him doing little brown dots around his food. That's how long I've known Tom Keller. I don't know Rachael Ray, but that's great that she did this. I do know Ina and Eric. Julee and I gave Martha Stewart a book party when her Pies & Tarts book came out in the Silver Palate. And we sold her book. That was at the beginning: She came into the store and signed books. I've always thought Martha was amazingly talented.
Epi: Of all the great achievements (the store, selling seven million books, a "60 Minutes" appearance) what stands out as your greatest achievement so far?
SL: Well, oh, boy, my children. I have great daughters and son-in-laws and a little granddaughter. I also love being in the food business; the people in it are so marvelous. I think of it as a big and wonderful family. To be able to have a career and love what you do is really amazing. It's a huge accomplishment.
By James Oliver Cury
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