Recipes sought for historic cookbook

As part of the 175th anniversary of the charter of Aiken next year, a historic cookbook will be published, covering food and recipes from the early 1800s to the present time. Local resident Kathy Urban Huff is author of the cookbook, as yet unnamed. While her research at the Aiken County Historical Museum, the library, private collections and interviews has yielded much valuable information, she is reaching out to the community for more.

"I want to use as many local Aiken recipes as possible," Huff said. "There are individuals and families I know of whose histories go way back in Aiken, but I know there are many more I will miss unless they respond to this appeal." For this reason, she is calling upon the community with deep roots in Aiken to send her copies of old family recipes and cooking stories, "the older the better," for possible inclusion in the final product.

Huff plans to organize the cookbook into time periods instead of the usual course designations of appetizers, soup, salad, bread, etc. "The cookbook will begin with cooking and recipes from the early 1800s. No one cooks over an open fire any more - unless you count grilling - so the truly old recipes will be of more curiosity than use. However, as food equipment and availability changed through the years, recipes became more interesting and varied. For example, the menus from the grand hotel years are fascinating."

The sections of the cookbook will cover the Winter Colony, Grand Hotels, Restaurants and Civil War or mid-1800s, if enough material can be gathered. However, Huff noted that cookbook users will be able to find a specific recipe or category of food, such as "side dishes" or "desserts" in the table of contents, even if the book does not have dividers for those food courses, she explained.

Copies of photographs and recipes of any type are welcome, Huff said. Submissions must be accompanied by the submitter's name, address, phone number and an e-mail address, if possible. Each recipe or photograph used in the cookbook will be credited to the person submitting it.

"It's also possible that some of the antique recipes or photographs could be used as artwork in the cookbook. Seeing someone else's handwritten recipes, or 'receipts' as they used to be called, makes it personal. A woman actually took the time to write down the recipe with measurements and instructions. Splatters across the page only underscore the value of the recipe to the cook and such personal touches form a connection with that early local cook over all these years," she said.

Her goal is to have the cookbook ready for sale by the holiday season this year. Although the price of the cookbook will be determined by the number of pages printed, which at this stage is uncertain, Huff will reserve copies for those who preorder with a $5 deposit. The deposit will be fully refundable for those who elect not to follow through with a purchase when the cookbook is released.

Submissions may be mailed to Kathy Urban Huff at 124 Trafalgar St. SW, Aiken, SC 29801. Deadline for consideration is Aug. 15. Advance copies of the cookbook can be reserved by sending a check for $5 per copy, payable to Kathy Huff, to the same address.

Huff has compiled four cookbooks over the past 15 years, the most recent being a fundraising effort for the American Cancer Society in Columbus, Ohio. Reared in Aiken, she returned after graduating from Florida State and taught American history at Aiken High School for one year.

Marriage took her to Illinois and Ohio, but she moved back to Aiken last year. Among other careers, she has worked in the food industry as a food broker and as a caterer.