St. Louis: The Foodie City
St. Louis is noted for its many food “inventions.” Arguably, the most notable being toasted ravioli and gooey butter cake. At the 1904 World’s Fair in Forest Park, it’s believed that iced tea, cotton candy, and the ice cream cone got their start. Did you know that 7-Up was founded here in the Lou? Ted Drew’s continues to put us on the map with the ice cream concrete, as does provel cheese.
Debbie Reinhardt: food and travel writer, chocolate fiend, and comfort food champion.
The Coffee Connection
Not widely recognized is the part our City took in the spread of coffee usage in the Midwest. Fortunately, a local, award-winning author Deborah Reinhard has taken on the literary task of unveiling our coffee connection.
Her latest book, St. Louis Coffee: a Stimulating History, also includes profiles of 20-some local roasters and coffee shops. (We once had 70-some roasting companies in the City.)
A Rich and Robust History
The City earned its reputation as far back as the 1800s, when we were the largest inland distributor of coffee in the world! St. Louis based Forbes Tea and Coffee laid claim to being the first to sell roasted coffee west of the Mississippi. That was a great time saver when most people still bought green coffee and roasted it at home.
Three Women in the Kitchen
Debbie’s blog, (threewomeninthekitchen.com), speaks to the home cooking and comfort foods of her family over the years.
She’s written about Midwest foods, ranging from Missouri-made chocolate, to her mom’s Hungarian goulash, and grandmother’s fried chicken.
Family recipes and stories of growing up in St. Louis are shared in and earlier cookbook, that bears the name of her blog: Three Women in the Kitchen.
Take a Coffee Break with Debbie
Her newest book is best perused over a cup of brew at one of the local coffee shops or while sitting by the fireplace on a blustery winter night.
Wherever you read one of Debbie’s books, or her blog, you will soon discover that she knows how to give us a taste of history and, along with it, a collection of fine, family-tested recipes.
Note: Folks can purchase St. Louis Coffee at local book shops and online through Arcadia Publishing (https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467152327); and at Amazon; or Barnes & Noble.
Ahh . . . How Sweet It Is
When Cyndy showed up with a loaf of pumpkin bread and I was writing about coffee, guess what I did? You’re right. Fresh brewed coffee and homemade bread! It doesn’t get any better than that.
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