From 1982–1984, a group of parents collected more than 1,320 recipes from more than 400 contributors, tested each one (yum!), and produced “delicious,” the school’s first cookbook. By purchasing the cookbook, families, faculty, staff, trustees, and friends not only acquired a trove of tried-and-true recipes but also helped provide funds for school initiatives.
The “delicious” cookbook — featuring 465 recipes — was dedicated to Molly Anderson, a former faculty member who was EMS co-founder Constance (Connie) Chilton’s right hand, and to all other other “Molly Andersons” in the world “who enrich the lives of children,” as the inscription states. It sold for $13.95 (plus $1.50 for shipping and handling).
The recipes were broken down into categories, such as appetizers, beverages, soups, salads, preserves, fish, poultry, meats, sauces, desserts, and more. There was also a “Hints” section with information on how to decode recipes (the difference between minced, diced, and cubed; and the widths for thinly, medium, and thickly sliced), best ways to use spices, and a primer on onions.
EMS 2023 Spring Benefit honoree Betsy Puchner P: ’82 ’85, ’88, who served as an EMS trustee from 1998–2017, remembers parties where groups of 10 tested several recipes and then recorded their reactions to each on notecards. “The group that worked on this was huge,” she recalls.
Funds raised from this highly successful, multi-year effort enabled the purchase of computers and other essential items for the school.
The EMS cookbook has taken different forms in various years — from “The Melting Pot” (2000), containing the best of the old (delicious recipes) and new (recipes), to “Simply Delicious” (2012), printed for the International Food Festival and containing the country of origins for each recipe (with a portion of the cookbook sales earmarked for the EMS foreign language program).
Throughout the years, one thing remains unchanged: EMS knows how to cook up community spirit.
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