I found this book in the Bodhi Tree Used Book Store many years ago. Compiled by Nancy Kennedy and Published by Simon and Schuster, New York. The book is divided by sections of the Country with corresponding maps.
From Don the Beachcomber, 1727 N McCadden Place, Hollywood – Beachcomber Cantonese Spareribs . Was probably not far from the old unemployment office. From the Brown Derby, 1628 N Vine, Hollywood – Hamburger De Luxe. Other notable LA restaurants included are: Cafe Caliente on Olvera Street, and Tail o’ the Cock @ 477 S. La Cienega.
NYC is represented by Tavern on the Green, and the Waldorf-Astoria.
Facebook
Twitter
Press
Contact
Allee Willis
I’m really crazy this cookbook because I have personal attachments to two of the restaurants you mention. I practically lived at Don the Beachcomber on Las Palmas when I first moved to Hollywood in 1976. It was just a couple blocks from where I was living and I had always heard about it whenever I heard about Hollywood. So before I had any hit records I ate there a lot and it really made me feel like a part of Hollywood.
A decade later I used to eat at the Brown Derby on Vine a lot. It didn’t feel anywhere near as old Hollywood as the original brown Derby on Wilshire but I loved being around the portraits of the famous people. One day in 1991 I saw a small ad or a parking lot sale at a Beacons storage place. It said there was a lot of Brown Derby furniture from the last of the three Derbys to close, the one on Vine. I left with over 60 portraits, most of which I got for a quarter apiece because most of the people there wanted the appliances, booths and lights, etc.. The ad was left less than a half an inch tall, jammed into the other classifieds. I think I was looking for garage sales and just happened to spot it. Those portraits were without question the most significant find I have ever made. Sixteen of the smaller 8 x 10 portraits are lined up in my kitchen to this day. It very much feels like I’m eating at the Brown Derby.
I did find out that these Ford Treasury cookbooks were given out by Ford dealers to their customers. You can buy the the motherload right now:http://cgi.ebay.com/LOT-5-FORD-MOTOR-TREASURY-FAVORITE-RECIPE-COOK-BOOKS-/120657685907?pt=US_Nonfiction_Book&hash=item1c17c22d93#ht_500wt_1053
lindaz
I went to the link. $15.00 for the 5 is a good price if they’re in good condition. I only have the 2 that I photographed. I didn’t know about the others.
I used to eat at the Brown Derby when I worked on the Tonight Show or at Paramount. It was always a big deal because I was young, not rich and you know, in a place that I only saw photos of when I was growing up in Chicago. I usually ate the Cobb salad or a burger. I thought I had a Brown Derby cookbook, but looked for it and can’t find it. Have tribute books to Chasen’s and Hollywood, but they’re not kitsch. I didn’t go a lot to Don the Beachcomber, but did go to Trader Vic’s a lot. I had a best friend, Doug Arango, who was a comedy writer and that’s who I usually went to both places with. All we did was eat and laugh.
What a great story about the Derby photos. Were there any photos taken by George Hurrell? Those are so wonderful. My kitchen just has food pictures on the wall.
k2dtw
Love this great post… Being in MI. I can’t believe I don’t see these books in every estate sale???
denny
Thanks for sharing!
I love LA stories, especially personal ones.