Before Julia!  Before Jim Beard and Craig Claiborne there was Clementine Paddleford.

A Kansas native, born on a farm near Manhattan, Clementine brought American Cuisine to the world.  As a food writer for the "New York Herald Tribune" and "This Week Magazine", it is estimated she had an audience of 12 million readers!  Impressive by any standard!

She grew up eating wholesome, home grown food in Kansas and took her friendly, inquisitive Kansas sensabilities to New York.  She traveled the country and the world acquainting everyone with tastes and recipies that were not known to the average housewife.  She wrote in a bright, folksy style that was, at-once, familiar to her readers and gave her a recognizable voice.  Prior to her efforts, food writing was mostly about restaurants in New York and was written for the food elite.  Clementine made the world of food accessible to everyone.

If you are a foodie and a Food Network junky, like me; you will enjoy reading Hometown Appetites: the story of Clementine Paddleford, the forgotten food writer who chronicled how America eats.  She was a pioneer in the food industry - who hailed from Kansas.