Community: Local group unveils its ‘Historical Cookbook’

Food gets people talking and that’s what more than 70 people did for two hours on Saturday afternoon when the Burbank Historical Society unveiled its “Historical Cookbook” — a collection of recipes from Burbank spanning from the 1800s to the present.

Welcoming guests to the Gordon R. Howard Museum were Sue Baldaseroni, society president, and her board including husband, Don, Lorraine White, Betty Penrod, Carey and Dianna Briggs, Craig Bullock, Les and Elaine Rosenberg and Barbara Bartman.

Past president Carey Briggs gave a brief introduction and presented Susan Hodgson who wrote, edited and illustrated the new 157-page cookbook. She added the perfect measure of historical facts and stories people submitted with their recipes and even gave a nod to the city’s frontier days by including recipes with ingredients that — for most people today — are unappetizing, like fried squirrel.

Board members and friends brought in samples to try and they were laden on tables around the upstairs Cunningham Room of the museum. Beverages served were board member Gary Sutliff’s delicious hot apple cider or iced lemon water.

The first item to disappear from the plate was the “Movie Starlet Meatloaf,” contributed by docent Kimberly Hendrix.

Hendrix’s parents were in the entertainment industry and she spent a lot of time with her grandparents as a child. Her grandmother used to make the meatloaf in a 1952 Sears Kenmore oven roaster. Hendrix still has the roaster and she used it to make the dish for the party. The meatloaf was displayed on a plate from the same era.

“Looking at the recipe, it seemed rather bland, which is probably why I ate it when I was little because it’s not spicy the way you see meatloaves today,” she said. “To me, it brought back a lot of memories — just seeing the roaster on.”

Mother and daughter Jo-Ann and Nicole Febles were trying the “OK Mustard Potato Salad,” “Jacquie’s Southern Magic Celery Sticks,” salami roll-ups and meatballs.

They come to the museum often and bring visitors, they said.

“I love the history of Burbank,” Jo-Ann Febles said. “How could you not love the history of Burbank — Lockheed, Skunk Works and everything that’s happened here, NBC. The history of Burbank is incredible. And it’s a really wonderful place to live.”

Oklahoma native LeeAnne Rowe asked the ladies what they thought of the potato salad and they agree it was “very good.”

Burbank resident Rowe is a close friend of the author and when Hodgson asked her to submit some family favorites, she decided to share her grandmother’s potato salad and celery stick recipes.

A special ingredient in most Oklahoma recipes is the use of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt instead of paprika, Rowe divulged. And when she moved here from Oklahoma, she was surprised to find the seasoning originated from Lawry’s restaurant in Los Angeles.

Oklahomans put Lawry’s seasoning on everything, she said — hot dogs, sandwiches, cereal and even deviled eggs, and mustard is another popular ingredient in Oklahoma.

It’s been a lot of fun being part of the cookbook project, Rowe said.

“Susan is an amazing person — she has so many anecdotes and the right humor,” she said. “The cookbook is amazing... and her drawings really show her character and her love for her craft. I think everyone in Burbank should have one of these cookbooks.”

Cookbooks are $10 and can be purchased at the museum, which is open from 1 to 4 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. The museum is in George Izay Park just east of the Creative Arts Center. Parking is in the lot along Clark Avenue.

For more information, visit burbankhistoricalsoc.com. Proceeds from the cookbook will go to fund new displays at the museum.

Exhibits already in place include the evolution of industry from farming to aircraft and entertainment, such as Lockheed, Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros. and NBC. There is a collection of vintage automobiles, a Moreland bus that was built in Burbank, a speed shop filled with automotive artifacts, movie equipment used during the 1920s and ’30s and rooms decorated with antique furniture and memorabilia.
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JOYCE RUDOLPH can be contacted at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.