About this item
"Social history is, most elementally, food history. Jane Ziegelman had the great idea to zero in on one Lower East Side tenement building, and through it she has crafted a unique and aromatic narrative of New York's immigrant culture: with bread in the oven, steam rising from pots, and the family gathering round." - Russell Shorto, author of The Island at the Center of the World 97 Orchard is a richly detailed investigation of the lives and culinary habits - shopping, cooking, and eating - of five families of various ethnicities living at the turn of the twentieth century in one tenement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. With 40 recipes included, 97 Orchard is perfect for fans of Rachel Ray's Hometown Eats; anyone interested in the history of how immigrant food became American food; and "foodies" of every stripe.
About the Author
I was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, but now I live in Brooklyn Heights with my husband, Andy, who also writes about food, and my two kids, Smacky and Buster.
I studied history in college, then spent some time in publishing before attending the NYU graduate program in urban anthropology, and that's when I became interested in the culinary history of New York. When my first kid was a year old, I started a cooking program for children called Kids Cook!
I spend most of my time cooking, eating, reading about food, and talking about food. The best place to eat in this city, at the moment, is the Chinatown in Flushing, Queens, a place we visit every weekend. If you're interested in recommendations for places to go, drop me a line.
