Shields - Chesapeake Bay Cooking with John Shields

CHESAPEAKE BAY COOKING with JOHN SHIELDS

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JED KIRSCHBAUM

25th Anniversary Edition

2015 John Shields

All rights reserved. Published 2015

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Johns Hopkins University Press

2715 North Charles Street

Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363

www.press.jhu.edu

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shields, John (John Edward)

Chesapeake Bay cooking with John Shields / John Shields ; photographs by Jed Kirschbaum.25th anniversary edition.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4214-1816-2 (hardcover : alk. paper)

ISBN 978-1-4214-1817-9 (electronic)

ISBN 1-4214-1816-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)

ISBN 1-4214-1817-7 (electronic)

1. CookingChesapeake Bay Region (Md. and Va.)

2. Chesapeake Bay Region (Md. and Va.)Description and travel. I. Title.

TX714.s534 2015

641.5975518dc23 2015006255

A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.

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Johns Hopkins University Press uses environmentally friendly book materials, including recycled text paper that is composed of at least 30 percent post-consumer waste, whenever possible.

Designed and typeset by Amy Ruth Buchanan / 3rd sister design.

Where does the time go? It seems almost like yesterday that I took a sabbatical from my Chesapeake Baystyle restaurant in Berkeley, California, and headed back to my hometown of Baltimore to write a book on Chesapeake Bay cuisine. That one year1987of traveling around the Bay in an old VW Beetle, from north on the Susquehanna over two hundred miles south to Hampton Roads, Virginia, literally changed my life.

My publisher, John Harris, of the then Aris Books in Berkeley, had urged me for years to consider writing a book on Chesapeake fare. He contended that there was no nationally published work on the food of the Chesapeake. Obviously, I finally agreed and the book that follows is a chronicle of that adventure, with a treasure of recipes and tall tales from the people around the Bay.

It was a privilege to meet the many wonderful folks featured in this book. They shared their homes and their hearts with me and gave me a new appreciation of the region of my birth. It was also timely. By the mid- to late eighties many of the small communities along the Bay were gradually disappearing, some from strains on the fishing industry and small farms, and some literally from the land eroding from underneath their towns.

The first edition of the book was followed by a second, which became the companion to a national public television series, Chesapeake Bay Cooking with John Shields. Whenever I see an old episode airing late at night I realize how important it was to chronicle the food and people of a distinct regional American cuisine whose way of life was rapidly disappearing.

During the past twenty-five years much has changed around the Bay, most of which has not been good for the vibrancy of the region or the health of the Bay itself. However, there is a movement afoot to reanimate our local food economy and to invigorate local communities. And it is happening. This is the good news, and I will be telling more tales of just where we are now in the twenty-first century in an upcoming book, The New Chesapeake Kitchen.

In the meantime, enjoy this twenty-fifth anniversary edition and take a look back at the delicious culinary traditions of this majestic body of water, the Chesapeake Bay. I remember interviewing a group of women in a church hall on Tilghman (pronounced tillman) Island some twenty-six years ago. One woman, a seasoned crab picker, asked, What are you doing here? I thought she understood, as we had been talking about food for quite some time. I replied, Writing a book on the cuisine of the Chesapeake Bay. She quickly shot back, We dont have a cuisine here, its just the way we cook! And so it is.

Happy Chesapeake Bay cooking!

My sincere thanks go to family, friends, and all the wonderful people of the Chesapeake Bay region who so graciously opened their homes, hearts, and recipe collections to me. I must pay special tribute to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Chesapeake Bay Journal, and similar grassroots organizations dedicated to the protection and preservation of this glorious national treasure, the Chesapeake Bay.

Additional thanks are in order to the many people who gave of their time, energy, and support during the undertaking of the original edition of the Chesapeake Bay Cookbook. Words cannot express my gratitude to my sister Kathleen Komber for her moral and word-processing support. I am indebted to my Chesapeake friend and guide, Glenn Jordan, and to my other Chesapeake Bay mentors: Bernie Curtis, Denny Beattie, Donald Au Coin, Linda Gerson, and the whole gang over to PC Micros.

I have provided the recipes and text, but what would a book featuring the marvelous Chesapeake Bay region be without photographs? It was my lucky day many years ago when I first met my now good friend and award-winning photographer, Jed Kirschbaum. His dazzling photos never cease to amaze me. During our sessions testing the food we were ably assisted by Jeds wife, Thelma, a food lover and exceptional cook.

In my hometown of Baltimore I have many thanks to convey. To my mentor and Godmother from the West Side, Rikki Spector, who has kept me going through the long process of putting this Chesapeake Bay project together, I send my love. When my spirits would sag, my dear, sweet Rikki would perk me up, ever reminding me to stay focused and not to worry. Dave and Marla Oros, my wonderful friends, have been there to see me through every trial and tribulation, keeping the faith in our projects even when mine would sometimes falter. Tony Sartori, my buddy since childhood, has been, still is, and forever will be the best cheerleader a guy could ask for. Without Tony, his wife, Mary Garlington, and their son (my godson), Lil A, I do not know how I would have made it through. After living a decade on the West Coast it has been wonderful to be back at home with my family. Mom-Mom (who started it all), my sister Patricia and her husband, George Paw Paw Davis, sister Kathleen, brother Patrick, and sisters Lynn and Priscillamuch love for all your support and strength. I am very grateful to Rich Ashley, who has been my confidante, adviser, business manager, and great friend for many years. Thanks also to Vaughn Milby for his friendship and the use of his gorgeous kitchen. Bonnie North, my cherished friend, assistant, and partner in crime keeps my whole world running splendidly and in check. What would I do without Bons?

Last, but certainly not least, I must eternally thank John Gilligan, who gave up his career on the West Coast, packed his bags, and headed east to help create our Chesapeake Cooking endeavor. Typist, web-page designer, cookbook editor, graphic artist, recipe-testing guinea pig, food stylist, personal trainer, research assistant, and associate producer of the