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A Taste of Upstate New York: The People and the Stories Behind 40 Food Favorites
Upstate New York is the birthplace of many of America’s favorite foods. The chicken wing was born in a bar in Buffalo, the potato chip originated in the kitchen of a glitzy Saratoga Springs hotel, the salt potato got its start along the marshy shores of a Syracuse lake, and Thousand Island dressing was created in a hotel along the St. Lawrence Seaway. In this book, D’Imperio travels across the region to discover the stories and people behind forty iconic foods of Upstate New York. He introduces readers to the black dirt farmers of Orange County who give America its best-tasting onions, to the Catskill’s Candy Cane King, and to "Charlie the Butcher," purveyor of the best beef on weck in the state. Filled with color photographs, the book includes a map of the various regions around Upstate New York, allowing readers to create their own cultural and historic food tour.
- GenresFoodNonfiction
246 pages, Paperback
First published April 20, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 23, 2015
Chuck D'Imperio is no stranger to Upstate New York. He has written several previous books including Unknown Museums of Upstate New York: A Guide to 50 Treasures and Monumental New York!: A Guide to 30 Iconic Memorials in Upstate New York and now turns his attention to the "wonders and quirky food facts" of Upstate New York.
In A Taste of Upstate New York, D'Imperio divides the area into eight regions - from Chautauqua/Allegany in the southwest corner to the Thousand Islands/Seaway in the north, and south to Catskills/Hudson Valley - and regales us with each area's delicacies, lore, and sometimes even a recipe or two.
I was delighted with the inclusion of Turkey Joints (a beloved holiday season confection of chocolate and Brazil nuts coated with spun sugar and shaped to look like - you guessed it - a turkey joint), salt potatoes, Chicken Riggies, and famous Utica Greens. My husband's hometown is mentioned as the the birthplace of pie-a-la-mode... a fact which has always made him inordinately proud.
Cornell Chicken (another personal favorite) is a New York State Fair tradition served at Baker's Chicken Coop since 1949. Dr. Bob Baker was a former chair of Cornell's Department of Poultry and Avian Sciences. D'Imperio shares the famous recipe:
Dr. Baker's Cornell Chicken Marinade
1 egg
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups cider vinegar
3T coarse salt
1T poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Beat the egg, add oil, beat again. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Use the sauce for basting. While barbecuing, brush sauce on chicken each time you turn it. Makes enough sauce for 10 halves.
In addition to foods from my childhood, I found a few new favorites, like Bread Alone in Rhinebeck, NY.
D'Imperio also highlights local cookbooks and foodie celebrities, including Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge ( The Fabulous Beekman Boys) and The Moosewood Collective. Iconic restaurants and "fun food festivals" are listed, too, and have provided ideas for countless day trips or weekend getaways.
Bottom line:
This book is chock-full of local food lore, fun food festivals, and legendary restaurants. There are even a few (locally) famous recipes! It's entertaining, nostalgic, and a must read for anyone who has spent time in Upstate New York.
In A Taste of Upstate New York, D'Imperio divides the area into eight regions - from Chautauqua/Allegany in the southwest corner to the Thousand Islands/Seaway in the north, and south to Catskills/Hudson Valley - and regales us with each area's delicacies, lore, and sometimes even a recipe or two.
I was delighted with the inclusion of Turkey Joints (a beloved holiday season confection of chocolate and Brazil nuts coated with spun sugar and shaped to look like - you guessed it - a turkey joint), salt potatoes, Chicken Riggies, and famous Utica Greens. My husband's hometown is mentioned as the the birthplace of pie-a-la-mode... a fact which has always made him inordinately proud.
Cornell Chicken (another personal favorite) is a New York State Fair tradition served at Baker's Chicken Coop since 1949. Dr. Bob Baker was a former chair of Cornell's Department of Poultry and Avian Sciences. D'Imperio shares the famous recipe:
Dr. Baker's Cornell Chicken Marinade
1 egg
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups cider vinegar
3T coarse salt
1T poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Beat the egg, add oil, beat again. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Use the sauce for basting. While barbecuing, brush sauce on chicken each time you turn it. Makes enough sauce for 10 halves.
In addition to foods from my childhood, I found a few new favorites, like Bread Alone in Rhinebeck, NY.
D'Imperio also highlights local cookbooks and foodie celebrities, including Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge ( The Fabulous Beekman Boys) and The Moosewood Collective. Iconic restaurants and "fun food festivals" are listed, too, and have provided ideas for countless day trips or weekend getaways.
Bottom line:
This book is chock-full of local food lore, fun food festivals, and legendary restaurants. There are even a few (locally) famous recipes! It's entertaining, nostalgic, and a must read for anyone who has spent time in Upstate New York.
June 1, 2021
A fun, informative book. So glad the focus was on upstate New York (yes, I’m one of those New Yorkers who needs the world to realize that my state is about way more than just NYC). It was especially great to read about foods I know and love, such as salt potatoes, Grandma Brown’s baked beans, and chicken riggies!
(The Literary Life Podcast’s 19 in 2021 Reading Challenge – A regional or local book)
(The Literary Life Podcast’s 19 in 2021 Reading Challenge – A regional or local book)
September 13, 2015
A tasty reading adventure that is broken into small chapters which offer commentary on the author's visits to food stops that serve everything from pizza to delectable pastries. As indicated in the title, it is devoted to "upstate", that is the non-New York City sector of the state.
From the somewhat obscure (buckwheat pancakes in the Finger Lakes) to higher profile (Heid's Hots in Liverpool), Chuck made it his mission to navigate and masticate to compile his "40 food favorites"; actually in an appendix he includes extras. He even traveled to the far reaches of the north country in Lake Placid, which is the host of the Olympics and the last of the once ubiquitous Howard Johnson's.
Each region of the state receives coverage, so whether you are a connoisseur of chicken wings (Buffalo), or crackers (Saratoga), there is something on the plate for everyone. I found some of the descriptions so mouthwatering, I contacted some of the places in question for information on online ordering and shipping policies.
For residents who have perhaps overlooked some nearby eating treasures or visitors to the state seeking unique dining opportunities, it is worth adding A Taste of Upstate to your reading diet.
From the somewhat obscure (buckwheat pancakes in the Finger Lakes) to higher profile (Heid's Hots in Liverpool), Chuck made it his mission to navigate and masticate to compile his "40 food favorites"; actually in an appendix he includes extras. He even traveled to the far reaches of the north country in Lake Placid, which is the host of the Olympics and the last of the once ubiquitous Howard Johnson's.
Each region of the state receives coverage, so whether you are a connoisseur of chicken wings (Buffalo), or crackers (Saratoga), there is something on the plate for everyone. I found some of the descriptions so mouthwatering, I contacted some of the places in question for information on online ordering and shipping policies.
For residents who have perhaps overlooked some nearby eating treasures or visitors to the state seeking unique dining opportunities, it is worth adding A Taste of Upstate to your reading diet.
September 15, 2018
Have you ever nostalgically remembered some food from your childhood that you can't find in your current area - and I don't mean Grandma's pasta sauce or Aunt Millie's ginger cookies. Some food that practically makes you want to travel back to the old stomping grounds and see if the old restaurant or diner or even company still exists. To once again embrace that memory and perhaps introduce your family to the same wonderful taste.
Because this book is all about tastes - some have managed to expand outside of the town or region but most are known only various areas of Upstate New York. Upstate is considered by the author as those counties outside the 7 counties of New York City and Long Island. (Totally aside, he forgot to list Chemung as a part of the Finger Lakes Region at the beginning of the book).
Living in Upstate is to have it's own share of deliciousness. Half Moon Cookies - or even full or new moons depending on how they are frosted. Grandma Brown's beans. Grape pies. The Canadian import of poutine. Spiedies and Riggies and lots more.
And D'Imperio doesn't limit this book to just the foods and the location where you can indulge your taste buds but also some of his favorite diners, bakeries, fish fry locations as well as food festivals. There are also a few odd additions - the last Howard Johnson Restaurant in the United States (it's in Lake Placid) as well as some nominees to the "Upstate New York Food Hall of Fame".
Interviews with the current creators/owners are, of course, bias towards their business especially since some have been in the family for generations.
In the current economy (and even when the book was published in 2015), food industry businesses are among the most likely to fail so at any time, that delicious, unique favorite could be gone. So, when you have a few dollars and plan on doing something different, you should stop by that regional restaurant/diner or food stand and enjoy making one more memory.
Because this book is all about tastes - some have managed to expand outside of the town or region but most are known only various areas of Upstate New York. Upstate is considered by the author as those counties outside the 7 counties of New York City and Long Island. (Totally aside, he forgot to list Chemung as a part of the Finger Lakes Region at the beginning of the book).
Living in Upstate is to have it's own share of deliciousness. Half Moon Cookies - or even full or new moons depending on how they are frosted. Grandma Brown's beans. Grape pies. The Canadian import of poutine. Spiedies and Riggies and lots more.
And D'Imperio doesn't limit this book to just the foods and the location where you can indulge your taste buds but also some of his favorite diners, bakeries, fish fry locations as well as food festivals. There are also a few odd additions - the last Howard Johnson Restaurant in the United States (it's in Lake Placid) as well as some nominees to the "Upstate New York Food Hall of Fame".
Interviews with the current creators/owners are, of course, bias towards their business especially since some have been in the family for generations.
In the current economy (and even when the book was published in 2015), food industry businesses are among the most likely to fail so at any time, that delicious, unique favorite could be gone. So, when you have a few dollars and plan on doing something different, you should stop by that regional restaurant/diner or food stand and enjoy making one more memory.
January 26, 2015
I received a digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review:
Overall, not a bad little read, but this was a very jumbled book. There wasn't a real focus; it moved from a Zagat-style review of different food-related establishments to chapters that concentrated on different genres of food history, such as diners, fish fries, and farmers markets. There was also no conclusion to the book; there was a stale, sudden ending at the end of the last chapter.
I liked the historical and nostalgic aspects of the book, but it could have benefitted from some more focus and organization.
Overall, not a bad little read, but this was a very jumbled book. There wasn't a real focus; it moved from a Zagat-style review of different food-related establishments to chapters that concentrated on different genres of food history, such as diners, fish fries, and farmers markets. There was also no conclusion to the book; there was a stale, sudden ending at the end of the last chapter.
I liked the historical and nostalgic aspects of the book, but it could have benefitted from some more focus and organization.
April 15, 2015
I thought this was a fantastic book. Not being from the area and not having visited or lived there, I found it truly fascinating all the places you can go, the food, the culture, which is so different from where I was born and live currently. Great book for those that are wanting to travel to the area or plan on in the future.
December 17, 2020
fun &informative.
January 17, 2015
A book from Netgalley in exchange for a review:
This was a somewhat odd read, transitioning between history, food description, and interviews. I found the history part interesting, the food descriptions quite often mouthwatering, and the interviews a little off-putting. There was nothing wrong with the interviews themselves, except so often they were written in the tone of a business person selling their business and telling me how awesome and amazing they are. It had a very impersonal 'press release' feel and felt out of place.
Now not all of them are like that, some are very personable and friendly, but a lot of them had me thinking I was reading their website description. I found the photos in the book really off-putting as well, very unprofessional and like something you would see on a blog rather than in a published book. Usually I am all for adding photos to a book, but, in my personal opinion, straight up flash photography on food will never make it look appetizing.
I liked this book, it read like a blog more than a book, but if that was the tone the author was going for then well done! I just wish some of the people who were interviewed would have been more like 'people' rather than 'press releases' and of course, the foods are very intriguing.
This was a somewhat odd read, transitioning between history, food description, and interviews. I found the history part interesting, the food descriptions quite often mouthwatering, and the interviews a little off-putting. There was nothing wrong with the interviews themselves, except so often they were written in the tone of a business person selling their business and telling me how awesome and amazing they are. It had a very impersonal 'press release' feel and felt out of place.
Now not all of them are like that, some are very personable and friendly, but a lot of them had me thinking I was reading their website description. I found the photos in the book really off-putting as well, very unprofessional and like something you would see on a blog rather than in a published book. Usually I am all for adding photos to a book, but, in my personal opinion, straight up flash photography on food will never make it look appetizing.
I liked this book, it read like a blog more than a book, but if that was the tone the author was going for then well done! I just wish some of the people who were interviewed would have been more like 'people' rather than 'press releases' and of course, the foods are very intriguing.
March 19, 2015
Thanks Netgalley for a free book to read and review.
This is a great little book to pick up if you are traveling upstate New York, and want to sample some of the famous cuisine. I grew up in Canton, home of the deep fried Pizza Roll. (mentioned in book) Amazing cuisine that you won't find anywhere else in the world. There are still a few more places I would suggest. Custard Cottage in Gouvernor NY, home of the inventor Of lifesaver candy. They make a chocolate, vanilla, twist cone that is to die for. They also had a cheese factory in Russell NY that made a cheese curd that was phenomenal but that has since closed since the owner died and didn't leave anyone the recipe. I love Grandma Browns baked beans. The nostalgia I got from reading this book was incredible. So even if you are familiar with the cuisine, it really is nice to see what made it into the book. I was a bit confused about the bean pie though. I thought it said the man ran out, so how'd it make it into this book? Still four stars of entertainment. Thanks.
This is a great little book to pick up if you are traveling upstate New York, and want to sample some of the famous cuisine. I grew up in Canton, home of the deep fried Pizza Roll. (mentioned in book) Amazing cuisine that you won't find anywhere else in the world. There are still a few more places I would suggest. Custard Cottage in Gouvernor NY, home of the inventor Of lifesaver candy. They make a chocolate, vanilla, twist cone that is to die for. They also had a cheese factory in Russell NY that made a cheese curd that was phenomenal but that has since closed since the owner died and didn't leave anyone the recipe. I love Grandma Browns baked beans. The nostalgia I got from reading this book was incredible. So even if you are familiar with the cuisine, it really is nice to see what made it into the book. I was a bit confused about the bean pie though. I thought it said the man ran out, so how'd it make it into this book? Still four stars of entertainment. Thanks.
March 31, 2016
I'm a person who loves to read about regional foods. So when I saw there was a book on this subject covering the region that I'm originally from, I had to get this! I've read other"Upstate" subject books by this author, and I've enjoyed them all. It was great to read about Binghamton and the Spiedies, Croghan Bologna, and my favorite Hemstrought's Halfmoon cookies! Also interesting was how many regional foods came from the Utica area! Great read!!
January 1, 2017
It was a fun read especially if you are a foodie. I did like reading the back stories of so many of the foods that are regional staples. I thought there were points where he drifted a little too far downstate (but as a native Central New Yorker that is a particular pet peeve). The interviews seemed a bit of a forced sales pitch at times. But overall a nice culinary journey
January 30, 2016
I would describe the book as "quaint". Some stories were interesting. I was annoyed at a number of references to downstate or even out of state. There were a couple chapters that highlighted places that are no longer in existence.
February 15, 2015
I loved this book, I ;live in an area that this book covers and it was very interesting to learn the history of some of our foods.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews