Introducing Patti Lewis, Home Economist

by Helen Wells

Patti Lewis counted up her talents -- nice looks, a knack for making friends, a gift for cookery. How could these lead to a rewarding career? Being a home economist seemed the answer, so Patti went to school, and after a succession of jobs in the vast food industry, she was put in full charge of the test kitchens at Mid-West Flour Mills.

Inventing new recipes, giving parties for important visitors in her gleaming kitchen, traveling to various cities to introduce new Mid-West products, demonstrating, broadcasting, dealing with women coast-to-coast, these proved challenging and rewarding.

But the most challenging part of the job was convincing her boss that the feminine viewpoint was necessary to the success of the company -- and making him see her as a woman with charm and wifely attributes, not just a person with skill and imagination with foods.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Original name: Helen Weinstock. Social worker turned full-time young adult writer, born in Illinois but moved with family to New York City when she was seven. In 1934 Wells graduated from New York University [where she'd been the first female editor of the literary quarterly], with a major in philosophy and a minor in sociology and psychology.

During World War II, she served as a volunteer with the State Department's Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, escorting Latin American visitors in the United States.

Author of Cherry Ames, Nurse books, a series for young teens.

She was also the author of the Vicki Barr books, about a young mystery-solving flight attendant. And, as Francine Lewis, she penned the short-lived Polly French series (1950s), aimed at a younger readership.

After writing the first eight books of the Cherry Ames series and the first three Vicki Barr books, Wells decided to abandon both series to write for television and radio, and Julie Tatham took over (however, both the ninth Cherry Ames book and the fourth Vicki Barr book were published under Wells's name). Tatham later returned the Vicki Barr books to Wells in 1953 and the Cherry Ames books in 1955.

Reviews

[Gwen]

"What right, Patti thought, had Carl or the heckler to take such a dim view of this feminine profession, and of feminine talents in general? Just because Carl was a history major? 'A girl's place is in the kitchen,' Carl had said loftily, looking down his nose at her during the recent Christmas holidays. Patti had resented his attitude enough to stop seeing that cold fish." [p. 19]

Patti gets the job, saves the company, wins a government contract that no one knew they were competing for, and gets the boy. Not bad for her first "totally in charge" job!