Food Finds: America's Best Local Foods and the People Who Produce Them

by Allison Engel, Margaret Engel

Craving hush puppies but you live in Boston? Need a peanut butter fix that Skippy won't satisfy? Search no further than Food Finds , the celebrated guide to America's diverse and delicious bounty of regional foods and specialty products. Fully updated and exhaustively researched by authors Allison Engel and Margaret Engel, this comprehensive resource contains up-to-date mail and online ordering information for more than 400 of America's best local and specialty food producers, from the Santa Barbara Olive Company to DiCamillo's Bakery to the candy-making nuns at Mount St. Mary's abbey. Also included are colorful anecdotes, photos, and visitor information. Engagingly written and cleary organized, Food Finds is the essential tool-time for favorite, or eaters interested in America's rich and varied culinary traditions.

Genres: Food, Travel, Reference

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 3 out of 5]

One would think this book, published in 2000, would be obsolete with all the changes in the foodie industry and with all the changes in online shopping. To my delight, many of these purveyors remain in business, in some instances by the next generation, so it was fun to peruse the pages to discover food items I had never heard of and then to scurry to my phone to see if the items still existed.

The book focuses on food products that became known within their local areas. For example, Detroit will have its specific favorites, as will Chicago, etc. The index even has a section by state so the reader can search for food by location. Mind you, this was published long before the foodie nuts took over eateries and long before social media made the simple act of eating an act of influencing. The products have been chosen because of devotion by cooks and folks who just had to keep their devotion to candy bars or salad dressings or special beverages in business.

It's the astonishing variety of local foods that makes this book so interesting. Custard from St. Louis. Pralines from New Orleans. Pickle Chips from Vermont. Red Mustard from Detroit. I even was happy to discover that a dessert sauce was still available. C.C. Brown’s was a famous ice cream shoppe in Hollywood, but they retired in 1996 and there went my beloved hot fudge sauce. But the topping still exists! For that little nugget of discovery alone, this book was worth the read.

Surprisingly, most of the food items are still available. Those that went out of business did so before Covid hit, mainly because the owners wanted to retire and couldn’t find anyone else to run the business. It’s good to know that food lovers can influence the continuation of much beloved products.

Book Season = Year Round (exotic treats)

[Mark Moxley-Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent source for hard to find regional foods. My edition is from 1991 so is surely out of date, and is pre-internet, but still has tons of useful info. Plus great write-ups of the story of each item.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

From fiddleheads to fruitcakes, this is an excellent cross-country look at weird or unique food products and the small local enterprises that produce them. Also includes unique recipes. I like this larger format edition more than the smaller one that has come out since. The art is larger in this one. A fun book.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's face it. I love to cook and I love to eat. I also love to discover regional foods as I travel throughout the country. Therefore, this book is tailor made for me. I can read about the best of regional food across the United States plus I can order most of these delectable goodies on the internet while I'm sitting on the couch in my pajamas.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that celebrates obscure, independent, and regionally-famous foods across the US. I have no choice but to love it.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be handy if it was 1984 and the internet didn't exist. Since this is this most up-to-date version my library has, (small town), I may never get my hands on the "new" version.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice book of where to find food stuffs.