The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-08-16
COOPERATIVE KITCHEN.
A Great success-"HOnOr 10 Whom
Honor IN Due"

Honor IN Due'"
DALLAS, TEXAS, August 10, 1875.
10 the Editor OF The Herald:
An enterprise which was first start
cd in that part Of Dallas, known as
Cherry Hill, about a year ago, has met
with such great success andgiven such
unbOunded satisfaction, that think 1t
should be made known to the world,
80 that other communities may adopt
II. A little over II year ago one OF our
most enterprising citizens (Dr. +. r..
Hughes, of Cherry Hill, conceived the
iGea that great deal Of the expense
and all Of the drudgery pertaining to
baking in private families, might he
saved by establishing, what he called,
a cooperative kitchen. Now, the
| Doctor when he ConCeiyes good |
| thing, never lets 1t drop until he car
ries it into successful operation. His
! plan v rs this:
That II number of famIlics-say ten |
or twenty-should join together, hire
one common cook who should cook for |
all the families composing the club
this cook to purchase all the proyi- |
siOns, prepare the food, and distribute
it from wagon ut stated hours to each |
family. 1t was some time before the
Doctor could persuade any of his
ueighbOrs to join him in his project, ~
many of then Consid red IL visionary.
But ut last he persuaded the following
gentlemen to tOrm IA club and give the
enterprise fair trial: Major Jet, Mr.,
Hoskins, Joe Mcconnell, William
Slerrett, A. ii. Shepherd and Colonel
Holland. As soon rs the Club was
formed they proceeded To erect on the
corner of Live Oak and Pearl street
cheap but very convenient kitchen,
with servants house attached, and
large cistern between the two rooms.
The next thing was to secure good
, cook, In this the club was very fOrtu-
nate for they secured the services of
f, Ben Hudson, formerly chief cook on
the great steamer NutcheH, aud prob
ably the best cook now in the State Of
Texas.
The club pay Hudson thrty-tive dol
lars per month, and two assistants
twelve dollars each per month. This
expense il divided among twelve fam
lilies las the club has increased to that
number.) The chief cook, Hudson,
buys all the provisions, and rs he buys
at wholesale prices, much is saved in
this way. A wagon constructed eX-
u pressly lor the purpose, and in whic h
the dishes are kept warm by an ingen-
ious apparatus is filled with hot water.
When the wagon delivers to n family
) their breakfast, the driver receives II
slip Of paper on which il stated the
> amount ana kind of dishes the family
4. wish for dinner At the end of each
month each family pays for the amount
and kind OF food which they have re-
ceiYed during the month. In this way
: family can live as economically or as
extravagantly as they please. The only
thing which the ladies have to prepare
at home is tea and coffee, and this they
prepare with spirit lamp, instead OF
! making fire in the stove, Even the
dishes are sent back to the cook to be
washed, and are return.d by him to
/, each family between meals.
Now, Mr.. Editor, this cooperative
kitchen has ceased to be an expert,
ment, for it has been In successful
-, operation for more than u year-not ~
bobble has occurred in that time.
Having splendid cook, and every
thing being conducted on u perfect sys-
+, TEN, the food is much better prepared
and the expense to each family has
been reduced more than one-half.
) And then all the worrying and trouble
, OF cooking three meals II day is done
away with. Col. Holland, who is one
of the club, told the writer of this, that
he kept an accurate account of his
housekeeping expenses both before
} and after he joined the Cooperative
! Kitchen Club, and he finds that the
club has saved him just One.half the
expense of living. Sterrett says he
never could lay up n dollar until he
joined the club; now he has money in
the bank and is loaning out money at
ten per cent, year. In n conversa-
ton, yesterday, with number Of the
ladies OF the club, they all expressed
themselves rs delighted with its opera
,, ton, and say they would not be with
out the Cooperative Kitchen for any
thing One lady told me that she had
= never had good health until she got
rid Of the trouble and worry Of prepar-
D ing meals. The club have fixed up IL
4 beautiful croquet ground on the corner
OF Pearl and Bryant streets, and every
= pleasant evening the ladies' of the club,
l with their children, can be seen there
= enjoying themselves with game of
! croquet, whilst other ladies in the
u neighborhood are worrying over hot
: cooking stoves.
: 10 the Doctor alone all the credit is
9 due for having conceived and success
I fully carried out this enterprise, and
many who once laughed ut him, and
: said his scheme was visionary, are
now anxious to join his club Seeing
e how well the plan has wor ed on
e Cherry Hill, n number of gentlemen
5 are about establishing Cooperative
q Kitchen over in the Cednrs. Mr.. Robert
Seay informs me that he has made up
Il club on his side of the Dallas branch,
o and they are now building the kitchen
I SO admirably does the whole thing
u work, such II saving of both labor and
: money, that now venture the predic-
I, ton that in less than ten year there
; will not be village in Texas that will
not have its Cooperative Kitchen.
A. II. s.