The Hazlehurst signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1883-1885, 1885-10-29
WOMEN COOKS.
rrehch chefs Compelled To Make hooff
for American Cooks.


for American Cooks.
A dappcr hotel clerk in an up-down
hostclry remarked few days ago that
he American people didn't know rs
much about the hotel business Us they
.liought they did, He leaned on the
Motel desk with the easy air OF figure
in fashion plate. toycd with his mus
tache occasionally, nodded brightly to
the guests as they came in from down
town, and treated casual strangers with
an air of frigid and invincible hau,i-
ness.
"Thcre are q number Of new things
in hotel lifc," hc said; "but one thing,
and thing that hotel mon cndeavor to
keep quiet. is tho fact that women
cooks have of late taken tho place OF
the chefs at some of the big houses.
When the ragc for everything that is
French set in a few years ago, nothing
would do for the hotels but French
cookery of the most Gallic fashion, and
there was quito brisk competition for
chefs. The boarders ut hotels were con-
frontcd when they sat down to dinner
with long lists of French dishes, which
were rs mysterious to them Ms though
thcy had been written in Sanskrit
Every petty hotel needed to have its
French cook. and rs there were not
enough good cooks to go around some
monstrously bad cooking was the result.
The American people are great for fol-
lowing a particular style for time, but
at the bottom of the disposition of every
true American there is n large element
of common sense, and 1t began to bc
apparent before long that the rage for
French cookery was rapidly losing
force.
"About tho first man to see 1t was
Henry Clair, and doubt IL the story Of
his discovery that the day for French
cooks is past has ever been told. Hc
was going in to dinner at tho Park Av-
cnuc Hotel rs usual ono night, when n
man stopped him on some business or
other. and rs the night was fine they
walked westward and talked over the
business matter which interested them.
1t grew late. and presently. in order TO
save time, they dropped into little
English chop house in West Twcnty-scv.
cn,h street. and Mr.. Clair ale brace
of chops, and followed itup by another
The following night hc went there and
ate IN enormous steak. The third night
he started to dine at the Metropolitan
Hotel. glanced over the array OF French
dishes. went down stairs deliberately,
stepped into caS. and again ate a
steak cooked on the American plan.
without greens, mushrooms or sauce OF
any kind. After the third dinner hc
sat and thought things over. and came
TO the conclusion that there were n
good many other American citizens
whose tastes resemble his own.
The following day he had confer
cncc with the chefs Of his two
hotels, and the result is that now they
have n menu that is most popular II
is n iudicious and clever combination OF
French and American cookery. and
that il suits the universal palate is
proved by the fact that the hotels arc
rs popular with Western cattle men rs
they are with English tourists. The
steaks, chops and meats of all kinds,
as well rs chicken. duck, etc, arc
cooked on the American plan. not over
spiccd, and with the full flavor of the
meat or game preserved. The entrees
and side dishes are French, but the
roast. again, is severely American.
1--WE happened to get our woman
cook through good deal the same cx-
pericncc. 1t is the wish Of the landlord
that guests shall not be generally ac'
quainted with the fact tho kitchen is
presided over by neSrcss. Such u INC
fact, however. She does the work OF
two male French cooks, who jointly
drew seven thousand dollars from the
safe every year. and we pay her exactly
three thousand five hundred dollars.
She is n big, brawny woman. and her
kitchen is as bright, cheerful and com
fortably run as any in the world. She was
formerly the property of well-known
club here, though she came originally
from the homo of good American
cooks, Baltimore. Our proprietor was
so much struck with her cooking at the
club that he sent for her and installed
her here. The table Is better now than
it has ever been before. w y Sun.