The Friends of the Worcester-Schenevus Library are bringing a historic cookbook back to life.
According to a news release, the group will reprint “a rare treasure that reveals a glimpse of what life in the area was like before the turn of the century.”
“The Nonpareil Cook Book,” originally published twice in 1897 by The Ladies’ Lend-a-Hand Society of the Baptist Church in Worcester, includes more than 200 recipes and simple remedies for common maladies which were submitted by more than 120 “Ladies of Worcester and Vicinity,” the release stated
Acquired by the library earlier this year, the fragile cookbook contains not only recipes, but 60 ads for local businesses, including 37 that were in Worcester.
Pamela Cooley, a historic culinarian and “another lady of Worcester and vicinity,” wrote the forward for the current reprint. “Community cookbooks like this have been in existence since the Civil War. Church groups, charities and civic groups commonly published them as a method of raising funds,” she said.
The cookbook, she said, also serves as “a reflection of everyday life in a small upstate town at the turn of the 20th century — a time when the kitchen was the heart of the home and cooking meant both nourishment and social connection.”
A cooking class and luncheon, led by Cooley, was held last summer. Recipes from the book included Mock Bisque Soup, Corn Meal Cakes, Chicken Croquettes, Baked Meat, Chili Sauce Sweet Potato Salad, Chocolate Leopard Cake and Dried Apple Cake, according to the release.
Cooley will lead a baking-for-the-holidays workshop in the library’s Strawberry Hall kitchen from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6.
Participants in the hands-on workshop will prepare and take home a variety of holiday treats from “The Nonpareil Cook Book” including cookies, cakes and candy. Soup and sandwiches will also be prepared for lunch during the workshop.
The free workshop is limited to eight participants and is intended for ages 15 and older.
Although this session is already filled, more workshops are being scheduled with pre-registration available. A donation of $10 is requested to help cover the cost of ingredients.
Cooley has demonstrated and given workshops at Strawberry Hall, Kilts Farm, Hanford Mills, Genesee Country Village, the Farmers’ Museum and Newlin Mills Museum. In addition, she has lectured on culinary history topics in this country and in Canada, the release stated. She lives in East Worcester and is retired from the New York State Archives.
The library is at 170 Main St. in Worcester. Strawberry Hall is next door.
“The Nonpareil Cook Book” is available for $10 at the library, the library’s used bookshop next door and 2nd Chance Antiques Market in Strawberry Hall. For more information about the book or the workshops, call 607-397-7309.