A Cartoon from a 1951 Issue of Gourmet Magazine
Led me to Dione Lucas, French Omelettes and a Legendary Cartoonist
Looking through a pile of old Gourmet magazines a few weeks ago I came across a sweet cartoon in the March, 1951 issue.
It’s an illustration without any words. A male chef in classic jacket and toque smiles as he follows along with a woman giving cooking instruction on TV.
It’s an interesting cartoon. In the 1950’s, fine dining restaurant kitchens were still primarily run by male executive chefs and would continue to be so until the 1970’s. This chef looks happy and interested in what the woman cooking on TV is doing, so what is the cartoon saying?
I love old magazines and am always fascinated by the cartoons in them. Snapshots of another time, with little touches like rabbit ear antennas and messages whose meaning may be murky for modern readers and require some digging.
Looking at this illustration I thought, “Ah, Julia!” assuming the cartoonist was referencing Julia Child. I suddenly realized the 1951 timeline didn’t fit. It was more than a decade earlier than Julia made her TV debut in 1963 on WGBH with her show, The French Chef.
There was, however, another woman cooking on TV starting in 1947 and into the 1950’s — Dione Lucas.
Is that who the cartoonist had in mind?
The cartoonist, by the way, is another piece of this story. Was this an illustration by the legendary cartoonist of The New Yorker, Henry Martin, very early in his career? More research needed on that.
Dione Lucas
Besides being the first woman to have her own television cooking show, Dione Lucas was also the first woman to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Paris, later establishing a Cordon Bleu in London and New York. She also wrote several cookbooks, one of which I just got my hands on — a copy of her 1947 book, The Cordon Bleu Cookbook.
She ran a cooking school out of her home and opened an omelette restaurant ‘The Egg Basket’ at Bloomingdale’s in New York City in the 50’s. In the mid-60’s she also opened The Ginger Man restaurant near Lincoln Center with the O’Neal Brothers.
Lucas was British and to make the show sound even more ‘posh’ the producers named it To the Queen’s Taste. As her popularity grew the name was changed to The Dione Lucas Cooking Show.
She never reached the level of TV fame that Julia did — she was much more formal in her delivery than the warm and engaging Julia. But she did help pave the way.
To read more about Dione Lucas, follow the links below.
Dione Lucas, TV Cooking Teacher, 62
Making A French Omelette
I don’t always make the prettiest omelettes — but they taste good.
It’s a seemingly simple dish, but that doesn’t always make it easy.
Here are some of the basics:
Make sure your pan is hot
It should be a non-stick pan or a seasoned omelette pan (I use a non-stick 8-inch pan)
You don’t want color on the omelette (no browning)
Work quickly and don’t hesitate
There are only a few ingredients you need to make omelette:
2-3 large eggs
A generous pat of Butter
Salt and Pepper
Dione Lucas used a teaspoon of cold water in her omelettes, and other chefs do too.
I don’t use water, (and neither does Julia) I was taught to make them without water and I like the results.
Directions:
Heat your pan
Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add salt and pepper.
Place butter into the hot pan and once the butter foam starts to subside, get your eggs in.
Move the pan back-and-forth and simultaneously use the back of a fork to mix around the eggs starting at the center.
Move and gently push the eggs to the edge of the pan away from the handle.
Rest the plate right against the lip of the pan where the eggs are settled and then tip the pan towards the plate and the omelette will roll out.
Voila!
If you search “Making Omelettes” and Dione Lucas, Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, Anthony Bourdain or any chef you particularly like to follow, there are great videos of all of them making omelettes and it really helps to watch them rather than just reading recipe instructions.
I hope you’ll try making an omelette this weekend. The worst that can happen is that you’ll end up with a delicious plate of scrambled eggs, which has happened to me on more than one occasion.
Courage and Bon Appétit!
Since we started today with a magazine…
We’ll end with one. Also, a very good egg— I’m talking about Joy Wilson, aka Joy the Baker whose Holiday Magazine hit shelves today and is also available to order online. Joy is a favorite baker of mine, so here’s a look at the cover and a message from Joy.
The latest Joy the Baker Magazine is filled with my favorite cozy and holiday recipes. It’s the best time of year to crank up the oven and bake batch after batch of cookies and I can’t wait to bake alongside you through these pages.
— Joy Wilson, October 7, 2022
Last Word
Next Friday will be all about Serendipity: The Restaurant, the Cookbook, and that Frozen Hot Chocolate. See you then!
Jolene
Online Sources
https://www.cooksinfo.com
Link: TheNewYorkTimes
Link: TelevisionAcademy
Link: QuaintCooking
Link: Henry Martin. PrincetonEdu
Just when I thought I knew everything, you introduced me to Dione Lucas! How did I manage to overlook her? The book you scored looks like a true treasure! I like to make omelettes, but they often become scrambled eggs as you mentioned! Thanks for another informative and interesting post!
This was so much fun! As it happens, I watched the new Julia series and when I saw the actress who played her make the omelet, I was inspired. My omelets aren't always pretty either but they do taste so much better than what I called an omelet earlier. I guess J was right: everything IS better with butter. Sigh.
Have you ever heard of Franny Cradock, another Brit who appeared on the small screen to educate the cooking public? I discovered her when I did an issue on cookbooks way back and thought you might appreciate the video. : https://youtu.be/9O5WDPSpI1A