Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections from Her Savannah Table (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ninety-four year old Sema Wilkes has been running her boardinghouse in Savannah, Ga., since 1943, cooking up traditional Southern favorites biscuits, collard greens, hush puppies for a clientele of gentlemen farmers, Girl Scouts and Yankee tourists. Indeed, the remembrances of Mrs. Wilkes and her family and friends are so entertaining that the book is best approached as a memoir/oral history interrupted by recipes for soups, casseroles, fried delights and desserts. The book vividly portrays a few of the eatery's more irregular regulars, including one Spanish Civil War veteran who, always arriving via tricycle, ate there every weekday for three decades. Equally well-rendered are the strong women who have helped Mrs. Wilkes in the kitchen throughout the years, including the late Mildred Capers, who judged the doneness of her fried chicken by the sound of the oil in the fryer. But it's not clear how some of these dishes would fare outside of Mrs. Wilkes's delightful environs; the Fried Chicken recipe lists the needed ingredients: flour, evaporated milk, salt and pepper, but obviously, it is the context Southern hospitality, fresh ingredients and an experienced kitchen staff that make it special. Also, a few oddities included in the book would have perhaps been best left on the boardinghouse table a Tango Salad, for instance, with lemon gelatin, canned pineapple and pimentos. Nevertheless, this is a delightful homage to Southern life. (May)Forecast: The continuing interest in Southern food, along with an ecstatic blurb from Craig Claiborne, should help this book's sales.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Sema Wilkes has presided over her Savannah, GA, dining room for 68 years. At age 94, she still tastes every dish before it comes out of the kitchen, but now there are three other generations of her family working in the restaurant. Although "Mrs. Wilkes' " was originally a typical boardinghouse, feeding only its dozen or so roomers, good food was always her focus, and it became a restaurant soon after she took over in the 1940s. Today, there are lines around the block of people waiting to taste her Southern food at least 13 different dishes at every meal and "the boardinghouse" has a national reputation. But the cooking is much as it always was (one of her cooks has been there since the1950s): Buttermilk Chicken, Corn Pudding, the biscuits that Craig Claiborne described as "one of the greatest things, ever, to happen" in his life. Coauthor Edge's readable text provides the history of the restaurant and the people involved in it. Recommended for all regional American cooking collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; illustrated edition edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580082572
• ISBN-13: 978-1580082570
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #99,175 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Raves from Transplanted Magnolia, December 4, 2001

By A Customer

I have over 100 cookbooks in my collection, so it is rare that I will sit down and read a new one cover-to-cover -- but that's exactly what I did last night with Mrs. Wilkes. Setting aside the recipes for a moment, her description of life in the South in my parents' era is priceless. Now for the food: also priceless! I've been searching for years for my great-aunt's recipe for Coconut Cake -- Mrs. Wilkes has it. My Mother never fixed Creamed Corn from scratch - but Mrs. Wilkes does. All those dishes you remember fondly from family reunions and favorite aunts - they're here! Mrs. Wilkes has them! Hurrah!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Home style cooking made easier!, June 7, 2001

By	Beverly Jewell (Cedartown, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have had the pleasure of eating at Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse several times, but the last time I was in Savannah, the lines were so long waiting to get in, we finally gave up! Years ago, she signed her first cookbook for me, and I have used it many times. I now have this new book, and find the instructions simple and easy to follow. This is the food most people in the South grew up eating, but recipes vary, and sometimes are not pasted down to a new generation. I treasure this book, and highly recommend it to new, and also to experienced cooks! Indeed, it is home style cooking made easier! B Jewell

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YUMMMMMMMMMMM!!, July 26, 2001

By	James Bentley (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This is the best money I have ever spent! The most delicious and easy recipes I have ever seen. I have hundreds of cookbooks and this is the one that stays out all the time. I cannot recommend this one enough. This lady can cook!!!!! You cannot go wrong with this one!