Author Louis Hatchett Discusses His Book "Duncan Hines: How A Traveling Salesman Became The Most Trusted Name In Food"

Mon, 01/26/2015 - 5:10pm

When: November 9, 2014 at the Downtown Library, Multi-Purpose Room

Duncan Hines may be best known for the cake mixes, baked goods, and bread products that bear his name, but most people forget that he was a real person and not just a fictitious figure invented for the brand.

Author Louis Hatchett shares more about this fascinating figure in American cookery and the subject of his book, "Duncan Hines: How A Traveling Salesman Became The Most Trusted Name In Food." As America’s pioneer restaurant critic, Duncan Hines discovered his passion while working as a traveling salesman during the 1920s and 1930s—a time when food standards were poorly enforced and safety was a constant concern. He traveled across America discovering restaurants and sharing his recommendations in his best-selling compilation Adventures in Good Eating (1936). The success of this work and of his subsequent publications led Hines to manufacture the extremely popular food products that we still enjoy today.

This event was cosponsored by AADL and the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor.