Jim Vandevender

Jim Vandevender is a renowned veteran of the hospitality industry having worked in the hotel industry for over twenty years . He worked for Hilton, Hyatt and Le Meridian Hotels around the world. Jim was born and raised in New Orleans Louisiana and learned to cook in his mother and grandmother's kitchens. He developed a passion for cook books early on and has built a collection that includes over one thousand cook books. His Mom says he learned to read from a cookbook and could sift flour before he could learn how to count to ten! Jim feels that cookbooks are not only collections of our culinary consciousness but are glimpses into the social fabrics of the time. Jim has stacks of cookbooks by his bed that he reads before going to sleep each night, bookcases in his kitchen lined with cookbooks and also has a cookbook library that was built in the basement of his country home outside of New York City. For Jim, being a tried and true Southern Boy, cooking was a rite of passage and cookbooks surrounded him while growing up in New Orleans....there was not a single Thanksgiving or Christmas or Birthday celebration that did not include a contribution from one of the dog eared River Roads or Talk About Goods that were ever too far out of reach. His Mom says also that he learned to read from Better Homes and Gardens Best Buffets! Cookbooks were used as the starting point of any family celebration and provided the foundation of efforts and the plans and the dreams that made special occasions special. This blog is for those who are passionate about cooking and food, and especially for those who love cookbooks !