Berghoff Oktoberfest 2009
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2009
CARLYN BERGHOFF ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF
THE BERGHOFF CAFÉ COOKBOOK Berghoff’s Second Cookbook Features Family Recipes for Simple, Satisfying Food
CHICAGO (August 18, 2009) – Few understand the connection between family and food better than Carlyn Berghoff, a fourth-generation Chicago restaurateur, caterer, and mother of three. Hot on the heels of her highly successful first cookbook, Carlyn now shares a new collection of classic dishes from the café founded by her great-grandfather more than 110 years ago: The Berghoff Café Cookbook: Berghoff Family Recipes for Simple, Satisfying Food (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $24.99, September 2009).Carlyn operates Berghoff Catering & Restaurant Group out of The Berghoff Restaurant located in the heart of Chicago’s downtown Loop district. Founded by her great-grandfather and German immigrant Herman Joseph Berghoff, whose dark Dortmunder-style beer was a hit at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, he opened the Berghoff Café in 1898 to build off of that success, selling beer for a nickel and giving away sandwiches.The Berghoff stayed open through the Prohibition era by expanding into a full-service restaurant, and was the first Chicago restaurant to apply for a liquor license when Prohibition ended in 1933.Today, Herman’s great-grandaughter Carlyn puts her signature, “tradition with a twist” spin on many of the recipes in The Berghoff Café Cookbook – many of which date back to the Berghoff’s menu from the early 1900s – such as the toasted brie sandwich, which is now the Westphalian Ham Panini with Granny Smith Apples and Apple Sauce.
Carlyn deliciously demonstrates the three principles upon which the café food is built: reuse, recycle, and reinvent. Potatoes become Lyonnaise Potatoes; Potato Soup; Potato Pancakes and much more. Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast also stars in the Turkey Reuben, and there’s enough left for Turkey, Okra, and Rice Soup, too. Pizza is reinvented by topping it with Berghoff signature ingredients, creating Brat, Kraut, and Onion Pizza with Swiss Cheese and Caraway Crust. Even the chocolate chip cookie has been reinvented at the café, becoming the Chip Cookie, limited only by your imagination. At home, Carlyn keeps things interesting as she continues to reinvent familiar dishes for her family, café-style, and finds ways to save time and bolster nutrition. In The Berghoff Café Cookbook, she details her home-style salad bar, redefines the grilled-cheese sandwich (leftover meats and cheeses? Hello, panini!), and discovers simple ways to reduce fat and add flavor (a few potato chips on a sandwich, for instance, provide just the right crunch and keep chip-eating to a minimum). The 85 delicious recipes plus creative variations in The Berghoff Café Cookbook represent the fullrange of Berghoff Café food from soups, salads, and sandwiches to pizzas and desserts. Color photography and interesting historical and cooking-related sidebars complete the book. The tantalizing recipes are easy to prepare, look fantastic on the plate, and deliver the flavors befitting a Chicago institution. Founded in 1898, the Berghoff Café has come to symbolize the American dream and the joy that comes from sharing food with family and friends. The Berghoff Café Cookbook will fulfill your dreams of mouthwatering food made with versatile ingredients and prepared simply, served with style, flavor, and good memories. ABOUT THE AUTHORSCarlyn Berghoff, CEO of the Berghoff Catering & Restaurant Group, is the fourth generation to continue the Berghoff legacy of serving excellent food and entertaining guests. An author, chef, restaurateur, caterer, wife and mother, she also coauthored The Berghoff Family Cookbook. Carlyn graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and now operates out of Chicago’s century-old Berghoff building, her base for off-premise catering. She also runs the restaurant, bar, and the historic café. Carlyn lives in Chicago with her husband and three children. Nancy Ross Ryan also coauthored The Berghoff Family Cookbook. She is the founder of Fresh Food Writing in Chicago and specializes in food writing and recipe development. The Berghoff Café Cookbook
Carlyn Berghoff and Nancy Ross Ryan
$24.99 ($30.99 Canada) Hardcover: 8 x 10, 176 pages
Photography: Ally GruenerAndrews McMeel PublishingOn-sale: September 16, 2009ISBN: 978-0-7407-8514-6 XXX FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACTWAGSTAFF WORLDWIDE, INC., (312) 943-6900