Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks

Pin It

 

Joanne Hendricks 23

Pulling up to this majestic 1823 Federal-Style townhouse on a cobblestone street in an Uber seemed a travesty. My daughter Kristina and I felt what we really needed was a horse and buggy.  Listed as a New York City landmark, 488 Greenwich Street, site of Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks, deserves as much.

Joanne Hendricks 8

Had we not seen the cookbook sign, we might have thought we were in the wrong place.

Joanne Hendricks 6

And that door.  How do I begin to describe The Door?

Joanne Hendricks 9

The photo hardly does it justice.  It’s like a living, breathing entity.  You just have to see it.  You almost expect it to talk and tell stories.  You want it to.  It’s the best door in the city.

After standing in awe of the building and the door for a few minutes, Kristina and I decided to open the magic door to explore what was inside.  The door almost hits the first shelf of cookbooks.

Joanne Hendricks 21

The store itself is tiny, fascinating, charming, darkish, and a little intimidating and mysterious.

Joanne Hendricks 2

Joanne Hendricks 25

Joanne Hendricks 3

As you can see, there are treasures to be found in every nook and cranny.  Like the sign says outside, antiquarian and unusual, and also more than a little exciting to explore.  Be prepared to find every kind of book in the tiny space, along with piles of vintage Gourmet magazines next to an antique child’s play stove.

Joanne Hendricks 5

Joanne Hendricks 19

Joanne Hendricks 14

Business cards with the brass plate of the door, of course.

Joanne Hendricks 1

The wall of cookbooks by the door.

Joanne Hendricks 4

I loved this.  It reminded me of my card catalog at home.

Joanne Hendricks 17

I love tiny cookbooks.

Joanne Hendricks 16

If I had money to spare, I would have bought this in a heartbeat.  It’s a page of Julia Child recipes from her “L’Ecole des Trois Gourmandes” (The School of the Three Hearty Eaters), the informal cooking school she started in Paris in 1952 with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle.  The patch they displayed on their aprons is like the red stamp on the recipe page.  Julia’s husband designed the logo.  Believe me, I hated leaving this behind.  I still think about it.  How I would love to display it in my kitchen.

Instead of the expensive Julia treasure, I found a couple of those adorable tiny books with wonderful recipes and adorable artwork.  I love these!

Joanne Hendricks 29

Joanne Hendricks 26

It was finally time to leave and I took one last look at Julia’s recipes before exiting out that fabulous door. Hopefully one of these days I will be writing to you that I once again entered the door and bought Julia’s recipes. I will cross my fingers as I exit the door and maybe it will work some magic.

Joanne Hendricks 11

, ,

8 Responses to Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks

  1. April 6, 2016 at 4:28 am #

    This had to be a lot of fun–hoping someday you’ll get Julia’s recipes to display. In the recipe what is the difference between lemon peel and lemon rind–is the peel just the yellow part and the rind the white and yellow part? Also the recipe says to beat for 1/2 hour–that’s patience. I wonder if that is a steadfast amount of time.

    • April 8, 2016 at 11:23 am #

      Barb, it’s amazing how many different answers you can find to that question about peel and rind, not to mention zest. Many sources will say the peel is the entire outer covering including the bright exterior portion as well as the white pith just beneath it. Rind or zest usually refers only to the thin outer layer that is the bright yellow part that is grated for recipes. Of course, if you google it I’m sure there are several different answers! Lots of cookbooks use the terms interchangeably. Wish we could ask Julia! We could also ask her why anything should be beaten for 1/2 hour…

  2. April 6, 2016 at 4:47 am #

    What a joy to see and walk around this store with you. I have to ask ….. How much did Julia cost?

    • April 8, 2016 at 11:12 am #

      $500. How I wish I would have had the money with me. Sigh…

  3. April 6, 2016 at 12:46 pm #

    Be still my heart! My heart was pounding faster as I read this post. LOVE that card catalog! I have never seen one like it. AHH. Thanks so much. I get excited over card catalogs and Hoosier-type cabinets especially those that are unique.

    • April 8, 2016 at 11:09 am #

      I’m with you on the card catalogs, Martha! I treasure mine and always keep my eyes open for more.

  4. May 1, 2016 at 7:24 am #

    Great post! Next time I am in NYC I’m checking this place out, it looks magical!

    • May 3, 2016 at 10:22 am #

      I think you will love it!

Leave a Reply