A N N I VE R S A R Y
1891-2016
Celebration of The Thursday Afternoon Cooking Club September 15, 2016 Crestview Country Club
The Thursday Afternoon Cooking Club A brief history by President Penny Moss (2015-2017) One of Wichita’s oldest clubs has enjoyed 125 years of regular meetings. This is the Thursday Afternoon Cooking Club which was organized on December 3, 1891, by Mrs. E. R. Spangler, who was the first president and hosted the first meeting in her home on North Emporia. Her sister, Miss Lucia Drain, was secretary and Mrs. Mary C. Todd was the first vice president. According to the first minutes written for the club, it was said, We can live without knowledge, We can live without books, But civilized man cannot live without cooking. “The accomplishment of cooking is in nine cases out of ten badly neglected among our young ladies, and I might truthfully add with many of the married ladies who depend entirely upon servants for all their good
recipes, and dainty dishes, if perchance they happen to have any. If one has not a taste for cooking, it is quite as difficult for them to become accomplished in this act, as in any of the various Arts of the present age. Good cooking is something that requires more patience, accuracy and a certain amount of time and labor. It has been said, ‘The way to reach a man’s heart is through his stomach.’ It would be well for both young and old to make a desperate effort.” A number of ladies had been talking about organizing a Cooking Club for some time, but as usual in undertakings of the nation, each one waited for the other to start, until it finally happened that one lady, Mrs. Spangler, made a final effort and really got a club started. The charter members were as follows: Mrs. J.P. Allen, Mrs. Oscar D. Barnes, Mrs. George Buckner, Mrs. B.H. Campbell, Mrs. W.P. Campbell, Mrs. W.P. Cleveland, Mrs. B.W. Deffenbaugh, Mrs. James W. Eno, Mrs. C.J. Fletcher, Mrs. A.S. Forker, Mrs. S.L. Hastings, Mrs. L.W. Miner, Mrs. R.V. Rogers, Mrs. Fred Rush, Mrs. C.H. Smyth, Mrs. E.R. Spangler, Mrs. James Todd, Mrs. G.W. VanWerden, and Mrs. Ed Zartman. Mrs. Spangler died in Hawaii in 1929. Among other early members were Mesdames George Strong (daughter of Mrs. Todd), N. A. English, W.S. Corbett,
J.D. Houston, George Dickson, Will Dixon, Nerius Baldwin and many others of the early day families of Wichita. From the beginning the club membership was limited to 25 and there was usually a waiting list. The club membership has always represented the best of Wichita society which has included the wives of three former governors of Kansas: Mrs. L.D. Lewellen, Mrs. W. E. Stanley, and Mrs. Henry J. Allen. Many of the outstanding leaders of this old club were in truth life members and were dearly cherished. To these women the club was not only one of their greatest pleasures, but a sacred obligation. They were faithful to the club rule that the only valid excuse for absence was “absence from the city�, sickness of the member or of a member of their family. With the enthusiasm of the present membership in 1947, it seemed reasonable to expect that The Thursday Afternoon Cooking Club might one day be observing its centennial. There have always been many daughters and daughters-in-law in the club. Four cookbooks have been published by the club and the recipes which have changed hands in the meetings through the years are legion. For many years the members responded to roll call with a recipe, household hint or helpful tip, or the introduction of some new gadget or idea.
The 25th anniversary of the club was a gala meeting and reunion to which all former members were invited. Many were able to attend. Mrs. Oscar Barnes, a charter member, was the hostess in her beautiful home on North Broadway (then Lawrence Avenue) which later became the First Presbyterian Church manse. The 50th anniversary of the club was in the home of Mrs. H.W. Lewis, who had been in the club since the second year of its existence. She was a charming hostess on this memorable occasion. At this time the club welcomed as a guest the only living charter member in the city, Mrs. Charles H. Smyth. Mrs. Fletcher, the only other charter member still living, was making her home in Los Angeles. They celebrated with a 2-tier birthday cake inscribed with 50th birthday in gold colored icing. The junior cooking club sent them a lovely arrangement of snapdragons. Hot mulled cider was served in the living room before they sat down to lunch on December 4th, 1941. The club owes much of its early day leadership to another charter member, Mrs. B.H. Campbell, who was its president for 11 years. Only a few of those are left who can remember a banquet given by the club to honor their husbands, when the entire 50 people present sat down to dine at one long table in the spacious
home of Col. and Mrs. Campbell in Riverside. The Cooking Club motto has always been “Health, Strength, and Happiness” and the colors are yellow and green. The meetings were originally alternate Thursdays from October through May with a delicious luncheon served, or occasionally a breakfast or dinner and, on one occasion, an old fashioned tea. For many years, an annual spring picnic was held at Clear Lake. The club used to have frequent demonstrations of cooking methods: boning of fish and fowl, making of puff pastry or other tricky pastries, cooking under steam pressure (when that was an innovation), correct table setting and serving of courses. Some years ago the club sponsored and conducted cooking classes for children and teenagers, both boys and girls, without charge, in what is now the Northern building. The club has also made comforts for the Children’s Home and Christmas food for the first day nursery in Wichita. The members have engaged in many charitable activities. In 1941 they voted to give $15.00 for the Christmas dinner at the Phyllis Wheatley Home for Colored Children and presented a check for $5.00 for turkey to the home for the aged. They sewed for war children in 1942.
During the war years the club decided not to have as many meetings because of the war and the rationing of food that existed. Another issue was that household help was hard to find during that time. At the April 8, 1949 meeting tea was served instead of rationed coffee and in the minutes it was written that, “It was oh! So good.” They also used honey instead of sugar for apples for a dessert made with gingerbread that “… melted in the mouth.” Many different entrees have been served over the years, including sweetbreads and many kinds of fish and seafood. At the 1914 February meeting held in the home of Mrs. Chester Long, a roast young pig was served with a red apple in its mouth decorated with parsley. Another rather unusual lunch was served in January 1947 at the home of Mrs. Ainsworth. They served moose baked with mushrooms and boiled wild rice. It was noted that the moose was procured by Mr. Ainsworth on a hunting trip. Also, at the December 8th, 2011 meeting at the home of Penny Moss, a wild pheasant casserole was served. Penny’s husband, Dr. Moss, had gotten the pheasant on a hunting trip. Hot wassail was also served to the guests. In l944 the club decided to make the luncheons lighter and more “lady-like” because of the war and food shortages. In 1947 the secretary read the Constitution
and by-laws which was obligatory at the first meeting of the year. New yearbooks were distributed which were very attractive with a green cover printed in gold lettering and tied with gold cord. The club had not had yearbooks for a few years because of the expense. In 1943 the dues were $4.00 for the eight months. A very special l00th anniversary celebration was held in the home of Eleanor Kinkaid, with Mary Aikens and Lynn Tatlock assisting. Our cooking club was established in the year 1891, thereby making it, in 1991 the oldest existing club in Wichita. In honor of such a memorable birthday, the Kinkaids had moved several large pieces of furniture so that 24 members might all be seated at 4 round tables in the Kinkaids’ spacious living room. The tables were covered with beautiful white cloths and circled with white chairs. The china and crystal on each table was different. In the center of each table was a large crystal bowl containing a striking arrangement of bittersweet and tiny lilies. We were all surprised and intrigued by the fact that two tiny goldfish were swimming among the flowers in each bowl. An article by Kathleen Kelly, the food editor of the Wichita Eagle appeared a few days after our party which described the program and dÊcor, and also gave the recipes for the delicious luncheon that was served.
The Christmas meeting that year was on December 12, 1991 at the home of Janet Buckley with Mary Louise Webster and Dodie Seymour assisting. The dessert served that day was Gateau Au Chocolat: Le Diablo. Each of the members were presented with a favor of holiday bonbons which one of the hostesses had made. President Barbara Gardner read the minutes of the club for December 1891. It was written, “We always enjoy the comparisons of today’s prices with those of l00 years ago. Our imaginations run wild as we think of those ladies preparing seven course luncheons and giving demonstrations, wearing long dresses and petticoats.” Relish trays were almost always served at the luncheons for many years. Other popular entrees included creamed vegetables, pickles, tomato aspic salad, breads with jelly or preserves, baked apples, puddings and chocolate mousse. For many of the early years, especially, the club seemed to always have guests present. Today members may invite as guests only non-residents of Wichita. They are to notify the hostess, of course and pay a fee of $5.00 for each guest. In the spring of 2015 the club suddenly became famous when the food editor of The New York Times
came to Wichita and attended our April meeting at the home of Barbara Mohney whose grandmother was Mrs. Campbell, one of our founders. Mary Ellen Randall had contacted the editor of the newspaper and wrote them about our club which had seen so much history during its 124 years in existence. Once the article appeared in The New York Times, it also became a big story on Facebook, as well. Book offers began to surface and there was even interest in a possible movie to be made about our club. After much thought and discussion, it was decided to forgo the book offers as we would have to relinquish our precious minute books and scrapbooks. Today’s young cooks and hostesses seem to prefer finding recipes on-line and we did not think there would be enough interest in a possible cookbook from us. It was fun while it lasted to be a club with a celebrity status! In so many of the minutes, it was noted how much treasured the time spent together. This is probably one of the reasons The Thursday Afternoon Cooking Club has continued to exist today and hopefully will have many future years. Congratulations TACC on 125 years of great cooking! “Bon Appetit” Penny Moss, President 2015 – 2017
October 10, 199
100th Anniver 1 sary Menu Golden Bouillo n Salad Greens w ith Raspberry D ressing Chicken Breas t in Phyllo Pastr y Dessert: Berry
Berry Rich Tea & Coffee
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Notes Page Early Dinner Party with Husbands ~ Date Unknown Mrs. Findley Ross, Norma Whitney, Mrs. Aley, Mrs. J.P. Allen, Mrs. C. Harris, Mrs. W.C. Little, Mrs. C. Bitting, Mr. Jewett, Mrs. Jewett, Mrs. Black, Mrs. Dyer, Mrs. Fred Smyth, Mrs. W. Weiser, Mrs. O.D. Barnes, William Weiser, Henry Shess, Oscar Barnes, Jenny Black, Findley Ross, Charles Bitting, ? Fergison, ? Dickson, Mrs. Sluss ?, Mattie Nolley, Lizzie Reed, ? Ferguson, Christina Ross, Tom Nolley, George Dickson, Will Little, Dr. Fabrique, Fred Smyth, ? Dyer, George Whitney October 11, 1928 ~ 37h year of TACC ~ Home of Mrs. Warren Brown Pictured left to right. Seated front row: Mrs. Ferguson, Mrs. Stanley, Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Ross, Mrs. Barnes, Mrs. Cambell, Mrs. Norton, & Mrs. Garst. 2nd Row: Mrs. Whitney, Mrs. Buck, Mrs. George Brown, Mrs. Warren Brown, Mrs. Henry Allen, c. Keating, Mrs. Jackson, Mrs. Pratt, Mrs. Horn, & Mrs. Lassen. 3rd Row: Mrs. Purvis, Mrs. Knorr, Mrs. Gilkerson, Mrs. Thomas, Maude J’s Aunt, Mrs. H. Stanley. 4th Row: Bess Hays, Mrs. Millison, Mrs. Lewis, visitor, Mrs. Tilford & Mrs. Docking Formal Membership Photo March 28, 1957 ~ 66th year of TACC ~ December 10, 1981 ~ 90th year of TACC ~ Home of Marg Garst Pictured left to right. 1st Row: Eleanor Kincaid, Jane Mills, Barbara Gardner, Winefred Fisher, Jeanne Yankey. 2nd Row: Shirley Shelton, Marg Garst, Georgia Lilleston, Mary Kennedy, Norma Van Auken, Ruby White. 3rd Row: Nancy Frazier, Dean Ross, Mary Webster, Sally Cardwell, Alys Tatlock, Betty Foulston, Frances Willis May 2003 ~ 112th year of TACC ~ Home of Nancy Brammer Pictured left to right. Seated: Jacquelyn Davis. Standing in front of stairs: Margaret Houston, Elizabeth Enoch, Trudy Haag, Jean Yankey Stairway top to bottom/left to right: Velma Wallace & Betty Menehan; Mary Aikins, Nancy Brammer, & Rebecca Ritchey; Marilyn Wells, Libby Marshall, & Melodee Eby; Janet Buckley & Penny Moss; Geri Jabara, Georgia Chandler, & Dodie Seymour; Genie Reed & Chris Kubik
2016-2017 Members
Mrs. Anne Allen (Steve) Mrs. Gretchen Andeel (Stan) Mrs. Nancy Brammer (John) Mrs. Marla Chandler (Charlie) Mrs. Ruthie Gillespie (James) Mrs. Nancy Gustavson (James L.) Mrs. Trudy Haag (Frederick) Mrs. Margaret Houston (Robert) Mrs. Chris Kubik (J. Fred) Mrs. Jane Kuhlmann (James) Mrs. Pam Lester (Stephan) Mrs. Jodie Louis (Don) Mrs. Fawn McDonough (W. David) Mrs. Barbara Mohney (Rich) Mrs. Melody Moore (Chris) Mrs. Penny Moss (Max) Mrs. Mary Ellen Randall (George) Mrts. Jan Randle (Steven) Mrs. Rebecca Ritchey (Michael) Mrs. Lou Ann Ritchie (Jack) Mrs. Sondra Robison (Dan) Mrs. Mary Schurman (Jack) Mrs. Candace Stultz (Kenneth) Mrs. Marilyn Wells (Dick)
Honorary Members
Mrs. Mary Aikins (M.A.) Mrs. Arlo Casper (Bob) Mrs. Georgia Chandler (C.Q.) Mrs. Melodee Eby (Martin) Mrs. Elizabeth Enoch (Rolland) Mrs. Bert Fieback (Ralph) Mrs. Carol Graham (Gerald) Mrs. Nancy Frazier (John) Mrs. Geri Jabara (Fran) Mrs. Eleanor Kinkaid (Tom) Ms. Elizabeth Marshall Mrs. Jodie Mason (Claude) Mrs. Betty Menehan (James) Mrs. Jayne Mills (Tonk) Mrs. Sue Pryor (Thomas) Mrs. Geney Reed (Cramer) Mrs. Dodie Seymour (Paul) Miss Lynn Tatlock Mrs. Jeanne Yankey (Paul)