food journalism or culinary anthropology? re- evaluating soft news and the influence of jeanne...

7/23/2019 Food Journalism or Culinary Anthropology? Re- evaluating Soft News and the Influence of Jeanne Voltzs Food Sect

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American Journalism, 29:2, 6691

Copyright 2012, American Journalism Historians Association

Food Journaism or Cuinary Anthropoogy?

Re-evaluating Soft News and the Inuenceof Jeanne Votzs Food Section in the

Los Angeles Times

By Kimberly Wilmot Voss

Jeanne Voltz was a groundbreaking food editor at the Los

Angeles Times in the 1960sa time of great change for journal-

ism and gender roles. This articles outlines her career path and

includes an analysis of her work at the Times, including her ap-

proach to food journalism as a mix of hard news, such as food

safety and consumer awareness; and soft news, including recipes,

and restaurant reviews. The research illuminates the signifcanceof food sections and lays the foundation for future research on the

contributions of women to food journalism.

Before the success of the Food Network and the popular-

ity of competitive cooking programs such as Bravos

Top Chef, aspiring foodies relied on the food sections

of their local newspapers for their gastronomical x. These sec-

tions, thick with grocery store advertisements in the 1950s and1960s, originated in the womens pagesnarrowly dened as the

fashion and household pagesof metropolitan dailies across the

country. A staple of mid-century metropolitan newspapers, food

sections continue today. Then as now, food sections reected gen-

der roles, health standards, and governmental policies about food

in a community. They also reected the devel-

oping demographic of many cities as new im-

migrants settled into communities and sharedtheir dishes. Lastly, these sections related sto-

Kimberly Wilmot Voss isan associate professor of

journalism in the NicholsonSchool of Communication,PO B 161344 O l d


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work.1 In her more than forty years as a journalist, Voltz became

what one culinary authority described as the best-known food ex-

pert youve probably never heard of.2 Her writing encompassed a

mix of the people and the dishes of the communities she covered,

the news of governmental and health studies that dened a timeperiod, and an examination of history through food. For example,

Voltz once debunked the biblical tale that Eve tempted Adam with

an apple. Considering the evolution of language, Voltz wrote, the

tempting fruit was likely a mango, a persimmon, or an apricot.3

Food sections do not have a well-documented history beyond

brief mentions of womens pages. (The few newspaper options for

women prior to the early 1970s were in the womens pages. These

sections were known for the four Fs: family, fashion, food, and fur-nishings.) Prior to the womens liberation movement, food was the

rare topic on which women could claim authority. Some of these

womens-section writers were simply cooks for their families look-

ing for paid work, while just as many were college-educated re-

porters who could not nd jobs in the news sections.4 And a third

category included graduates of home economics programs who

practiced their expertise as food writers.5 Regardless of their back-

grounds, they made a difference in the menus of their communities.

As gender roles were changing in society, Voltz guided two

of the most signicant food sections in the countryat theMiami

Herald in the 1950s and at the Los Angeles Times in the 1960s.

This research analyzes her work at the Times during the heyday

of the sections, and shows that a womens section was laying the

foundation for food journalism years well before the current surge.

It also demonstrates that food journalism can tell much about a

communitys ethnic growth, gender roles, and health issues at a

particular time, supporting Voltzs food anthropologist analogy. Byidentifying these themes found in Voltzs reporting, this research

establishes a place for Voltz and the value of the food sections in

the annals of journalism history. It builds on the work of those who

have examined materials like cookbooks, to better understand the

lives of women who are often left out of other historical accounts.6

Dismissing the Food Section Myth

For years, food sections were viewed as little more than a col-


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refer to the Jell-O-abusing womens-page ladies8 and their simple

newspaper sections. But these women actually played a signicant

role in the story of food, and a look at the Los Angeles Times food

section in the 1960s during the Voltz years shows the depth of food

journalism. Voltz had a traditional reporting background and de-veloped her food skills later. Even after becoming an editor, she

contributed several stories each week to her section. As this re-

search shows, Voltzs articles were about topics such as food safety,

foreshadowing problems with food contamination that persist to-

day, and consumer issues that might have run counter to the inter-

ests of clients advertising in her section. Other articles viewed food

through societal elements, coverage that went beyond recipes. That

is not to dismiss the value of the recipes, however, which reected achanging American appetite following World War II and the impact

of women working outside of the home.9

Food Editors Earn Their Pace

Womens pages, where the food section was usually found,

were also the site of soft news. In these sections were fashion

news and stories about weddings. Yet, these sections afforded

women a certain authority. The American Press Institutes 1951

industry publication Fashion in Newspapers observed that No

aspect of the news is further from the comprehension of the av-

erage male editor than fashion. 10 In addition, stories about child

abuse, domestic violence, and pay inequity were sprinkled among

the traditional content.11 Dorothy Jurney, considered the godmother

of womens page editors, encouraged other womens page editors

to add stories about political and social issues, as well as features

about professional women. Jurney explained her approach in anarticle in a 1956 American Society of Newspaper Editors publi-

cation, noting that the home beat, just like the police beat, should

follow traditional news values.12

A regular part of these womens sections were food pages,

whose editors wielded notable inuence. According to a 1953 arti-

cle in Time: In US dailies, few staffers exert more direct inuence

on readers than the food editor; only the front page and the comics

have a bigger readership.13

In 1950, the journalism industry publi-cation Editor & Publisherreported that the number of newspaper


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vertising revenue possibilities of food and are appointing qualied

editors to turn out readable food pages. 14 Whereas most of these

sections appear to have run in the womens pages, only men were

quoted in the article. It was reported that the Associated Press had

assigned a man, Jack Ryan, to cover the subject, although there isno record of his work in this area. According to food writer David

Kamp, the premier New York food journalists of that time wereMc-

Calls editor Helen McCully, theNew York Times Jane Nickerson,

the Associated Press Cecily Brownstone, and theHerald Tribunes

Clementine Paddleford. The journalists regularly socialized with

James Beard, a prominent American chef.15

The food industry organized meetings for food editors at which

the journalists learned about new products and new techniques infood preparation. It provided the women a chance to socialize and

network at a time when they were excluded from other journal-

ism organizations. A primary reason the food editors attended the

conferences, however, was to take part in the reporting contests;

their newspapers regularly publicized the work of the winners. If

there was any question about who was doing the food writing, con-

sider that the award was named for Vesta, the mythical goddess of

home and hearth. The food sections themselves were evaluated on

their service to readers, journalistic writing style, use of pictures,

page design, nutrition, originality, timeliness, and thoroughness.16

Awards were given in different circulation categories and black-

and-white versus color pages. A newspaper professional was among

the group judging the entries. For example, in 1965 the judges were

William Blair of theNew York Times and president of the National

Press Club; Emilie Hall, with the College of Home Economics at

Cornell University and whose title was listed as editor;17 and Robert

Barbour, editor ofPublic Relations Reporter.18

Food Journaism Ethics Takes a Hit

Journalism is largely guided by a separation between editorial

and advertising. This separation encourages objectivity by mak-

ing sure that advertisers do not inuence the newspaper content.

In 1971, US Sen. Frank Moss of Utah in a speech at a food editors

meeting raised a concern over advertisers inuence on food sec-tions. Too often our food pages are rst-rate press agentry, he ar-


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product? 19 In newspaper interviews, Moss claimed that food edi-

tors operating in a raried atmosphere clouded with smoke blown

by industry press releases have simply lagged behind the healthy

growth of responsible consumer journalism.20

It was at this time that the Columbia Journalism Review, anindustry publication, featured an investigative article about food

reporting. The articles subhead was, The food section is the cash

register of the newspaper, a happy hunting ground for advertis-

ers.21 The article featured numerous accusations about conicts of

interest. The author also noted that the Los AngelesTimes com-

petitor, the Los Angeles Examiners food editor, was still on the

advertising payroll. Voltz (referred to as Miss Voltz) was quoted

in the story: The freebee has a subtle effect on the food editor. Bygetting a particular product free of charge on a regular basis, the

food editor avoids thinking of the perhaps-exorbitant cost of the

product she will advocate.22 Food journalist Ann Hamman, who

earned a masters degree in home economics from Purdue Univer-

sity, responded with a full-page letter to the editor of the Columbia

Journalism Review. She wrote: The food editors I know are an

extremely conscientious lot. Naturally, they are concerned about

the nancial well-being of their newspapers. But they are not about

to promote something they think is not good just because the manu-

facturer is an advertiser.23

As for Voltz, she was a journalist and thus followed the ethical

guidelines of her profession. She only agreed to leave newspapers

for a magazine journalism job after twice being reassured by her

new employer that the advertising side would have no inuence on

her editorial copy.24 In a 1986 handwritten note to fellow journalist

Helen Muir, Voltz lamented the gossip that the Washington Post

was publishing: Speaking of Sally Quinn, some of her pronounce-ments make me take a little less pride in my profession. Or, as we

agree often, realize that ethics have gone the way of buggy whips.25

HistoriansDiscover Food Journaism

According to journalism industry publications, the popularity

of culinary or food journalism is a recent phenomenon. In 2003, the

Columbia Journalism Review featured an article about the trenddubbed Food Porn.26 The following year, theAmerican Journal-


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tions of womens-page journalists, who, prior to the demise of the

sections in the early 1970s, laid the foundation for food journalism.

A few historians and culinary writers are just beginning to study

these women food journalists. One notable example is Hometown

Appetites, a biography of longtimeNew York Herald Tribune foodreporter Clementine Paddleford, by Kelly Alexander and Cynthia

Harris.28 Long overshadowed by the New York Times Craig Clai-

borne, a master of self-promotion, food writers like Paddleford

were quite inuential in their time. According to an article by Alex-

ander, Paddlefords genius lay in tapping into what she knew best:

authentic home cooking. And she used her pulpit to spread local

cooks favorite recipes, and the stories behind them, from coast to

coast.

29

Mary Margaret McBride, radio personality and author ofMary MargaretMcBrides Harvest of American Cooking, featured

recipes on a state-by-state basis.30 Voltzs work was different in that

she focused on the local fare of Los Angeles and Southern Califor-

nia just as she previously had focused on the regional fare of Florida

when theMiami Heraldwas considered a statewide newspaper.

Voltzs impact persists, and her story is worth recognizing. To-

day, Voltzs recipe for Green Corn Tamales can be found on the

Food Network website with a note giving credit to her acclaimed

book, Barbecued Ribs, Smoked Butts, and Other Great Feeds.31

James Beard wrote of that book, Jeanne Voltz has written a deni-

tive book on barbecuing. She understands the varying tastes and

the techniques of each region she covers and this is THE book on

barbecue.32 Hers was one of the rst books to establish barbecue as

a valued cuisine. Her take on barbecue was likely because she was

not burdened by the food hierarchy of culinary cuisine; she sim-

ply saw an untold story. Voltz once said, The South has the kind

of climate that grows certain things the way no other place in thecountry does. Ive worked in Los Angeles and New York, but you

cant ever get away from grits and greens. 33 She was as much an

expert on food as other journalists proved their expertise of foreign

policy or courtroom analysis. Furthermore, throughout the 1950s

and 1960s at many newspapers, womens pages were considered a

parallel section to the sports pages.34 Just as more scholarship is di-

rected toward sports reporting, more research should be dedicated

to the historical content of womens pages.Because little is known about how women typically became


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life and Times of Jeanne Votz

Food journalist Jeanne Appleton (later Voltz) was born on her

grandfathers farm in Collinsville, Alabama, in 1921. There she

witnessed the crops growing, the cows being milked, and the sau-sage being made. This proximity to the creation of food is to credit

for her later perspective. She described her family as experimental

eaters, introducing her to a range of dishes early in her life. She

wrote that her grandmother, Emma Coker Appleton, contributed

mountains of fried chicken to community suppers.35 She noted that

her mother, Marie Sewell Appleton, had the nerve to let a curious

child invade her kitchen; and her father, James Lamar Appleton,

gave her the gift of teaching a child to taste.

36

She recalled beinga Girl Scout who worked alongside community women at pancake

suppers.37

She went to school at the Alabama College for Women38 and

studied political science and history, with plans to be a foreign cor-

respondent. She graduated in 1942, a signicant time for women,

who were assuming jobs left vacant by men headed off to war. De-

cades later, Voltz returned for a class reunion and noted that she

had gone to school with an impressive group of women. In a letter

to a friend, she wrote, I think we came out of college with the

rst wave of the modern woman. She DOES something, rather than

becomes Miss Scarlett, the trap all Southern women had up until

that time.39

Eary Journaism Career

She began her career in journalism after college as a general

assignment news reporter at theMobile (AL) Press Register. It wasa busy time in the port city with its growing shipyard and increas-

ing population. The impact of war was always near. Years later she

noted of World War II, I lost so many friends. I did a lot of casualty

stories.40 It was in Mobile that she developed a taste for fresh sea-

food, a palate that she would revisit. While in Mobile, she married

newspaper editor Luther Voltz. They had two children, Jeanne and

Luther Jr., and when the war ended, the family moved to Miami,

where Luther Voltz had worked earlier and had been offered a job attheMiami Herald. The Florida city was growing fast after the war,


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planned to be a stay-at-home mother. Yet, after a minor health is-

sue, her doctor said lifting and chasing her children would be too

much.41 She joined her husband at the Heraldinstead.

Jeanne Voltz rst worked on the news side of the newspaper,

helping run the city desk from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. She later moved tothe womens news section, a section that was a leader in the na-

tion at the time and under the stewardship of Dorothy Jurney, the

pre-eminent womens page editor of the 1950s and 1960s.42 Jurney

was known for stretching the denition of womens news beyond

weddings and the fours Fs.43 She added a mix of more progressive

news about needs in the community, often aided by womens club

members. The women journalists Jurney mentored likewise ac-

quired this trait.In 1952, Voltz became theHeralds food editor, a job that of-

fered better hours for a working mother. In a 1974 ofcial history

of the Miami Herald, Nixon Smiley wrote that Voltz attained the

position because of her expertise as a gourmet cook.44 This account

is ction, debunked by Voltz years later in a newspaper interview.

She was a hard-news journalist, not a gourmet cook. According to

Voltz, editor Lee Hills called her into his ofce and told her to cover

food. She replied that she did not know how. He told her to learn.45

As a result, she covered food the same way she covered other news.

She looked for the local news angle, the signicant news hook, and

the value for her readers. She quickly began to study food, espe-

cially food of the South, which would become her specialty. Voltz

called it a pivotal time to be in food journalism: The 1950s were

very interesting in food. Husbands came home from war. Theyd

tasted curry. Theyd tasted French food. They were not meat and

potatoes anymore.46

In the 1950s, the Miami newspaper had a large food sectionthat ran each Thursday. The additional advertising income meant

Voltz could take advantage of a signicant travel budget to explore

a range of regional dishes. She became a local celebrity, and soon

her photo was featured alongside her articles.47 Jurney described

Voltz as A very good newspaper womanfood or otherwise.48

Miami Heraldcolleague Marjorie Paxson, who went on to become

the fourth female publisher at Gannett, was a fan of the marvel-

ous Voltz. She had a very practical approach but at the sametime she knew the food eld and was very good. 49 As a journalist


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barbecued, with wives as chief assistants and errand girls.50 Her

role became more central, and she proclaimed, a woman can bar-

becue as well as a man.51

Joining theLos Angeles Times

After a decade of low pay at theHeraldand with their children

nearly grown, the couple left for the West Coast and the Los Ange-

les Times in 1960. The couples move to the West Coast coincided

with theLos Angeles Times more serious treatment of food news.

The position of food editor was moved out of the advertising de-

partment and into the newsroom, an expectation of Voltz if she was

to work in the section.

52

Her impact was quickly felt at the newspa-per, putting the food section on its feet, as a colleague at the paper

reected.53 The Times announced the arrival of its new food editor

with a newspaper article and photo.54 At times, she wrote under the

pseudonym Marian Manners, which had been established years

earlier, although it was eventually replaced by Voltzs byline.55

This change was signicant; food content was no longer treated

as womens fare and was held up to journalistic scrutiny, though in

an article celebrating the Times 80th anniversary, publisher Otis

Chandler wrote that Voltz had been hired to focus on the selection,

preparation, and serving of food and beverages, rather than report-

ing on food as a news beat.56A review of her sections content, how-

ever, clearly demonstrates Voltzs commitment to covering food as

news. She routinely reported on the numerous food industry stud-

ies coming out of the University of California, Los Angeles, and

the University of Southern California. She also helped her readers

discover the growth of ethnic food restaurants in Los Angeles at a

pivotal time in California food history.57 Along the way, she neverforgot that her readers looked to her for cooking advice; after all,

recipes required exact instructions and readers were quick to write

her if there was a problem with a dish. Voltz struck up a partnership

with her local audience and, as her work was syndicated across the

country, she reached thousands of additional readers.

In food journalism, Voltz found her niche. She won six Vesta

Awards, the top recognition for best newspaper food editing and

writing. When she won, the newspaper trumpeted her accomplish-ments with an article and photo.58 In 1970, Voltz studied food, wine,


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The Post-Times Years

In 1973, Voltz became food editor ofWomans Day magazine

in New York, where she remained until 1986. She initially rejected

the job offer from the magazine because she feared the close re-lationship the editorial side would have with advertisers. But the

promise of more than a million readers lured her to take the job.

Fellow magazine food editor Jean Anderson noted that it was un-

usual for a newspaper food editor to make the transition to the New

York magazine community, and thus Voltz was highly regarded.

We were shocked that she was brought in with no magazine expe-

rience, Anderson said.59 While in New York, Voltz was a founding

member of the local chapter of Les Dames dEscofer, a profes-sional organization for women in food-related careers, the rst of

its kind.60 Voltz entertained in her West Side Manhattan apartment,

cooking for the likes of Beard, as well as author Harper Lee.61

In 1983, Voltz stepped down as food editor but stayed at Wom-

ansDay another three years. She divorced Luther Voltz, although

theirs was an amicable parting. In a cookbook, Voltz noted that the

couples rst and last meal together was barbecue ribs in a garden

in Florida. In the same book, published after the divorce, Voltz in-

cluded Luthers recipe for barbecue sauce.62

In the mid-1980s, Voltz became reacquainted with Frank

MacKnight, a friend from her youth. When they married in 1988,

they received a large barbecue grill as a wedding present.63 She

moved to North Carolina and became active in the Society for the

Preservation of Southern Food. She was also a member of the Soci-

ety of Woman Geographers, along with her friend and Everglades

pioneer Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Miami journalist Helen

Muir. Voltzs application for the organization listed her specializa-tion as food anthropology. She continued to write cookbooks,

eventually writing a total of ten. Her nal book, published in 1999,

was The Country Ham Book, and she remained a popular judge of

barbecue contests.64 She died in 2002 at age 81. Upon her death, the

Los Angeles Times described her as a pioneering newspaper food

editor.65

Outine of Cuinary Schoarship


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signicant changes related to governmental scrutiny and regula-

tion, alongside changes in the roles of women in society. A review

of articles in the decade of the 1960s revealed numerous topics and

trends told through food. It demonstrates how food interacted with

a growing city and a developing society. Voltz, as the food editor,guided the newspapers coverage of this change.

In addition to issues of the Los Angeles Times, information

about Voltz came from the papers of the Society of Women Geog-

raphers,66 the papers of Miami journalist Helen Muir,67 oral histories

of her colleagues Dorothy Jurney and Marjorie Paxson,68 and inter-

views Voltz conducted with journalists. Her cookbooks were also

examined to understand her approach to food journalism. To clarify

specic details, an interview was conducted with her daughter, alsonamed Jeanne Voltz.

Studying food journalism in the 1960s allows for a better un-

derstanding of culinary history, changing gender roles, and women

in newspapers. It also allows for a better understanding of commu-

nity. As food editor Kathleen Purvis, who knew Voltz, noted, Food

writing touches peoples lives, traditions, and memories.69 Voltz

wrote, Community kitchens provide settings where rich culinary

traditions and the hopes of new lives in America are shared. 70 It

is a way of exploring social history. A review of the Los Angeles

Times food section from 1960 to 1972 revealed the themes of ethnic

cuisine, nutrition, social issues, and food safety.

Americas Deveoping Cuisine

Food sections served an important purpose as the countrys

appetite was changingcity by city. Tasting around the country

turns up, in Vermont, chicken pies as rich and creamy as Grand-mas; in Maine, sh chowders and baked beans prepared, as they

were in Colonial times; in Massachusetts shing villages, soup

brewed to the rule of Portuguese settlers, Voltz wrote.71 The food

section normalized otherwise exotic dishes, chronicled the growth

of restaurants, and noted the increasing trend of eating out. The

dishes described corresponded to the demographics ofLosAnge-

les Times readers as opposed to dishes featured in national food-

related magazines.In the early 1960s, Voltz reviewed various area restaurants.


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at Gen. Lee Man Jen Low is a low-cost, if short, substitute for a trip

to faraway lands.72 The local analysis made foreign food sound less

intimidating. Later that month, Voltz wrote, Dont let the name

Andres of Beverly Hills mislead you. Andres food and Chianti

bottle dcor is more Italian than French.73

In April, she featuredanother European-themed restaurant, writing, Diners who ap-

preciate the warm spice of Spanish food will nd it at Casa Ma-

drid on La Cienega. 74 In July, she took on a new culture, writing,

The nice, deftly seasoned foods of Old Russia are specialties of

the Moskva Cliff on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City.75 These articles

described the range of available food more than offering a critical

review of its quality, although Voltz eventually was more analytical

in her writing.By the early 1970s, Voltzs reporting aided in the transition as

new, exotic kinds of food were becoming part of the American diet.

Traditionally foods with ties to an ethnic past have been important

in regional food customs, especially for family, she observed.76 She

introduced her readers to Chinese cooking,77and a year later, she

authored a cookbook devoted to California cooking. Where else

but in California will you nd your Japanese neighbors barbecuing

shish kebab to go with their avocado salad, and the Danes up the

road serving enchiladas andchiles rellenos, all washed down with

California wine, she marveled.78 Voltzs repertoire included a vari-

ety of ethnic dishes. She responded to a readers request for an Ital-

ian pickling recipe in 1970.79 In 1971, she recommended an Easter

meal of Mexican-inspired punch, tacos, and enchiladas.80 In a 1973

story, she described Italian desserts, writing: Zuppa Inglese is a

delectable paradox. The literal translation from Italian is English

soup, but actually it is one of the worlds most splendid desserts.

Sponge cake is cut into layers; then with a ne Italian hand, itslled with liqueur-avored custard and berry jam.81

Voltz also combined traditional storytelling techniques with

the basic elements of a recipe. She wrote about a European dessert,

kugelhupf, beginning with a short history of the cake pan: The

kugelhupfpan, often called a Turks head, reputedly was invented

in 1683 after the Turks were defeated at the gates of Vienna. The

battle is buried in history books, but the cake endures.82 When she

addressed Indian cooking, she wrote: Great Britains almost 200years of domination in India opened a avor gateway for the worlds


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wrote about a meatball recipe that she described as adventure-

some. She noted, The exotic fragrance of curry seasonings cre-

ates excitement in the most ordinary foods. 84 Voltz educated her

readers on sushi: In Los Angeles they are calledhors doeuvre or

snacks. In Madrid they are tapas. Muscovites call themzakuski. InJapan they are sushi. Sushi is a savory tidbit of cold vinegared rice

pressed or molded into any of several shapes and nished with tiny

pieces of seafood or sh.85

The most common ethnic style of cooking Voltz wrote about

in the 1960s was Mexican food. Voltz wrote, The conversion of

a Middle Westerner or Easterner to California cookery usually is

complete when tostada, tamale, taco, tortilla, andtaquito become

part of the household kitchen vernacular.

86

In one story, she de-scribed a Mexican-themed party buffet at the pool.87 In another

article, Voltz wrote that her readers were requesting recipes for en-

chiladas, explaining that, Mexican cuisine in general is low cost,

since meat is used sparingly, with beans and corn and cheese sup-

plying much of the protein.88 Other stories ranged from the simple

tamale89 to the more exotic dessert almendradodescribed as a tri-

colored, cold foamy egg-white pudding.90

Voltz encouraged her readers to experiment by adding unusual

ingredients to typical recipes. One story lauded what she described

as a luxury vegetable. Fresh spring asparagus is cause for cele-

bration by epicures, she wrote.91 She also encouraged cooks to

explore new ways to cook standard-fare chicken. The ubiquitous

broiler-fryer is so standard on everyday menus that hosts and host-

esses often are inclined to avoid chicken when planning menus for

entertaining, she wrote. Yet artfully cooked, seasoned, sauced,

and garnished chicken can be epicurean fare indeed.92 In another

story she praised the use of nuts as a source of extra protein inrecipesNuts are an ancient foodand noted that nuts were

mentioned more than 70 times in the Old Testament and still are

produced in the Holy Lands and other parts of the Middle East.93

Voltz even spiced up traditional American foods, suggesting cooks

use blue cheese rather than cheddar to accompany apple pie.94

Eating Heathy

The Food and Drug Administration was active in the 1960s


14/27

change the course of food policy in the country. According to a

government report based on the meeting, Several landmark policy

efforts with profound and lasting effects emerged from this confer-

ence, including expansions of the food stamp program, food label-

ing, and the school lunch program.95

Nearly 20 years after thatmeeting,Milwaukee Journal food editor Peggy Daum emphasized

the continued signicance of that summit: It has been referred to

as the Vatican II of the food world.96

Voltz covered that White

House meeting and reported the need to address malnutrition due

to poverty.97

The work of the federal agency, along with the food research

being conducted at Los Angeles universities, meant that the content

of Voltzs section went well beyond including recipes. In severalstories, Voltz covered the FDA as it readied for the rst guidelines

on nutrition for processed foods in 1971.98 A few years later she cov-

ered the FDA-required nutrition labeling guidelines. She covered

the various meetings with consumer advocates, scientists, and food

industry representatives over what the requirements should be. For

one story, she traveled to Houston to a meeting of food editors. At

the meeting, an FDA ofcial addressed the group, describing the

new Recommended Daily Allowance guidelines that replaced the

1941 Minimum Daily Requirement.99 She described the new policy

as a mixed blessingor at least brought mixed responses. 100

In 1972, Voltz wrote about a California law that would require

enrichment in grains to improve nutritional value. About two-

thirds of the states already had similar laws and California was de-

bating possible legislation. She quoted a home economist who had

lobbied for passage of the bill: Since so many people use highly

processed foods without really knowing what they contain, this can

be important in improving total nutrition.101 For the story, Voltzalso conducted an investigation of the foods in the local grocery

store, looking for what was printed on the labels and reporting the

results. This was the kind of reporting that Senator Moss had called

for earlier.

In an article the following year, Voltz questioned the overcon-

sumption of sugar in Americans diets. She researched the problem

by examining the ingredients list on different packaged foods, not-

ing that sugar was often a hidden ingredient.102

For another story,she interviewed a nutrition expert from the American Medical As-


15/27

nutrition, Voltz wrote about how to prepare vegetables in order to

maintain the most nutrients: The new cooking, largely a return

to Grandmas fundamentals, glories fresh vegetables. Young folk

proudly proclaim they never use a frozen or canned vegetable.104

In another article, she described nutritional and nancial value ofa particular vegetable: Cabbage is that budget-pampering wonder,

always available at a very low, low price and one of natures most

nutritious gifts to man.105

Food Intersects with life

In addition to articles about types of food and food policies,

Voltzs section also included people in the food industry and issuesrelated to food.Taking a typical approach to news, she focused on

timeliness, proximity, conict, and human interest. She spoke with

food experts when they visited her city and explored their exper-

tise. She also documented culinary trends such as the development

of convenience foods and the conict over their nutritional value.

Lastly, she viewed food in a broader context, as she outlined the

problem of hunger in the United States.

In 1963, Voltz proled Helen Corbit, the director of the restau-

rant in the Dallas-based Neiman-Marcus department store while

the Texan was on vacation in Los Angeles. Corbit freely shared

her views on food and gender and proclaimed there was a myth

that men were meat-and-potato eaters whereas women preferred

chicken and salads. She said that in her restaurant, men were just

as likely to order fruit salads and soufs, while women ordered

steak and hamburgers. During her vacation, Corbit also expressed

disappointment in Los Angeles restaurants. Not afraid to include a

critique of her community, Voltz offered up Corbits rebuke in thestory: I think with the wealth of fresh fruit and vegetables, there is

very little imagination here. 106

Voltz used a story about a wine and food taster to critique the

food industry overall. She began by describing the 72-year career of

William Titon, the legendary Macys department store food-taster.

Tasting has become almost a quaint custom by todays merchan-

dising standards, she wrote.107 She argued that the food industry

was largely based on packaging and advertising schedules ratherthan focusing on whether the food tasted good or was nutritious:


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with the expectation that cooking was not cooking unless from

scratch. Voltz did not feel beholden to this requisite in her news-

paper section, seeking a balance between the sophisticated and the

simple. She received inspiration from friend and culinary legend

James Beard, quoting him, If we want to do it from scratch, wecan. If we want to serve convenience foods that take little time, we

can go that way.109 Voltz would provide recipes for those opposed

to cooking with shortcuts for meals such as baked polenta, veal cor-

don bleu, and cream puffs. In another issue, she would include reci-

pes for women who were too busy to cook from scratch, or quick

recipes intended for the busy mother or volunteer worker who has

scant time for the kitchen 110 that could still perk up a menu.

On the other hand, Voltz also wrote about a growing rebellionagainst the convenience-food explosion. The potential decline of

womens home-cooked meals threatened tradition. Grocery stores

were full of more than 4,600 short-cut foods.111 Voltz described the

kind of cooks who years later might embrace Martha Stewart for

her scratch-made meals. In a change from previous stories, sev-

eral of the women used as role models were not described as home-

makers. For example, Voltz wrote: A young career girl bakes and

serves tortes that outdo the efforts of a professional pastry chef.

Another career girl fries chicken from scratchjust as her grand-

mother did.112

In 1972, Voltz wrote about the problem of hunger in America.

Her story followed up a federal study that identied places where

malnutrition occurred in the nation. She began by quoting a sena-

tor who noted there was talk about hunger but no action was be-

ing taken. Californias unwritten nutrition policy is at a cross-

roads, she declared. At risk were children who were hungry by

noon, and pregnant women who could not afford to eat properly.113Voltz reported a meeting in Mexico City of the International Con-

gress of Nutrition. In examining the problem of malnutrition, she

interviewed a professor who pointed out the common misconcep-

tion that, The poor generally select foods more wisely than the

afuent.114

Also that year, Voltz wrote about proposed legislation that

would have required healthier school lunches, one of the most pro-

gressive laws in the country at the time. The bill ultimately passedso that students would have hot lunches. The story examined food


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Indian Reservation. Voltz began with the story of Gene George, a

coordinator with the Food Advocates, who rode on horseback to the

reservation to explain the details of the food-stamp programs and

the problem of hunger in the community.116

As a potential solution to the hunger issue, Voltz published sto-ries suggesting ways to prepare a nutritious meal on a budget. The

country was experiencing a recession in the 1970s, and there was

an emphasis on women taking extra care while shopping at the gro-

cery store. Voltz wrote about the ease of preparation and economic

value of meatballs. For only a few cents a serving, you can offer

an epicurean treat, she wrote.117 Other stories also noted how cooks

could save money when shopping for groceries.

Reguating the Food Industry

As consumer news increased in the late 1960s and early 1970s,

food-industry safety became a regular topic in Voltzs section. In

California, the Department of Consumer Affairs was created in

1970, and although it exists today as an agency to regulate profes-

sional services, in its original form it included oversight of food.

Voltz highlighted this need for consumer protection in a story about

the agency and quoted its original director, Leighton Hatch: The

consumer has the right to know that the goods he purchases are safe

for himself. You may think of tires as being safe, but this applies to

food, too.118

Voltzs numerous food safety stories throughout the early 1970s

included an article focusing on a food scientist who described the

average home kitchen as a food poisoning time bomb and warned

of the dangerous organisms lurking in kitchens.119 In another story

on food safety, she addressed problems of contamination in thepoultry industry. It was in response to what she had learned at a re-

cently attended conference of the Western Food Processing Indus-

try. It was determined that the current attitude was of consumer

concern, not consumer panic. 120 In another story, the president

of the Institute of Food Technology, speaking at a related confer-

ence, announced the need for consumer education about food. He

noted that most reactions to safety issues were emotional rather

than reasoned responses to scientic problems. He expressed hisbelief that a lack of food knowledge was based on how children


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Voltzs work preceded the current organic food revolution by a

few decades, although she made several references to organic food

in the early 1970s, particularly in relation to food safety. Voltz ad-

vised that food consumers demand organic foods at their super-

markets for better value and safety.122

Later in the story, she posed aquestion that remains a conundrum within the food industryhow

is organic dened? What is organic, organically shipped or or-

ganically grown food, she asked.123 There were no clear guidelines

at the time, and they remained ambiguous until the passage of the

Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. She questioned again the

meaning of the term organic, this time in a story about grocers

facing off with angry customers.124 The shoppers accused the busi-

nesses of having poor-quality foods and not weighing food accu-rately. At the meeting, the grocers sought to open communication

with consumers, who in turn wanted the media to take the topic of

food safety seriously.125 Voltz also covered the results of a three-year

study about the health-food movement and organic food. Central to

the research was the question about the sociological aspects of the

movement. The researcher found tensions between the rst-wave

health-food advocates and hippies. The growth of the countercul-

ture community in Berkeley clearly had an impact on food in the

state. Voltz noted that, decades earlier, the increase of health food

stores was a reaction against the massive US food industry. Experts

believed the trend of health food would continue in the future.126

Voltz capitalized on the wave and wrote a cookbook about natu-

ral foods. In the introduction, she wrote of the trend, The home

cook who bakes good honest bread, makes a fragrant soup or stew

from scratch or prepares her own homemade pie is regarded as the

culinary genius of the 1970s.127 Voltzs expertise in the growing

health-food movement was a signicant one at the time.128The power of the consumer and the power of motherhood made

for a strong combination in food coverage. Voltz covered a panel in

Las Vegas in which homemakers with children critiqued their ex-

periences with the food industry in front of 70 food scientists. The

mothers accused the food industry of providing consumers with

puffery about products rather than information about nutrition. The

women, who included a black mother at a time when minorities

were often excluded from newspaper coverage, also questioned therising costs of food and the high level of fat. They requested more


19/27

Concusion

In 2009, publisher ABC-CLIO began collecting names for a

book based on the icons of American cooking. While Jeanne Voltz

was under consideration, she was not selected. Her marginalizationin culinary history parallels the lack of recognition of women food

editors in journalism history, which more often celebrates women

reporters who generate hard news, such as war correspondents.

When specialized reporting is studied, it is usually a matter of

politics, business, or sports; the four Fs of the womens pages are

largely forgotten.

If food sections are to be written into journalism history, the

work of Voltz is an opportune place to start. Shes an extraordi-nary person, said Terry Ford, a food editor and charter member

of Julia Childs American Institute of Food and Wine. Her career

goes bicoastal. Her impact and her knowledge are vast. She is very

gifted, very crafted. When you read something Jeanne Voltz writes,

you can say it was 100 percent thoroughly researched. 130 Other

food journalists whose careers merit study include Jane Nickerson

of theNew York Times, Ruth Ellen Church of the Chicago Tribune,

and Cecily Brownstone of the Associated Press, to name a few.

More attention should be paid to the content of food sections

and the careers of food editors. In a recent example of their contin-

ued marginalization, consider the Associated Press Stylebook, the

annually updated Journalists Bible of style, grammar, newswrit-

ing, and usage.131 The 2011 edition includes a section devoted to

food. According to an AP press release, the impetus for the addition

was the medias newfoundinterest in food,132 yet, as this article has

demonstrated, food journalism has long been a xture among the

media.For too long, womens pages have been looked at by many

scholars as sections that did little more than reinforce womens tra-

ditional role. This was once how the eld of home economics was

viewed, too. Until recently womens historians largely dismissed

home economics as little more than a conspiracy to keep women

in the kitchen, wrote one scholar.133 However, historians have re-

evaluated the eld and in doing so, raised its status.134 It is time to

do the same for food sections and the women journalists who toiledin obscurity to produce them. These sections gave women a voice


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Endnotes

1Jeanne Voltz, Application for the Society of Woman Geographers, Au-gust 31, 1981. Records of the Society of Woman Geographers, box II,

folder 9, Manuscript Collection, Library of Congress.2 Terry Ford, a charter member of Julia Childs American Institute of Food

and Wine, said this about Jeanne Voltz. Kathleen Purvis, Words to Eat

By, Charlotte Observer, February 18, 1998.3Jeanne Voltz,An Apple a Day (New York: Irena Chalmers Cookbooks,1983), 6.4 Maurine Beasley and Sheila Gibbons, eds., Taking Their Place: A Docu-

mentary History of Women and Journalism, (Washington, DC: The Amer-

ican University Press, 1993).5 For example, the Evansville Indiana Courier womens page editor

Ann Hamman had a masters degree in home economics from Purdue

University.6 Janet Theophano, Eat My Words: Reading Womens Lives Through the

Cookbooks They Wrote (New York: Palgrave MacMillian, 2003), 3; Anna

Bower, Romanced by Cookbooks, Gastronomica: The Journal of Food

and Culture 4, no. 2 (2004): 3542; William Alex McIntosh and Mary Zey,

Women as Gatekeepers of Food Consumption, Food and Foodways 3,

no. 4 (1989): 319321.7 Richard Karp, Newspaper Food Pages: Credibility for Sale, Columbia

Journalism Review, November/December 1971, 3644.8 David Kamp, The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet

Nation (New York: Broadway Books, 2006), 10.9 One of Voltzs best-known recipes was for the Florida version of key

lime pie. Jeanne Voltz and Caroline Stuart, Florida Cookbook: From

Gulf Coast Gumbo to Key Lime Pie (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993),

16566.10 Garrett D. Byrnes, Fashion in Newspapers (New York: American Fash-

ion Institute by Columbia University Press, 1951), 1.

11 Kimberly Wilmot Voss, Vivian Castleberry: A Case Study of How aWomens Page Editor Lived and Translated the News of a Social Move-

ment, Southwest Historical Quarterly, Spring 2007, 514532; Kimberly

Wilmot Voss and Lance Speere, A Womens Page Pioneer: Marie An-

derson and Her Inuence at theMiami Heraldand Beyond, Florida His-

torical Quarterly, Spring 2007, 398421; Kimberly Wilmot Voss, For-

gotten Feminist: Womens Page Editor Maggie Savoy and the Growth

of Womens Liberation Awareness in Los Angeles, California History,

Spring 2009, 4864; Kimberly Wilmot Voss, Dorothy Jurney: The God-

mother of Womens Page Editors,Journalism History 36, no. 1 (Spring2010): 1322; Kimberly Wilmot Voss, Anne Rowe Goldman: Refashion-

i W N i St P t b Fl id FCH A l J l f th


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Women in Journalism, Washington Press Club Foundation Oral History

Project, http://beta.wpcf.org/oralhistory/jurn1.html.13 The Press: The Kitchen Department, Time, October 19, 1953, http://

www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,823077,00.html.14 Ray Irwin, Newspapers Find Food Protable News Subject,Editor &

Publisher, July 15, 1950.15 Kamp, The United States of Arugula, 57.16 Journal Wins Award at Food Conference, Milwaukee Journal, Sep-

tember 28, 1969.17 In this position, Emilie Hall was responsible for developing journalis-

tic material for the extension, teaching, and research for home econom-

ics audiences. http://www.ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/17970/2/

Hall_Emilie_Towner_1981.pdf.18 Vesta Award to Journal Food Writer,Milwaukee Journal, September

24, 1965.19 Peggy Daum, Editors Criticized by Senator, Feminist, Milwaukee

Journal, October 8, 1971.20 Jack Anderson, Moss to Probe Newsmen, Tuscaloosa (Alabama)

News, January 9, 1972.21 Richard Karp, Newspaper Food Pages: Credibility for Sale, Columbia

Journalism Review, November/December 1971, 36.22 Ibid., 41.23 Ann Hamman, letter to the editor, Columbia Journalism Review, May/

June 1972, 61.24 Interview with Jeanne Voltz (daughter), July 18, 2008.25 Jeanne Voltz to Helen Muir, 20 July 1986, Papers of Helen Muir, Special

Collections, University of Miami, box 13, folder 173.26 Molly ONeill, Food Porn, Columbia Journalism Review, September/

October 2003, 38.27 Doug Brown, Haute Cuisine,American Journalism Review, February/

March 2004, 50.28 Kelly Alexander and Cynthia Harris, Hometown Appetites: The Story of

Clementine Paddleford, the Forgotten Food Writer Who Chronicled HowAmerica Ate (New York: Gotham Press, 2008).29 Kelly Alexander, Hometown Appetites, Saveur, November 19, 2007,

http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Hometown-Appetites/1.30 Mary Margaret McBride,Mary Margaret McBrides Harvest of Ameri-

can Cooking (New York: G. Putnams Sons, 1956). See also, Susan Ware,

Its One OClock and Here Is Mary Margaret McBride (New York: New

York University Press, 2005).31 Jeanne Voltz, Barbecued Ribs, Smoked Butts and Other Great Feeds

(New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996).32 Ibid.33 Jeanne Voltz 81; Past Editor of the Times Food Section Los Angeles


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womens page editor joined together to demand to be paid as much as the

news editors. Robert W. Wells, The Milwaukee Journal: An Informational

Chronicle of its First 100 Years (Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee Journal,

1981).35 Jeanne Voltz, Community Suppers and Other Glorious Repasts (New

York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1988), dedication.36 Jeanne Voltz, The Flavor of the South (New York: Random House,

1977), dedication.37 Jeanne Voltz, Community Suppers and Other Glorious Repasts (New

York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1988), 24.38 The college later became the University of Montevallo.39 Jeanne Voltz to Helen Muir, 18 February 1982, Papers of Helen Muir,

Special Collections, University of Miami, box 13, folder 174.40 Kathleen Purvis, Words to Eat By, Charlotte Observer, February 18,

1998.41 Ibid.42 In 1950, Miami HeraldEditor Lee Hills called longtime womens page

journalist Dorothy Jurney and asked her a question: Could you take on

the womens editorship so that we could get something in the paper that is

worth reading? See Kimberly Wilmot Voss, Dorothy Jurney: A National

Advocate for Womens Pages as They Evolved and Then Disappeared,

Journalism History 36, no. 1 (Spring 2010).43 Dorothy Jurney, Women in Journalism, The Bulletin, American Soci-

ety of Newspaper Editors, 1 January 1956, 5.44 Nixon Smiley, Knights of the Fourth Estate: The Story of the Miami

Herald(Miami: Banyan, 1984).45 Kathleen Purvis, Words to Eat By, Charlotte Observer, February 18,

1998.46 Ibid.47 Jeanne Voltz, Duet Dinners Are Easy to Prepare These Days with New

Food Packaging, Miami Herald, September 13, 1953.48 Dorothy Jurney, Women in Journalism, Washington Press Club Foun-

dation, January 16, 1990, Session 1, 39. http://www.wpcf.org/oralhistory/ohhome.html.49 Marjorie Paxson, Women in Journalism, Washington Press Club Foun-

dation, January 16, 1991, Session 3, 58. http://www.wpcf.org/oralhistory/

ohhome.html.50 Jeanne Voltz, Barbecuing Ribs, Smoked Butts and Other Great Feeds

(New York: Knopf, 1990), x.51 Ibid.52 Kathleen Purvis, Word to Eat By, Charlotte Observer, February 18,

1998.53 Barbara Hanson, L.A. Times Food Gals, Culinary Historians of

Southern California April 10 2010 http://chscsite org/food section gals/


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55 Jenn Garbee, Marian Manners, Prudence Penny, the First Celebrity

Cooks,Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2009. It was not unusual for food

writers to adopt pen names. For example, longtime Chicago Tribune food

editor Ruth Ellen Church wrote under the pen name Mary Meade for

most of her career. See, Lloyd Wendt, Chicago Tribune: The Rise of a

Great American Newspaper(Chicago: Rand McNally & Company, 1979),

725726.56 Otis Chandler, An Octogenarian and Still More Growth Ahead, Los

Angeles Times, December 3, 1961.57 Interview with Kathleen Purvis, June 24, 2010.58 Associated Press, The Times Jeanne Voltz Wins Vesta Food Award,

Los Angeles Times, September 29, 1966.59 Interview with Jean Anderson, June 30, 2010.60 Nancy Brussat Barocci, Les Dames dEscofer International, History,

www.ldei.org/history.asp. Voltz was president of the organization from1985 to 1987 and helped it expand. The organization continues today.61 Kathleen Purvis, Word to Eat By, Charlotte Observer, February 18,

1998.62 Jeanne Voltz, Barbecued Ribs, Smoked Butts, and Other Great Feeds

(New York, Alfred A. Knopf: 1990), ix.63 Ibid.64 Interview with Kathleen Purvis, June 24, 2010.65 Jeanne Voltz, 81; Past Editor of the Times Food Section,Los Angeles

Times, January 16, 2002.66 Jeanne Voltz Membership form, Records of the Society of Woman Ge-

ographers, box II, folder 9, Manuscript Collection, Library of Congress.67 Papers of Helen Muir, Special Collections, University of Miami.68 Dorothy Jurney and Marjorie Paxson, Women in Journalism oral his-

tory project, Washington Press Club Foundation, http://www.wpcf.org

/oralhistory/ohhome.html69 Interview with Kathleen Purvis, June 24, 2010.70 Jeanne Voltz, Community Suppers and Other Glorious Repasts, 1.71

Ibid.72 Jeanne Voltz, Dining Out,Los Angeles Times, February 5, 1961.73 Jeanne Voltz, Dining Out,Los Angeles Times, February 12, 1961.74 Jeanne Voltz, Dining Out,Los Angeles Times, April 30, 1961.75 Jeanne Voltz, Dining Out,Los Angeles Times, July 2, 1961.76 Barbara G. Shortridge, Not Just Jello and Hot Dishes: Representative

Foods of Minnesota,Journal of Cultural Geography, Fall/Winter 2003, 79.77 Jeanne Voltz, Californians Bow to Chinese Cookery Californians Bow

to Chinese Cuisine,Los Angeles Times, June 26, 1969.78

Jeanne Voltz, The California Cookbook(New York: The Bobbs-MerrillCompany, Inc, 1970), xii.79 Jeanne Voltz True Italian Recipes for Pickled Peppers Los Angeles


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81 Jeanne Voltz, The Cream of Italian Desserts, Los Angeles Times,

March 25, 1973.82 Jeanne Voltz, Kugelhupf,Los Angeles Times, January 7, 1973.83 Jeanne Voltz, You Can Thank Mad Dogs and Englishmen for Indian

Curry,Los Angeles Times, June 4, 1972.84 Jeanne Voltz, Roar of Approval for Curry, as Exotic as Sikhs and Sa-

ris,Los Angeles Times, January 28, 1973.85 Jeanne Voltz, Sushi a Great Snack from Japan, Los Angeles Times,

February 7, 1971.86 Jeanne Voltz, Lexicon with a Latin Accent for California Cooking,

Los Angeles Times, August 5, 1971.87 Jeanne Voltz, A Mexican Party Buffet by the Pool,Los Angeles Times,

April 27, 1969.88 Jeanne Voltz, Enchiladas: Theyre Easy on the Budget and Hard to

Resist,Los Angeles Times, March 15, 1973.89 Jeanne Voltz, Tamales,Los Angeles Times, June 1, 1972.90 Jeanne Voltz, Almendrado,Los Angeles Times, January 24, 1971.91 Jeanne Voltz, Asparagus Tips for Epicurean Tastes, Los Angeles

Times, March 22, 1973.92 Jeanne Voltz, Chicken with a Twist,Los Angeles Times, April 8, 1973.93 Jeanne Voltz, Nuts Star as the Extra that Glamorize the Ordinary,Los

Angeles Times, November 30, 1972.94 Jeanne Voltz, Spice Apple Pie with Blue Cheese, Los Angeles Times,

July 23, 1961.95 1969 Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health, National Nutrition

Summit 2000, http://www.nns.nih.gov/1969/conference.htm.96 Peggy Daum, A Retrospective,Milwaukee Journal, February 17, 1988.97 Jeanne Voltz, Malnutrition Detection Urged,Los Angeles Times, Sep-

tember 12, 1969.98 Jeanne Voltz, FDA Readying First Guidelines on Nutrition,Los Ange-

les Times, April 8, 1971.99 Jeanne Voltz, Labeling System Proposed by FDA,Los Angeles Times,

March 2, 1972.100 Jeanne Voltz, Cheers and Jeers for New Nutrient Labeling Regula-

tions,Los Angeles Times, January 25, 1973.101 Jeanne Voltz, Grain Enrichment Law1970s Gift to Californians,

Los Angeles Times, December 27, 1971.102 Jeanne Voltz, Are Americans Programmed to Overconsumption of

Sugar,Los Angeles Times, April 19, 1973.103 Jeanne Voltz, Malnutrition Blamed on Eating Habits, Los Angeles

Times, February 15, 1973.104

Jeanne Voltz, Little Water Goes a Long Way,Los Angeles Times, Feb-ruary 15, 1973.105 Jeanne Voltz For Gourmets on a Budget Los Angeles Times January


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107 Jeanne Voltz, A Vanishing Breed: The Food Taster, Los Angeles

Times, April 18, 1971.108 Ibid.109 Ibid.110 Jeanne Voltz, Quick! Quick! Quick! Los Angeles Times, February

16, 1969.111 Laura Shapiro, Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s

America, (New York: Viking, 2004), 44.112 Jeanne Voltz, The Rebellion Against Convenience, Los Angeles

Times, February 2, 1969.113 Jeanne Voltz, HungryA Lot of Talk About It, but Whats Being

Done,Los Angeles Times, September 28, 1972.114 Jeanne Voltz, Malnutrition in the City,Los Angeles Times, September

7, 1972.115 Jeanne Voltz, Nutritionists Back School Lunch Bill, Los AngelesTimes, December 22, 1972.116 Jeanne Voltz, Overcoming Food Stamp Reservations, Los Angeles

Times, December 21, 1972.117 Jeanne Voltz, Round the World on a Meatball Budget, Los Angeles

Times, March 4, 1973.118 Jeanne Voltz, How to Protect Consumer,Los Angeles Times, October

16, 1970.119 Jeanne Voltz Home Kitchen a Time Bomb? Los Angeles Times, Oc-

tober 6, 1971.120 Jeanne Voltz, Problems in Food Protection, Los Angeles Times,

March 23, 1972.121 Jeanne Voltz, Plan Announced for Food Safety Panel, Los Angeles

Times, November 19, 1971.122 Jeanne Voltz Markets Listening to Shoppers,Los Angeles Times, Oc-

tober 4, 1971.123 Jeanne Voltz, Standards on Organic Food Questioned, Los Angeles

Times,November 11, 1971.124

Jeanne Voltz, Panel Bakes Grocers Over the Coals, Los AngelesTimes, June 29, 1972.125 Ibid.126 Jeanne Voltz, Looking Into Health Food Movement, Los Angeles

Times, June 22, 1972.127 Jeanne Voltz, Natural Foods Cookbook (New York, G. P. Putnams

Sons: 1973), 7.128 Sherrie A. Inness, Secret Ingredients: Race, Gender, and Class at the

Dinner Table (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2006), 89, 101.129

Jeanne Voltz, Food Shopping Rapped by Housewives, Los AngelesTimes, November 4, 1971.130 Kathleen Purvis Word to Eat By Charlotte Observer February 18


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132 Food is a Focus in 2011 AP Stylebook, Associated Press, May 16,

2011. http://www.ap.org/pages/about/pressreleases/pr_051611a.html.133 Sarah Stage, Home Economics: Whats in a Name?, in Rethinking

Home Economics: Women and the History of a Profession, ed. Sarah Stage

and Virginia B. Vincenti (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1997), 1.134 See, for example, Carolyn M. Goldstein, Creating Consumers: Home

Economists in Twentieth-Century America (Chapel Hill: University of

North Carolina Press, 2012).


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