RAILROAD DINING, ART, AND CULTURE IN REVIEW BY JAMES D. PORTERFIELD Readers (Continue) To Write
COLUMNS SUCH AS THIS ONE — made up as they are of content supplied by readers — may ap- pear to be easy to throw together. But if they were, why am I always apologizing to Steve Barry for being several days late getting them in? First, there have to be enough of them to fill the space my column is assigned. Next, I have to verify, to the best degree possible, that what I am reporting is accurate. Then, as a courtesy, I check with the person submitting the information to learn whether or not he or she will allow me to mention them by name, or just refer to them as “a reader” (and just be- cause I don’t attach a name doesn’t mean they object — they may just not have gotten back to me in time with their okay. Only then do I assemble thses bits and pieces, hoping you find them as interesting as I do. Angela’s New Book: A recent email had
this as its attention-grabbing subject: “It’s Al- most Here.” It was from Angela Trotta Thom- as, who this year marks her 25th anniversary as Lionel’s only licensed artist, and it an- nounced the pending publication of her book celebrating that event. Titled Painting an American Icon: The Lionel Train Art of Ange- la Trotta Thomas, it presents more than 100 works she’s done for the company. These have appeared on catalog covers, billboard models, tree skirts and flags, Christmas cards, some 20 pieces of rolling stock, and elsewhere. “I never set out to do cover art,” she says. “I
merely set out to create art, and it wound up as a cover.” That may be because she has the unique ability to render images that resurrect Lionel memories in the minds of all who view it. “Lionel,” she notes, “is part of the Ameri- can fabric. The company has survived for 115 years, and has endured all manner of change in that time.” So while she is an acclaimed fine artist who creates in many genres, she acknowledges that “this book is the culmina- tion of what people see as my life’s work.” Painting an American Icon is to be self-pub-
lished in fall 2015. It is offered in five options, some of which include an artist proof, or an original study painting, a Giclee cover art print, or a pencil drawing. Quantities, espe- cially of options two through five, are strict- ly limited, and are available for pre-order at
www.angelatrottathomas.com/product-cate- gory/book. From a Long-Time Friend: Kevin Bun-
ker was recently browsing through back is- sues of the Southern Pacific Bulletin when he came upon a series of articles he thought I/ we would find interesting. They ran between December 1962 and December 1963 under the common title “SP Chef’s Favorite Recipes.” Each introduced an Espee chef and offered a selection of his favorite recipes. While it is not clear whether many of these items were served on their trains, the ingredients were everyday-common and the instructions vir- tually devoid of preparation steps — instead simply being to mix and, where called for, heat. That indicates that if they weren’t fixed on the train, they could have been. The December 1962 issue introduced Chef
Joel Smith. He began his career in 1924 as a cook on the dining cars of the railroad’s Sun-
set Route. Having been trained initially in San Antonio, Texas, restaurants, he quickly rose to become a chef in 1927 with his assign- ment to the New Orleans-Los Angeles Argo- naut. While asserting that Southern Fried Chicken was No. 1 in popularity on his trains, he instead shared recipes for Stewed Chicken, Lilly; Beef Carpetbag Steak; and Indian River Salad. These, incidentally, win the prize for quick, simple preparation. Stewed Chicken, Lilly, is merely a quartered tender young chicken sauteed in butter, with mushrooms, tomatoes, shallotts, and sherry added, then seasoned with salt, pepper, and parsley. The Carpetbag Steak is a two-inch-thick slice of sirloin, slit and stuffed with seasoned raw oysters, broiled to perfection and served with potatoes. The salad? Grapefruit sections, chopped pineapple, and mayonnaise, mixed and returned to the grapefruit half, garnished with pimiento and avocado. The January/February 1963 issue presents
Chef Phillip Hamilton, whose impish smile tells you right off his kitchen was likely a light-hearted place to work. His career is not- ed as “uninterrupted” since 1925, when he was hired as a fourth cook. He was known for his “desire to reach the top,” and so it appar- ently didn’t surprise his mentor, instructing chef William Whitley, that he moved up to chef in 1943. A resident of Oakland, Calif., his many distinctions included that he worked the inaugural run of the Shasta Daylight, and that he was regularly requested to work on the business cars of the railroad’s executives. He shares recipes for Sweet Potato Casserole, Veal Birds (veal medallions folded over sea- soned bread stuffing, baked in mushroom gra- vy), and Beef Miroton. In March 1963 we meet Nate Trunnel, who
joined the railroad in 1926 as a fourth cook. He was later named chef, and, in 1952, appoint- ed instructing chef. He was selected to cook for four U. S. Presidents: Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and John Kennedy. He and his wife and two daughters lived at the time in Oakland. Chef Nate offers recipes for his presidential creations, including Lobster Thermidor, Veal Scallopini a la Mar- sala, and Cranberry Souffle Salad Next it was Urbin Celestin’s turn. Born
and educated in New Orleans, he entered Es- pee dining car service in 1928, went on hiatus for a few years in the early 1930s to work in restaurants in New Orleans, and returned to the railroad some time later. His profile noted that — as with many chefs over the years, including today — “he brought back an excellent knowledge of his profession,” and that “his imaginative southern cookery has delighted SP patrons for many years.” A res- ident of Berkeley, Calif., at the time, with a wife and two daughters, he is represented by recipes for Seafood Gumbo, Crab Appetizers, and Baked Red Snapper New Orleans. Finaly, endurance champion chef John Cummings graced the pages of the Janu- ary-February 1963 issue. He began with the railroad in 1918, after completing the rail- road’s cooking school, and also quickly rose to be a chef on the Sunset Route. He won ku-
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