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photos by Styrous®
I just finished reading
Comfort Me with Apples written by
Ruth Reichl in 2003; I know, I'm a little behind the times. Reichl is the last editor-in-chief of the defunct
Gourmet magazine, a monthly publication of
Condé Nast and the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine.
I knew Ruth in the late seventies and when she married the future television news producer, Michael Singer, I was the
DJ for their wedding celebration at the
Savoy Tivoli on upper
Grant Ave. in
San Francisco.
The Tivoli was one of the hot spots for blues artists such as Muddy
Waters and Jimmy Reed but was also the punk music scene where the
Ramones and many other groups played.
photographer unknown
The Savoy was the original location for the famous producion by Steve Silver,
Beach Blanket Babylon when it began in 1974.
photographer unknown
Ruth and Michael had rented the Tivoli for this special occasion. I had known Ruth from the
Swallow restaurant which was and still is in the basement of the
University Art Museum (
link below) in
Berkeley.
Ruth Reichl ~
Comfort Me with Apples
It
was interesting reading the book as it references some of the people I
knew at the time; one of them, her first husband, was sound sculptor
Doug Hollis. He designed and built
A Sound Garden for the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is a sculptural group composed of 12 21 feet (6.4
m) high steel tower structures, at the top of each of which hangs an
organ pipe attached to a
weather vane
that produces soft-toned sounds when it is rotated or passed through by
the wind. It brought back many happy memories. He built sculptures for
his residency at the
Headlands Center for the Arts at the
Marin Headlands, a perfect location for them.
The
book chronicles the many love affairs Ruth was involved with in her
climb to editor of one of the most prestigious magazines of the time. At
the end of each entry is a menu with recipes of the food event
described.
Condé Nast ceased publishing
Gourmet magazine after 68 years due to a decline in advertising sales and shifting food interests among the readership. Ruth is now a producer, judge on food shows and host of food-related television shows.
Viewfinder links:
Berkeley Art Museum
Chez Panisse 40th Anniversary Pt 1
Net links:
Ruth Reichl website
BAM/PFA ~ Douglas Hollis / MATRIX 107
broke-ass stuart ~ The City That Was: The Savoy Tivoli
Eater ~ Why Gourmet’s Website Was Doomed From the Start
Exploratorium ~ Doug Hollis
NY Post ~ Moment of Ruth
NY Times ~ Ruth Reichl Recharges in the Kitchen
SF Gate ~ Ruth Reichl Profile
Times of Israel ~ As Gourmet folded, Reichl made a recipe for success
Video Databank ~ Doug Hollis: 1978 Interview
Styrous® ~ Friday, October 25, 2019,
