Appetite for America is a Must Read

I cannot believe that I did not make a blog post after reading what I consider to be one of the best biographies of a true hospitality industry pioneer so doing it today. I was really impressed by the amount of research the author did to provide a truly detailed and interesting account of how Englishman, Fred Harvey, grew one of the first hospitality conglomerates in the United States back in the 1800's. Indeed, many of the things that you are probably teaching your students today on how to acquire, prepare, and serve food -- let alone manage a hospitality business -- is most likely traced back to Fred Harvey. And for those who are accredited by ACPHA and need to be up on industry pioneers as part of that accreditation it is imperative to know and tell the story of Fred Harvey.  At the very least, this book should be on the shelves of every library for culinary arts and hospitality education students to read.

Below is a press release that the author was kind enough to send for me to post to the blog today and the last paragraph is really not hyperbole, it is fact:

Fred Harvey is the founding father of the nation’s service industry, our first foodie hero. His legendary company and entrepreneurial vision helped shape American culture and history for three generations—from the 1880s through World War II. His hospitality empire civilized the West, introduced America to Americans, and influences business, travel, and culinary tastes to this day. In this remarkable book, author Stephen Fried, truly tells the remarkable tale of Englishman Fred Harvey who grew a hospitality empire as the railroad pushed westward.


The story of Fred Harvey’s dovetails with America’s expansion westward, the modernization of the U.S. through the railroad, and a time when business was done with a handshake and an empire could be born with a dream. Harvey’s Horatio Alger life takes him from hard-scrabble young immigrant dishwasher to household name during one of the most fascinating periods of American history. Beginning with a single lunch counter in 1876, Harvey’s empire grew to include eating houses and hotels along the nation’s largest railroad, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe (including historic lodges still in use at the Grand Canyon). His “Harvey Houses” were patronized by European royalty, American Presidents, rowdy cowboys, and countless ordinary travelers looking for the best cup of coffee in the country. Famous for succulent cuisine and world-renowned chefs, the Harvey name became synonymous with quality and service. His staff of carefully screened single young women—the celebrated “Harvey Girls”—were the country’s first female workforce and genuine Americana heroines, even inspiring an Oscar-winning MGM musical starring Judy Garland.


Through his sixty-five restaurants and lunch counters, sixty dining cars, and dozen large hotels, and major union stations from Chicago to Los Angeles, Fred Harvey controlled what many Americans ate, where they slept, what they bought and wore, even what they thought about their country. He was Ray Kroc before McDonald’s, J. Willard Marriott before Marriott Hotels, Howard Schultz before Starbucks. And Fred’s legacy long outlived him--in a fascinating generational hand-off, his son Ford transformed the company, and his dying father, into a brand that endured for decades.

For those who might like to contact Stephen Fried for public speaking or questions about the book he can be reached at stephenfried@comcast.net, or you can check out his blog at www.fredharveybook.com/blog
The ISBN for the book is: 978-0-553-80437-9 and retails for $27.00.