Mention the Harvey Girls, and folks of a certain age will think of the 1946 Judy Garland movie musical of the same name. In the film (which includes the famous number On the Atchison, Topeka & the Santa Fe), a bunch of young women with peaches-and-cream personalities are headed west by rail to start another Harvey House restaurant.
These were the very first chain restaurants, and they spread west across America late in the 19th century with the railroad system. They offered a remedy to the yucky, overpriced food and questionable service travelers would typically find on the road. Harvey Houses offered wholesome food, served by ladies with impeccable manners and good cheer.
Veteran journalist Stephen Fried has authored a new book on the phenomenon, Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West. Fried offers a presentation with recipe samples followed by a book signing at the Jewish Community Center‘s Staenberg Family Complex in Creve Coeur tomorrow, April 7, at 7:30 p.m.
The next day, the JCC will complete the experience with a free screening of The Harvey Girls at 10 a.m. To learn more or to buy tickets to the signing, phone 314.442.3299.
– Byron Kerman
This article appears in Apr 1-30, 2010.