We did it!We did it!The story of how two ladies,

Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley,went out to find America’s best recipes and in the process,

created the BEST OF THE BEST STATE COOKBOOK SERIES.

BEST OF THE BEST STATE COOKBOOK SERIES

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F rom the very begin-ning, Gwen and

Barbara established goals.They would search forcookbooks that showcasedrecipes that captured localflavor. They would insiston kitchen-friendly recipesthat anybody anywherecould cook and enjoy.They would make thebooks user friendly, andedit for utmost clarity. The criteria for including a recipe was that it havethree distinguished features: great taste, greattaste, and great taste!

he process began in the early 1980s. After being involved inthe development and publication of numerous cookbooks, Gwen

McKee and Barbara Moseley were frequently asked what were theirfavorite cookbooks and recipes. From their own cookbook collec-

tions, they had highlighted recipes they thought were special. From this,the idea was born, “Why not collect all those highlighted recipes from dif-ferent cookbooks into one cookbook?” They quickly realized that thisambitious undertaking could best be accomplished on a state-by-state basis.The BEST OF THE BEST STATE COOKBOOK SERIES had begun!

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Early in the BEST development,the purchase of a used van

turned out to be just the rightvehicle for their travels. With

stacks of boxes, luggage, grocery bags, cooking para-phernalia, etc., it proved to be the ideal way to pack upand head out for discovery!

This was one of four vans thattook Gwen and Barbara

across the country.PHOTO BY COOKIE SNYDER

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I n 1982, Best of the Best fromMississippi: Selected Recipes

from Mississippi’s FavoriteCookbooks was published. Its success prompted going next door to Louisiana, Gwen’s native state.The Louisiana edition, published in1984, has been reprinted seventeentimes and is the best-seller of all thestates.

The two editors then took onTexas—four trips were required justto cover the territory! But cover itthey did, selecting ninety-four cook-books from all over Texas to con-tribute their most popular recipes toBest of the Best from TexasCookbook. At 356 pages and over500 recipes, Texas is one of the largest cookbooks in the SERIES.

With three states under their belt, Gwen and Barbara now had amission and a motto: PreservingAmerica’s Food Heritage.

Gwen and Barbara did a lot of work on therecipes before they ever got in the kitchen to testthem.

. . . We’re under way! 1982-1985

Tasting the local fare is one of the bestbonuses of a trip through any region insearch of great recipes. In Hurricane Mills,Tennessee, Gwen and Barbara visitedLoretta Lynn’s Kitchen and found tasty local vittles and recipes for how to fix them.

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T he editors committed themselves totracking down those classic family

recipes that have been refined and per-fected over generations. It had becomean interesting, sometimes fascinating,often exhilarating process . . . and theyknew they were hooked on wanting toexplore each state and taste their cui-sine.

Talking to townfolk was always funand informative. Gwen and Barbarawould usually be directed to someoneelse if that person couldn’t help them—“Go see Sarah at the drugstore; she haslots of cookbooks.”

Over the next four years, Gwen andBarbara concentrated on those neigh-boring states that were convenient toget to. In the early days before theInternet, their normal method of findinglocal cookbooks was to travel through-

In North Carolina, theydrove a long way to taste

Pete Jones’ famous barbe-cue at his Skylight Inn inAyden—a restaurant that

has a replica of ournation’s capitol on the

roof! Here Pete treatedthem to the delicious fla-vor of true wood-smoked

North Carolina barbecue.No wonder it has won so

many awards—well worththe drive.

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out the state. Gwenusually did the driv-ing, and Barbara—with map in lap—the navigating. Theystopped at bookstores,gift and kitchen shops,restaurants, bed andbreakfasts, chamber of commerce offices,tourist bureaus, andany other place thatmight offer the possi-bility of discovering apopular local cookbook. Without fail,in every state, the BEST thing was thepeople they met and the informationthey so proudly shared.

The road was not always so easy andenjoyable as it may sound. They occa-sionally had car problems, but invari-ably were helped by friendly people,

While traveling across the country, Gwenand Barbara were invited by PaulaCunningham, owner of McClanahanPublishing in Kuttawa, Kentucky, on a seaplane ride over the Land Between the Lakes.They all dined that night on wonderfulKentucky Baked Pork Chops (Best of theBest from Kentucky Cookbook, page 101).

. . . We’re covering the South! 1986-1990

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including truckers, motorcyclists, eventhe police! They missed turns, becamehopelessly lost, and sometimes madewonderful cookbook discoveries whilefinding their way back.

Throughout the ’90s, Gwen andBarbara continued to search withrenewed dedication to finding and pre-serving those little recipe gems thatmight be tucked away in a modestchurch cookbook published in a smallcommunity. Junior League cookbooks,because they are developed by localmembers and contain recipes from theircity and community, have been a partic-ularly valuable contributor to theSERIES.

This recipe was often madebefore road trips and a supply taken along. Manytimes the editors relied on thistreat to make it through some longdays of travel. The recipe was contributed by Cowtown Cuisine andis included in Best of the Best fromTexas Cookbook (page 28). It is trulya classic.

Bringing food to book signings helped usshow people how delicious the recipes were.Teammate Tupper England (betweenBarbara and Gwen) has illustrated everyone of the cookbooks in the SERIES.

Hot Cheese in a Jar2 pounds Velveeta cheese, melted 1 medium onion, grated1 (5.33-ounce) can evaporated milk1 pint Miracle Whip salad dressing1 (8-ounce) can seeded, deveined

jalapeño peppers, chopped fine(cut off stems)

Melt cheese in top of double boiler.Add onion, milk, Miracle Whip,and peppers to melted cheese, andmix well. Pour into 6 (8-ounce)jelly jars. Cool, screw oncaps, and refrigerate.

They also continued to meet andmake wonderful new friends. InIndiana, they spent a few days withChris and Mike Sikorski. Chris has thedistinction of being the first member ofthe Best of the Month Club (individualswho have signed up to receive a copyof each new edition in the SERIES).Chris tried recipes, gave us her com-ments, and became a dear friend. Shewas also the first person to own theentire SERIES.

Gwen and Barbara stayed an extraday in Cincinnati just to try the different

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varieties of chili that the cityis famous for. They hadPhilly cheese steaks inPhiladelphia, clam chowderin Boston, Hot Browns inLouisville, lobster in Maine,Crab Louis in California,gumbo in Louisiana . . . andafter each culinary experience,they sought out the BEST

recipes that would enable therest of America to enjoy all ofthese regional classics.

There were always adven-tures on the road. NearFarmington, Maine, Gwenand Barbara found them-selves traveling among hun-dreds of motorcyclists. Afterinitial concern, they stoppedfor gas in the midst of themand discovered that theseburly, leathered, tatooed guys

. . . We’re halfway there! 1991-1996

Sometimes the forked road beckoned in both directions,and the girls didn’t know which way to turn. Their tripswere sketched out, but left lots of room for wherever thespirit led them. This was a photo op for a chapteropening picture at Indiana Dunes, but they were neverquite sure where they would wind up in search ofAmerica’s favorite recipes.

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(and gals) were genuinely intrigued bytheir pursuit of America’s BEST recipes,and offered some favorite dishes oftheir own. It seemed that talking aboutfood was a common denominator thatjust about everybody delighted indoing. Almost always, it translated tofinding a local cookbook that had justthe recipe they were after.

I n addition to the over 300 wonderfulrecipes that each BEST cookbook con-

tains, Gwen and Barbara have addedother features that make the cookbooks

In their quest for the BEST, Gwen andBarbara learned that every region has aparticular food or signature dish. As soonas they arrived in Maine, they embraced thestate’s culinary spirit by diving into somedrawn-buttered boiled lobster at the firstroadside restaurant with a lobster on itssign!

more useful and enjoyable. Glossarieswere included in those books with wordsor phrases that might not be understoodin other parts of the country (Louisiana’sFrench and Cajun words, New Mexico,Texas, and Arizona’s Spanish terms,Hawaii’s pronunciations, etc.).

“Editor’s Extras” have occasionallybeen added to the original recipes toensure complete understanding, suggestan alternate ingredient if the originalwas not available, or offer an embellish-ment or variation the editors particular-ly liked and wanted to share.

Sprinkled throughout each BEST

cookbook is a series of short “quips”that provide interesting facts about eachstate. These are fun and informative,and help to convey the unique featuresof the state.

Each cookbook contains photographsand illustrations that capture some ofthe visual highlights of each state.

Often shrouded in a thick fog, the GoldenGate Bridge sways 27 feet to withstandwinds of up to 100 miles per hour. Its two

great cables contain enough strands of steel wire(about 80,000 miles) to encircle the equator threetimes, and the concrete poured into its piers andanchorages would pave a five-foot sidewalk fromNew York to San Francisco.

An example of an illustration and a quip.These are scattered throughout the BEST

cookbooks.

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One of the most popular fea-tures, particularly for anyone whocollects cookbooks, is the“Catalog of ContributingCookbooks” section of each BEST

cookbook. This section providesa brief description of each con-tributing cookbook, a reproduc-tion of the book’s cover, plusprice and ordering information.

I n the late ’90s, the editors fin-ished the Midwest and set their

sites on the “big” states of theWest. These states with their vastareas provided major challengesto locating those local cookbooksthat might contain that specialrecipe.

In the Southwest, the Arizonaand New Mexico editions becameinstant favorites. The popularityof the Mexican influence on thecuisine of this region, abundantlyrepresented in these cookbooks,surely contributed to their appeal.

The California edition, likeTexas and New England, requiredmore pages to accommodate thelarge number of contributingcookbooks. The great variety ofrecipes selected makes thesecookbooks particularly interestingand enjoyable to use.

With the California edition, theeditors made one of their few baddecisions. In order to speed upproduction, they bound the bookas a paperback rather than thenormal ringbound format. The

BEST OF THE BEST Statistics • Total cookbooks evaluated: over 10,000

• Total cookbooks selected to contributerecipes: 2,689

• Total number of recipes selected:17,214

• Road miles: approximately 70,000

• Air miles: 40,000

• Total mailings and correspondence: over 30,000

• Recipes evaluated: hundreds of thousands

• Phone calls made: over 25,000

• Percent of people who were initiallyasked to taste the BEST recipes beingtested and who volunteered to continueproviding this service: 100%

BEST SELLING STATES(based on lifetime monthly average)

1. LOUISIANA2. TEXAS3. ARIZONA4. VIRGINIA5. NORTH CAROLINA6. OHIO7. MINNESOTA8. TEXAS II9. LOUISIANA II

10. TENNESSEE

Total number of BEST cookbooks sold:1,800,000 (through 2004)

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Best of the Month Club membersimmediately voiced their displeasure.The editors quickly realized their mis-take, and Best of the Best fromCalifornia Cookbook is now ringboundlike all the others. This binding formatallows for convenient lay-flat usageand, like the recipes themselves, createsan overall comfortable, user-friendlyfeel for the cookbooks.

Gwen and Barbara knew from thebeginning that they did not want theBEST OF THE BEST cookbooks to behardbound, oversized, full-color, expensive books that would stay on thecoffee table and not be allowed to go inthe kitchen. It was their hope that eachBEST OF THE BEST cookbook wouldbecome a family favorite used againand again for their consistently superbrecipes.

There were two major developmentsthat helped the SERIES gain national

. . . We’re going strong! 1997-2000

Barbara and Gwen are always at home inthe kitchen, no matter where they are.Though space was limited in this tinyManhattan apartment, fresh produce at thecorner market was not. It was a fun experi-ence cooking Curried Corn Soup withfriends in this cozy kitchen.

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recognition. In the mid ’80s, CrackerBarrel Old Country Stores began carry-ing the BEST OF THE BEST STATE

COOKBOOKS when they had only about65 stores in their chain. Over the years,this wonderful relationship has grownas the BEST SERIES developed. Nowmost of the more than 500 CrackerBarrel stores now carry the BEST cook-book of the state where the store is

located. Many customers play the gameof getting a new BEST book only at aCracker Barrel store each time they goto a new state.

In 1997, the electronic shoppinggiant, QVC, came to Mississippi as partof their nationwide search for newproducts. Best of the Best fromMississippi was one of the twenty or soproducts that were selected to air on the

Barbara and Gwen wereusually expected to cookwhen they booked a TVappearance, a difficult

thing to do on the road.Sometimes they had to prep

the food in their hotelroom. For this Miami

show, they cooked the fishfor Black Bart’s SeafoodAmbrosia on a hot plate!

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Mississippi show. It sold out in twominutes, faster than any other product,and earned the honor of being includedwith other state winners on a specialshow from the main QVC Studios inWest Chester, Pennsylvania. Since then,Gwen has appeared numerous times onQVC showcasing many of the BEST OF

THE BEST STATE COOKBOOKS. This rela-tionship has been a successful collabora-tion, allowing a tremendous number ofpeople to become aware of the SERIES.

In addition to bookstores, many smallgift stores and kitchen shops have givenvaluable support to the BEST cookbooksover the years.

I n 2000, after nearly two decades,Gwen and Barbara were still going

strong. They had completed thirty-sixstates, had met and become friends withmany delightful people, had seen agreat portion of their beautiful country,and were even more committed to theirgoal of Preserving America’s FoodHeritage.

From 2001 to 2003, Gwen andBarbara completed eight BEST cook-books and covered eleven states (Bestof the Best from the Mid-AtlanticCookbook includes Maryland,Delaware, and New Jersey. Best of theBest from Big Sky Cookbook covers

Talented food stylist Bobbi Cappelli, shown at left with Gwen and Barbara, makes the BEST

OF THE BEST recipes for QVC on-air presentations. She makes the dishes look as good as theytaste. The hosts and crew are treated to a banquet when the shows are over.

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. . . We’re getting close! 2001-2003

Montana and Wyoming). From CapeMay (New Jersey) to Glacier Bay(Alaska), this was a demanding stretch.However, the SERIES had now gainednational recognition, a devoted follow-ing, and the process of searching forthose special local recipes was a greatdeal easier.

In Anchorage, Alaska, Chef MattLittle Dog, at Simon and Seaforts,shared his incredible bread puddingrecipe after Gwen had dined on thisdelicious treat and begged for his secret.

Best of the Best from AlaskaCookbook, incidentally, became thebest-selling cookbook in Alaska shortlyafter it became available there.

Gwen and Barbara were now a longway from home in the PacificNorthwest and Alaska, but still discov-ering wonderful cookbooks and select-ing from them the popular recipes ofthe region.

“It helps our research to find out all we canabout the food of the state, and Pike’s PlaceMarket is the place to do that in Seattle,”says Barbara. “Just look at this gorgeousseafood.”

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Oregon’s fruit-growing district, “TheFruit Loop” offered many fresh fruittreats that inspired recipes likeBoysenberry Swirl Cheesecake withHazelnut Crust (Best of the Best fromOregon Cookbook, page 212).

Seattle’s Pike Place Market was anexciting experience. The great varietyof vegetables, fruits, and fish on displaychallenged the editors to find recipesthat could fully exploit such an abun-dance of fresh ingredients. They feelthey have met the challenge with Bestof the Best from Washington Cookbook.

The state fair in Palmer, Alaska, wasanother unique occasion to taste somelocal fare. The exhibit at the fair con-tained remarkable blue-ribbon winningfruits and vegetables.

Passing along her love for cooking, Gwenenjoys letting her grandchildren have funwith her in the kitchen. What better way toPreserve America’s Food Heritage!

Gwen and husband, Barney, attended the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, and were aghast athow big the long summer days grow these vegetables. It was a wonderful place to get a first-hand look and taste of some of Alaska’s food products. They found Moose Kabobs, AlaskaSalmon Nuggets, Sourdough Bread, and Bear Tracks, all of which made their way into Bestof the Best from Alaska Cookbook.

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I n beautiful Hawaii, the editorsencountered many helpful people,

including Jeff and Bennett at BooklinesHawaii. Booklines was a gold mine asthey either publish or distribute almostevery current cookbook related toHawaiian cooking. Faith in Kauai was

also helpful as she allowed the editorsto review her own extensive cookbookcollection, many of which were of avintage nature.

Utah and Nevada, the final two states,offered an opportunity for the editors toexperience not only the tasteful cuisinebut also the unique beauty of the desert,quite different from their lush, green,southern landscapes.

T here are forty-one volumes in thecomplete BEST OF THE BEST STATE

COOKBOOK SERIES. This is due to thefact that some states were combinedinto one cookbook. Best of the Bestfrom New England Cookbook, forinstance, consists of Rhode Island,Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont,New Hampshire, and Maine.

Best of the Best from the Mid-AtlanticCookbook includes recipes collectedfrom cookbooks published in Maryland,Delaware, and New Jersey.

The recipes from North Dakota,South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansaswere combined into Best of the Bestfrom the Great Plains Cookbook. Bestof the Best from Big Sky Cookbook con-tains the most popular recipes from theleading cookbooks of Montana andWyoming.

The SERIES also includes second edi-tions from Louisiana and Texas. Thesestates published early in the process arethe two bestsellers in the SERIES. Bestof the Best from Louisiana II Cookbook(1998) and Best of the Best from TexasII Cookbook (1996) are part of theforty-one book BEST OF THE BEST STATE

COOKBOOK SERIES.

On the drive up the North Shore on O‘ahu(in Punalu‘u), you can’t miss the bright yel-low Shrimp Shack truck. Irene serves updelicious pan-fried shrimp herself, deliver-ing it personally to you on her umbrella-topped picnic tables. A big sign says,“Suck, peel, dip, eat,” and, believe me, youwill not need encouragement to do so. Herrecipe has been written up in magazines,and she has been featured on the Food andTravel channels. When Gwen asked her ifshe would share her recipe, she sweetlyagreed.

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. . . We did it! 2004

Completely new editions have beencreated for Mississippi and Florida.These cookbooks consist of new con-tributors and new recipes and are nowpart of the forty-one book collection.The original editions are still availablewhile the current supply lasts.

The BEST OF THE BEST cookbooksrange in size from 288 to 380 pages andcontain between 350 and 500 recipes.They are ringbound for convenience ofuse, and are enclosed in heavy, laminat-ed covers that resist stains and spills.

Each cookbook contains a mix ofcontributing cookbooks ranging from amodest little church cookbook to agrandiose bestseller.

The editors are particularly pleasedthat, although some of the smaller con-tributing cookbooks may go out of print,their most popular and tasteful recipesare not lost but are preserved in theirstate’s BEST OF THE BEST cookbook.

Now that the SERIES has been completed, what next? Gwen

and Barbara, both grandmothers manytimes over, are not ready to retire.“There are still cookbooks to be discov-ered and tasteful recipes to be pre-served,” says Barbara. “We might juststart over.”

“Regardless of what we do in thefuture,” Gwen adds, “we set out to col-lect, capture, and celebrate the food ofAmerica on a state-by-state basis, andthat mission has been accomplished.

We did it!”

T he recipes selected to be in the HALL OF FAME COOKBOOK

COLLECTION have earned extradistinction for consistently produc-ing superbly tasteful dishes.These are recipes that havebecome classic family favoritesthat will be made over and over.The recipes have been collectedfrom the entire database of morethan 17,000 winning recipesincluded in the BEST OF THE BEST

STATE COOKBOOKS—they are theBEST of the BEST OF THE BEST.

The four HALL OF FAME cook-books can be ordered individuallyat the price noted below eachcookbook or can be purchased as afour-cookbook set for $39.95,almost a 50% discount off the totallist price of $76.80. With over1,600 recipes in the HALL OF FAME

COLLECTION, this amounts to lessthan three cents for each incrediblerecipe, an amazing value!

RECIPE HALL OF FAME COOKBOOK COLLECTION

304 pages • $19.95 304 pages • $19.95

304 pages • $19.95 240 pages • $16.95

Best of the Month ClubIndividuals may purchase BEST OF THE BEST STATE COOKBOOKS on a monthly (or bi-monthly) basis by joining the Best of the Month Club. Best of the MonthClub members enjoy a 20% discount off the list price of each book. Individualswho already own certain state cookbooks may specify which new states they wish toreceive. No minimum purchase is required; individuals may cancel at any time. Formore information on this purchasing option, call 1-800-343-1583.

Special We Did It! DiscountThe entire 41-volume BEST OF THE BEST STATE COOKBOOK SERIES can be purchasedfor $521.21, a 25% discount off the total individual price of $694.95. To order call1-800-343-1583, and mention, “We Did It!”

Individual BEST cookbooks can be purchased for $16.95 per copy plus $4.00 ship-ping for any number of cookbooks ordered.

Best of the Best

“Best of the Best from Virginia is a boon to Virginia cooks whocan’t remember exactly which book in their collection includesa favorite recipe . . . enough to tempt even dyed-in-NewEngland Yankees to try out Old Dominion recipes.”

—Louis Mahoney, Food Editor; Richmond News Leader

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“Although I have acquired a very extensive collection of cook-books over the years, when looking for a recipe in any category,

I find myself perusing my BEST OF THE BEST books.”

—Dorothea O’Donnell, Stoughton, Massachusetts

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“Each book I receive is better than the last one, if that is possible, for they are all the “BEST.” I can’t say which is myfavorite. I would have to say that my favorite is the newone—until the next one arrives.”

—Arlene Luskin, Silver Spring, Maryland

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“I think the BEST OF THE BEST cookbooks are fantastic and a good way to dis-cover America the culinary way. Please pass on my regards to the editorsand thank them for the great work they do. I look forward to the chance ofadding to my collection.”

—Bert Klein, Muenchen, Germany

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“The selection of fabulous recipes is not all . . . they’ve put the proverbial icingon the cake by including wonderful photographs of interesting places in thestate, beautiful line drawings, and a wealth of informative little one-linersthat tell you many facts about the history and geography of Pennsylvania.”

—Louise Dodd, Dublin Courier-Herald

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“After reading this book, I would recommend it to anyone whocraves a sampling of some of the state’s ‘down-home’ recipes. It would make an excellent gift to out-of-state friends (or home-sick transplanted Kentuckians).”

—Carole Bailey, The Lexington Messenger

Best of the Best

QUAIL RIDGE PRESS • P. O. Box 123 • Brandon, MS 390431-800-343-1583 • www.quailridge.com

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“You have brightened my Alaskan winter day! I received yourBest of the Best from Alaska Cookbook yesterday, and have totedit around with me to show everyone that I know how lovely ourbook is. You have captured Alaska in a cookbook.”

—Ann Berg, Nikiski, Alaska

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“I’ve learned to trust Gwen and Barbara. Now I make anythingfrom their cookbooks with total confidence that it will be delicious”

—Shirley Laird, Cookeville Tennessee

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“I just want you to know how very much I have enjoyed all of the BEST SERIES. They are truly “Best of the Best” and they make cooking fun because you know the recipes are triedand true! I recently received Oregon’s Best, have tried severalof the recipes, and they were just great! My husband was soimpressed that he started planning dinner parties!”

—Caroline Frazier, Jackson, Mississippi

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“My cooking class enjoyed cooking from Best of theBest from Missouri so much that I have scheduledanother one with Best of the Best from Pennsylvania.”

—Bessie Theodorou, Dierbergs School of Cooking

G wen and Barbara have made many new friends while compiling the BEST OF THE BEST STATE COOKBOOKS. They have also become

acquainted with many more individuals who have written them to sayhow much they enjoy the BEST cookbooks. Listed below is a randomsampling of comments from individuals and reviewers who have praisefor the cookbooks in the BEST SERIES.

Additional comments on reverse side.