Duncan Hines : the man behind the cake mix / Louis Hatchett.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hatchett, Louis.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hines, Duncan, 1880-1959.

Hines, Duncan.

Businessmen--United States--Biography.

Businessmen.

Hospitality industry.

Food industry and trade.

United States.

Food industry and trade--United States--Biography.

Hospitality industry--United States--Biography.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xii, 325 pages : portraits ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Macon, GA : Mercer University Press, 2001.

Summary:

While the name Duncan Hines is presently associated with cake mix, from the Depression to the mid-1950s, the name was most commonly associated with a series of guidebooks pointing travelers to the best restaurants, hotels/motels, and vacation destinations. These books were overwhelmingly popular, outpacing even the venerable Michelin Guide. Prior to Hines, finding good food or safe lodging was a hit-or-miss proposition; restaurants were often unsanitary and the food of poor quality. Hines was trusted by his readers because of his adamant refusal to accept advertising or payment of any kind from the establishments he recommended. Hines developed and nurtured a reputation for unimpeachable fairness and exactingly high standards of quality and cleanliness. Because of the popularity of his guidebooks and on the strength of his reputation, he almost single-handedly transformed the expectations of the restaurant-going public and thus indirectly transformed the hospitality industry in the United States.

In the 1950s, in partnership with North Carolinian Roy Park, Duncan Hines sold the rights to his name to be used on a line of grocery items, including coffee, ice cream, canned vegetables, and of course, cake mix. These products sold extremely well at premium prices, because shoppers associated Hines's name with quality and cleanliness. Not without reason: just as Hines had exacting standards for restaurants and hotels, he had very high standards for any food product bearing his name. Now, in this well written and thoroughly researched biography, Louis Hatchett tells the story of a remarkable businessman who created a culinary empire.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Bowling Green 4

Chapter 2 Out West 18

Chapter 3 Florence 27

Chapter 4 Chicago 33

Chapter 5 Leave Me Alone or I'll Publish a Book! 48

Chapter 6 The Dinner Detectives 56

Chapter 7 Florence Hines's Last Year 64

Chapter 8 Those Who Make Us Wish for Hollow Legs 83

Chapter 9 Back Home Again in Bowling Green 99

Chapter 10 Life Changes 109

Chapter 11 A Few Pet Peeves 122

Chapter 12 The War Years 140

Chapter 13 Clara 152

Chapter 14 Let's Watch Him Eat 164

Chapter 15 Enter Roy Park 179

Chapter 16 The World of Duncan Hines 198

Chapter 17 The Office Life 205

Chapter 18 Passing the Torch 222

Chapter 19 Duncan Hines Goes to Europe 235

Chapter 20 We Dedicate This Box... 249

Chapter 21 Aftermath 260.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [299]-317) and index.

ISBN:

0865547734

OCLC:

47764248