The Harpers Ferry Cooking Club was founded in 1955 with its first meeting on October 27. It was organized by Robert Leonard, Howard Koonce, Lloyd Hough, and William Reed as charter members. The organization was chartered as nonprofit corporation under the laws of West Virginia on May 25, 1964.
Bob Leonard was the initial driving force and leader. His inspiration came from his father, Harry, who, with friends, founded a cooking club in Colorado Springs in 1892. Our club was modeled after his club.
The bylaws of the club today do not differ markedly from the original bylaws. Its purpose remains the same, rooted in the axiom that “cooking has become an art, a noble science; cooks are gentlemen.”
It is difficult to even guess, after a careful review of the very fragmentary recorded history of the club, how many men have passed through the club’s portals. Records indicate that several current members were on the rolls in 1978, the earliest date in which records could be located. These include Jack Croghan, Walter Hanak, Donald Master, Roger Perry, Jerry Smith, Isaac VanMetre and Robert Riddlemoser.
A review of dinner costs in 1979 provide an interesting contrast to today’s inflated prices. One dinner for apparently 23 members is reflected in the reimbursement voucher submitted to the treasurer. It shows the entire cost of the meal, including liquor, to be $148.63 and, yes, it was Italian in nature and appears coincidentally to be chicken cacciatora with linguini. Another submitted by a John Cangemi, date unkown, cost $91.60.
This rendition is at best sketchy and hardly does justice to a club of this distinction and storied history. Much of the history left this world with those who have departed this life. Several current members whose tenure predates the 1978 days can add much to our store of treasures.
The author simply tried to gather a few tidbits gleaned from now watermarked and tattered heterogeneous records and slips of paper. It would seem that the club needs to restore the office of historian and augment with an ad hoc committee to compile as complete a history of our club as possible, utilizing any and all sources of historical lore regarding the club.
I hope the foregoing contributes just a little more nostalgia, and perhaps class, to our 500th meeting. That was my intention and I hope this feeble effort come close. Perhaps at the 1000th meeting the then members will see this and wonder just who all those earthlings were. And what in the world was chicken cacciatora?