Who's Who at Food History News

In case you wondered what we look like---

Publisher/Editor
Sandy Oliver

Sandy Oliver began doing food history in 1971 when she began the fireplace cooking program at Mystic Seaport Museum. No one she knew did food history, except for living history museums where people cooked in fireplaces, and in fact, she could hardly cook. Besides FHN, she is the author of Saltwater Foodways , speaks on food history around the country, and actually cooks professionally part-time in the summer here in Islesboro, Maine.

This is FHN's island home. A museum curator friend described this house as a living historians dream. The kitchen is straight out of Harriet Beecher Stowe's American Woman's Home, has a combination gas and wood cook stove, a huge pantry, and perfect cellar for storing vegetables all winter. Just to the right, is a large garden where Sandy & husband Jamie grow most of their own vegetables. Not pictured are a couple pigs.

Below are the production staff for FHN, both are "off-island" as we say here. Lynda Clancy (and husband), left, who first designed FHN ten years ago receives FHN via email attachment, lays it up, faxes it back to Sandy, who makes whatever corrections she sees, then re-faxes back. Lynda is the mom of two young boys, but manages to write for an on-line newspaper, and publishes a newsletter of her own, Maine's Enterprising Women.

On the right is Gail Priest, of County Copy in Belfast, Maine. Gail receives FHN by Priority Mail or sometimes hand-delivered, if Sandy can get to the mainland. She does the printing, collating, and folding. Usually Sandy picks up the newsletter when it is done. If we are really lucky, Sandy and Gail get to have lunch together before Sandy races back to the ferry with the boxes of FHN. Lynda and Gail are good friends to FHN and assure its quality look.

John U. Rees
FHN's columnist for military food history, John lives in New Hope, PA, where he is a rural carrier. Like many of FHN's subscriber's John does living history in what fellow reenactors call The Hobby, and has been researching the life of the common soldier for xx years. He is married to wife Linda, and has two really neat sons, Evan and Christian.

FHN Interns for 1999

Joanna Repka Joanna Repka (at right) A native Ontarian and student at Mt. Holyoke College in Mass., Joanna has been fascinated with food history since she was fifteen and volunteered with Heritage Toronto and Fiona Lucas, FHN's Indexer. Joanna spent January with us, and returns this summer to continue research and writing before beginning her Junior year.
	Jessica Files Jessica is a native Californian (really! three generations worth) and is interested in museum work. She is extremely adept on the computer, and helped FHN become more web-savvy. She will be cooking 17th century at Plimoth Plantation this summer before beginning graduate school with the Univ. of Delaware.

Interested in an internship? Email us at editor@foodhistorynews.com

Fiona Lucas
Fiona, who does our index, works for the Toronto Heritage Board, and began indexing FHN for her historical cook volunteers at Fort York and Spadina House. Fiona is one of three founders of the Culinary Historians of Ontario.

Susan Hess
Susan, an island neighbor became interested in food history when she took an adult ed class Sandy offered this winter on the island. Sandy has recruited her help with subscriptions and general organization. Susan prefers not to be pictured, but is tall, auburn-haired, funny, energetic, &enthusiastic.

The cats of FHN: Millie One of four of FHN's cats over the years. The first Benjamin, was ten when FHN began, all black with a relentless purr. He died at the ripe old age of 14. Next was Mable a grey tiger who sprawled on FHN's desk until her demise in 1997. Henry, a diminutive, intelligent yellow tiger, climbed up the back of the editor's office chair, to snooze between the chair and the editor. We sadly lost Henry in Nov. 1998 but Millie showed up in our barn a month later on the Sunday before Christmas. So far she prefers a bed upstairs & only occasionally visits the office.

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