Ida Cogswell Bailey Allen (January 30, 1885 – July 16, 1973) was an American chef and author who was once popularly known as "The Nation's Homemaker," writing more than 50

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (food), course (appetize ...

s. She was described as "The original domestic goddess" by antique cookbook experts Patricia Edwards and Peter Peckham.

Early years

Allen was born in 1885 in Danielson, Connecticut.''Massachusetts, Marriage Records, 1840-1915''DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 9.

Career

In 1924 Allen was food editor of the Sunday ''

New York American :''Includes coverage of New York Journal-American and its predecessors New York Journal, The Journal, New York American and New York Evening Journal'' The ''New York Journal-American'' was a daily newspaper published in New York City from 1937 ...

''. By 1928 she was hosting a regular daytime radio show which expanded to two hours the following year. She not only performed on the show, she also produced and sold her own advertising; she was a pioneer in selling spot advertising rather than having a single company sponsor a show. The program ended in 1932, at which time she began a syndicated cooking show on the

Columbia Broadcasting System CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

. She became television's first female food host on ''Mrs. Allen and the Chef''. She was an editor of ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...

'', writing the "Three Meals a Day" column, as well as Home Economics Editor of ''

Pictorial Review The ''Pictorial Review'' was an American women's magazine published from 1899 to 1939. Based in New York, the ''Pictorial Review'' was first published in September 1899. The magazine was originally designed to showcase dress patterns of German ...

'' and '' Woman's World''. She was president and founder of the National Radio Home-Makers Club. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Allen was drafted by the US Food Administrator as lecturer. She once lived atop

400 Madison Avenue 400 Madison Avenue is a 22-story office building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is along Madison Avenue's western sidewalk between 47th Street (Manhattan), 47th and 48th Streets, near Grand Central Terminal. 400 Madison Avenue was de ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

where visitors were able to see the "latest developments in homemaking", and could watch her staff develop and test new recipes for cooking. A 1932 promotional book she wrote for

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

, ''When You Entertain'', was so popular 375,000 copies were sold in under six months.

Death

Allen died July 16, 1973, in

Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...

Published works

This is a partial list of Allen's published works. * * '' For The Bride - Helpful Hints Practical Suggestions and Valuable Records. '' Reuben Donnelley Corp., Chicago 1922 & 1923. * ''Home Partners, or, Seeing the Family Through'', Privately Printed, 1924 * * * * ''Your Foods and You'', PF Collier & Son, 1929 * * * * * * * * * ''Gastronomique: A Cookbook for Gourmets'', 1962 * ''Best Loved Recipes of the American People'', 1973

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Ida Bailey 1885 births 1973 deaths American women chefs American women nutritionists American nutritionists American food writers Radio personalities from Connecticut American radio producers American television chefs American dietitians American gastronomes American cookbook writers American women food writers American women non-fiction writers Chefs from Connecticut 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American women journalists American women radio producers