Cecile Craik Hibben (1888–1964), better known as Sheila Hibben, was an American

food journalist Food journalism is a field of journalism that focuses on news and current events related to food, its production, and the cultures of producing and consuming that food. Typically, food journalism includes a scope broader than the work of food crit ...

. She served as ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' first

food critic A food critic, food writer, or restaurant critic is a writer who analyzes food or restaurants and then publishes the results of their findings to the public. Terminology "Food writer" is often used as a broad term that encompasses someone who w ...

, working for the magazine for 20 years. She also authored several cookbooks.

Biography

She was born Cecile Craik in 1888, in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

, and grew up in Italy and France. She served in World War I as a nurse, and received the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

. She married

Paxton Hibben Paxton Pattison Hibben (December 5, 1880 – December 5, 1928) had a short but eventful career as a diplomat, journalist, author and humanitarian. After graduation from college he received a diplomatic appointment and served for seven years at a n ...

in 1916 in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, and the couple spent several years in Europe. When she was hired in 1934, she became ''

'' first food critic. She worked there for 20 years, reviewing food and drink in "Markets and Menus", as well as writing a column called "About the House". She was an occasional contributor to ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'', ''

House Beautiful ''House Beautiful'' is an interior decorating magazine that focuses on decorating and the domestic arts. First published in 1896, it is currently published by the Hearst Corporation, who began publishing it in 1934. It is the oldest still-publi ...

'', and ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

''. Upon the death of her husband in 1928, Hibben began writing out of necessity, publishing multiple books, including ''The National Cookbook'' (1932), ''Good Food for Bad Stomachs'' (1951), ''American Regional Cookery'' (1946), and ''A Kitchen Manual'' (1941). Perhaps her best known work was ''The National Cookbook,'' which became a bestseller and helped her get hired by ''The New Yorker''. ''Good Food for Bad Stomachs'' was written at the request of

Harold Ross Harold Wallace Ross (November 6, 1892 – December 6, 1951) was an American journalist who co-founded ''The New Yorker'' magazine in 1925 with his wife Jane Grant, and was its editor-in-chief until his death. Early life Born in a prospector' ...

, editor-in-chief of ''The New Yorker'', who suffered from

ulcer An ulcer is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected organ. According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin, epithelium or mucous membrane caused by sloughin ...

s. At the time of her death in 1964, Hibben had written more than 350 articles for ''The New Yorker''. In addition to writing, she supplied

Rex Stout Rex Todhunter Stout (; December 1, 1886–October 27, 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and ...

with menus for his

Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery (fiction), mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Principality of Montenegro, Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a ...

novels and stories. In ''The Nero Wolfe Cookbook'', first published by

Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheimer and then acqu ...

in 1973, Stout wrote, "All the dishes in '' Too Many Cooks'' were cooked twice—some three times or more—by the late Sheila Hibben and me ... she was my dear and valued friend." In 1934, Hibben was brought to the White House in order to advise the staff on meal preparation. She died in 1964.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hibben, Sheila 1888 births 1964 deaths American food writers Writers from Montgomery, Alabama American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) The New Yorker critics World War I nurses Female nurses in World War I