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political associates of her husband, who became
Speaker of the St. Louis House of Delegates. She possessed a sparkling personality that served her well as a hostess. Her biographer wrote, "No one could be long in her diminutive presence without sensing an air of concentrated intelligence, strength, self-possession, charm, and dignity that seemed to sweep all before it—except that she knew how to soften it with disarming feminine self-deprecation and sheer fun." As a cook, she was competent, but not extraordinary, although she showed considerable skill at making and decorating cakes. Her daughter Marion described her priorities:
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straits. The Great
Depression had been triggered by the stock market crash just three months earlier, Irma was 52 years old, had no job, and had savings amounting only to $ 6,000, equivalent to $ 109,434 in 2023. Her son Put had moved to Florida, and Marion was planning to be married and would soon leave home. It was clear that Irma would need to find something to occupy her mind and provide an income. Her solution was characteristically impulsive and bold. To the bewilderment of many who knew her, she announced that she was going to write a cookbook.
336:-based firm specializing in legal publications, children's literature, and trade books. They had limited experience with cookbooks, and Rombauer knew nothing about dealing with publishers. She represented herself in the negotiations, without help from an agent or a lawyer, and the resulting contract was highly prejudicial to her interests, planting the seeds for an author-publisher relationship that brought misery and rage to both sides, up to and beyond the end of Rombauer's life. However, Bobbs-Merrill mounted a vigorous sales campaign on behalf of
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abilities, it was followed the next year by a more severe stroke, which caused progressive physical degeneration, and also resulted in extreme irritability, causing her to periodically lash out at those with whom she interacted, particularly Marion (who was herself recovering from a mastectomy). Rombauer's health continued to deteriorate during the next few years. By 1962 she was suffering a series of seizures, her left leg had become paralyzed and eventually had to be amputated.
319:, however, is the voice of its author, Irma Rombauer. She engages in a constant dialogue with her readers, telling stories about herself and her family, sprinkling the text with genuine witticisms and excruciatingly corny puns, and making sure everybody knows that cooking is not an occult science or esoteric art, but part of the everyday work of the vast majority of women (and a few men) that can be turned into fun with her help.
539:. Much of the trouble arose from the fact that the original contract assigned to Bobbs-Merrill the copyright, not only for the second edition which they published, but also for the original edition which Rombauer had self-published. This effectively precluded Rombauer from any possibility of ever taking the book to a different publisher, however great might be the differences between her and Bobbs-Merrill.
402:. Deciding that she would need a collaborator for the next edition, and hoping that the book would remain a family project, she asked her daughter Marion to help her with the next version of the text, and she negotiated a clause in her contract with Bobbs-Merrill specifying that Marion was to have sole authority to complete future revisions of
360:. For this population, speed and ease of preparation overrode other considerations, and the book's recipes made generous use of canned, packaged, and frozen ingredients. While the book was not a commercial success, a number of its recipes found their way into the phenomenally successful 1943 edition of
409:
Rombauer's daughter Marion initially worked primarily on the artistic design of the upcoming revision, but by 1949 she had become deeply involved in the negotiations with Bobbs-Merrill. She had no better luck dealing with the publisher than had her mother, and as author-publisher relations sank to a
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pioneered a different layout, in which the directions unfolded as a narrative, with ingredients being listed (indented and in boldface type) as the need for them arose. This "action format" reinforced the chatty "Irmaisms" to suggest that the recipes were really just conversations between the author
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Mother's early housekeeping days...gave little evidence of culinary prowess... Indeed, it is an open secret that Mother, to the very end of her life, regarded social intercourse as more important than food. The dinner table, in our childhood, frequently suggested a lectern rather than a buffet. What
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it included material on "herbs, nutritional tallies for common foods, cooking terms, table settings, and the serving of wines" and provided suggestions for dealing with wartime rationing, including alternatives to butter in some recipes. Also, the book's friendly, reassuring tone provided a form of
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It was the "casual culinary chat" that provided the book's major selling point. Rombauer added to the basic recipes bits of humor, friendly advice and homely anecdotes, projecting into the pages the same effervescent personality that had made her so successful as a hostess. A later cookbook author,
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During the first 30 years of her marriage, Irma
Rombauer busied herself with the activities of civic and cultural organizations, and she took pleasure in entertaining, from simple luncheons for members of the women's associations to which she belonged to more formal dinners for civic leaders and
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By the mid-1940s
Rombauer had become a national celebrity, a status in which she delighted. She also had more than enough income, and was able to provide some financial assistance to her children, and to pay more generously Mazie Whyte Hartrich, the secretary who had faithfully typed all of her
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Although
Rombauer suffered some digestive disorders and tired easily, her health at this time was good for a woman now in her mid-seventies. Rombauer had started work on a history of her life when she suffered a stroke on May 26, 1955. While she quickly regained most of her physical and mental
255:
Through much of his adult life, Edgar
Rombauer suffered periodic bouts of severe depression. He experienced one of these attacks in the winter of 1929-30 and had seemed to be recovering, but on February 3, 1930, he committed suicide, leaving his wife emotionally shattered and in dire financial
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The 1936 edition retained the author's anecdotes and witty comments (at
Rombauer's insistence, despite Bobbs-Merrill's desire to cut them), and it added a new selling point in the format of its recipes. Traditionally recipes begin with a list of ingredients, after which come the preparation
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new low (involving legal threats), Marion assumed responsibility as co-author. The revised edition appeared in 1951 (with subsequent printings in 1952 and 1953 correcting errors and improving the index). It was both a critical and commercial success: in 1952 alone 201,394 copies were sold.
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manuscripts. But by the time the 1946 edition was printed, Rombauer was nearing 70, and her health was beginning to decline. A series of family crises and tragedies compounded the perpetual warfare with Bobbs-Merrill to leave
Rombauer feeling weakened and concerned about the future of
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are unclear. Marion considered that it evolved from a collection of recipes supposedly used by her mother as part of a cooking course for the First
Unitarian Women's Alliance but later research raises questions about Marion's recollection, with no indication that the
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covered the book's 1931 launch with an enthusiastic feature article in which the reviewer remarked, "It does not insult my intelligence." With help from Marion, Rombauer sold copies personally and had copies placed in bookstores and gift shops throughout
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Marion designed a cover and provided silhouette chapter headings, and 3000 copies of the book were printed by the A. C. Clayton
Company, a commercial printer of labels and packaging materials that had never before printed a book. The
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Marion reported that Irma had journeyed to Chicago to enlist the help of bookseller Adolf Kroch, but there is other evidence suggesting that Kroch had learned of the book independently and approached Rombauer on his
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encouraged Rombauer to seek an established publisher for an expanded edition. For several years her inquiries brought only rejection letters; but in 1935 her manuscript was accepted (on the third submission) by the
242:. The couple's first child, Roland, was born in 1900 but died before his first birthday. The two children who followed lived to adulthood: Marion was born in 1903, and Edgar Jr. (known as "Put") was born in 1907.
417:, Rombauer was able to enjoy her status as "one of the eternal verities of American cooking". She and her daughter made frequent trips to New York where they were welcomed by a circle which included food writers
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207:, the younger of two daughters born to Dr. Hugo von Starkloff, a German-born physician, and his second wife, Emma Kuhlmann von Starkloff, a teacher who also hailed from Germany. Her half-brother was
356:, featuring dishes that could be created in less than 30 minutes. The target audience included working women, students, vacationers, and campers, and, indeed, men pressed into a domestic version of
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I remember better than the dishes it upheld—which, I must admit, constantly improved in quality—was the talk which went 'round it, talk which burst forth out of our richly multiple interests.
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On October 14, 1899, Rombauer married Edgar Roderich Rombauer. They had three children, Roland Rombauer (1900–1901), Marion J. Rombauer (1903–1976) and Edgar H. Rombauer Jr (1907-1999).
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On February 23, 1956, Rombauer received a Founder's Day Award from Washington University, where she had attended classes in 1897, although she did not complete a degree program.
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238:. The family opposed the match, however, and in 1899 Irma married Edgar Rombauer, a lawyer whose father was a St. Louis judge who had clerked for Supreme Court Justice
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179:(1931), one of the world's most widely read cookbooks. Following Irma Rombauer's death, periodic revisions of the book were carried out by her daughter,
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The 1943 edition boasted no innovation as revolutionary as the "action method" format introduced in 1936, but in addition to the recipes from
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285:. It is certain that Rombauer solicited from numerous friends and family members many of the recipes that she assembled under the title
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390:) but was otherwise nearly identical. Also appearing in 1946 was an entirely new title: a children's cookbook written by Irma called
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The family sometimes used the name Starkloff and sometimes von Starkloff; the "von" was a relatively late addition to the name.
429:, Marian Tracy, and Helmut Rippenger. Rombauer undertook a tour of Europe with Mark Becker, her grandson, during which she met
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and with some published articles. However, Mrs. Torno developed serious health problems, and Irma turned to Marion instead.
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relief to readers buffeted by "the hot and cold conflicts which raged outside its cozy covers...especially the 'War Bride
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in 1897. She frequently traveled to visit relatives in Indianapolis, where she met and was briefly courted by the young
222:
Irma's father was active in civic and political affairs; between 1889 and 1894 he served as the United States Consul in
376:". The resulting edition, aggressively marketed by Bobbs-Merrill, became a national bestseller. Between 1943 and 1946,
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remains in print, edited by members of the Rombauer–Becker family, and more than 18 million copies have been sold.
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The book of St. Louisans; a biographical dictionary of leading living men of the city of St. Louis and vicinity
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Part of a series of Notable American Unitarian biographies. Includes online-accessible excerpts from
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The details of the acrimonious relationship are thoroughly explored in Anne Mendelson's
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737:"How Public Health Policies Saved Citizens in St. Louis During the 1918 Flu Pandemic"
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The Joy of Cooking: A Compilation of Reliable Recipes, with a Casual Culinary Chat.
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sold 617,782 copies, far surpassing sales of its principal rival, Fannie Farmer's
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of the Women's Alliance recipes pre-dated the first edition of
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The Starkloff Family: Independent from Start at stlmag.com
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St. Louis Walk of Fame at stlouiswalkoffame.org (archived)
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Cincinnati, Bauhaus Architecture & The Joy of Cooking
169:, October 30, 1877 – October 14, 1962) was an American
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Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School alumni
611:. St. Louis, MO, US: St. Louis Republic. p. 569.
580:"Joy of Cooking: a listing of the American editions"
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Irma von Starkloff was born on October 30, 1877, in
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Little Acorn: Joy of Cooking, The First Fifty Years
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712:"The Starkloff Family: Independent From the Start"
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413:Following the publication of the 1951 edition of
956:Papers of the Rombauer-Becker Family, 1795–1992.
767:Papers of the Rombauer–Becker Family, 1795–1992.
406:in the event of Rombauer's disability or death.
808:"Irma Rombauer: The Joy of Cooking, 1877–1962"
889:. on website Missouri Women. October 13, 2010
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710:Cooperman, Jeannette (August 20, 2015).
483:In 1998, Rombauer was inducted into the
311:Molly Finn, summed it up in these words:
272:The earliest origins of the material in
912:. stlouiswalkoffame.org. Archived from
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452:On October 14, 1962, Rombauer died in
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27:American cookbook author (1877–1962)
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183:, and subsequently by Marion's son
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910:"St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees"
232:Washington University in St. Louis
115:Washington University in St. Louis
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18:Irma Louise von Starkloff Rombauer
1030:Burials at Bellefontaine Cemetery
1005:American people of German descent
939:Biography by Rombauer's daughter.
952:and a brief essay by Molly Finn.
832:"Comments on The Joy of Cooking"
787:Becker, Marion Rombauer (1981).
605:Marquis, Albert Nelson (1912).
383:Boston Cooking-School Cook Book
975:4th Generation at jsonline.com
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810:. Notable American Unitarians
550:A Cookbook for Girls and Boys
392:A Cookbook for Girls and Boys
352:In 1939, Rombauer published
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323:The success of the initial
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490:Rombauer was portrayed by
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1025:American cookbook writers
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908:St. Louis Walk of Fame.
689:. New York: Henry Holt.
681:Mendelson, Anne (1996).
476:Recognitions and honors
344:instructions. The 1936
292:St. Louis Post Dispatch
173:author, best known for
142:Edgar Roderich Rombauer
87:St. Louis, Missouri, US
1015:Writers from St. Louis
685:Stand Facing the Stove
537:Stand Facing the Stove
485:St. Louis Walk of Fame
462:Bellefontaine Cemetery
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181:Marion Rombauer Becker
97:Bellefontaine Cemetery
1010:American food writers
741:bioMĂ©rieux Connection
349:and the book's user.
330:Bobbs-Merrill Company
315:The best thing about
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433:, a faithful fan of
959:Schlesinger Library
916:on October 31, 2012
864:. September 8, 2005
838:on February 3, 2015
770:Schlesinger Library
354:Streamlined Cooking
299:and as far away as
743:. October 25, 2018
716:St. Louis Magazine
586:on January 5, 2013
492:Frances Sternhagen
317:The Joy of Cooking
189:The Joy of Cooking
176:The Joy of Cooking
133:The Joy of Cooking
55:Irma von Starkloff
497:Julie & Julia
494:in the 2009 film
419:Cecily Brownstone
217:1918 flu pandemic
213:social distancing
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842:October 26,
431:Julia Child
427:James Beard
388:Streamlined
369:Streamlined
279:mimeographs
240:John Harlan
215:during the
989:Categories
560:References
195:Early life
121:Occupation
61:1877-10-30
920:April 25,
747:March 15,
721:March 14,
466:St. Louis
454:St. Louis
297:St. Louis
201:St. Louis
69:St. Louis
942:Archived
470:Missouri
458:Missouri
301:Michigan
228:Lausanne
205:Missouri
171:cookbook
147:Children
814:June 4,
358:KP duty
305:Chicago
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617:342643
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224:Bremen
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139:Spouse
504:Notes
332:, an
922:2013
895:2013
870:2019
844:2013
816:2014
749:2020
723:2020
691:ISBN
613:OCLC
592:2013
526:own.
421:and
303:and
77:Died
51:Born
464:in
435:Joy
415:Joy
404:Joy
400:Joy
378:Joy
362:Joy
346:Joy
338:Joy
325:Joy
283:Joy
162:née
991::
878:^
860:.
797:^
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