This nation is a melting pot of peoples, and
there is no better time than a family reunion
to note the varied ancestral roots that make up a family. The compilation of heirloom recipes, handed
down and enjoyed through the generations, is one
way to document this celebration of family diversity.
The creation of a family-tree cookbook takes
organization and tenacity. You can either ask relatives to prepare a favorite family dish and provide Be sure to give credit to all contributors by titling
the recipe at the time of the reunion or ask every- each recipe for the person who supplied it, e.g., Aunt
one to send the recipe ahead of time and bring the Daisy’s Cornbread, as shared by Mary Smith.
dish to the event. With the advent of e-mail, recipe collection is
In the first scenario, you will have to compose much easier, but before actual production, visit your
the cookbook after the fact and devise a means of local Costco Print & Copy Center to ask for printing
distribution, whereas the latter allows for delivery at and binding requirements, a time assessment and a
the event and can act as a catalyst for conversation price quote. Their free guidance at the beginning of
as well as providing a cherished memento. Either the project can save you many hours of wasted work.
way, request a tried-and-true recipe that has some The Internet has a wealth of free information on
historical family significance, along with genealogy, creating your own cookbook, as well as sites that
anecdotes and period photos. will do the job for a fee. A good starting point is
In keeping with the theme, the book’s cover can www.bhg.com, where a Create-a-Cookbook interactive
be a line drawing of the family’s genealogical tree, tools resource directory can be accessed free of charge.
the introductory section a history of the family and Always keep the ultimate goal in mind. It doesn’t
each chapter a family branch of the tree. matter whether the reunion cookbook is a photo-
If you plan to distribute the finished book at the copied handwritten document or a hardbound limit-
reunion, keep in mind that you may need as much as ed-edition masterpiece. What does matter is that it
a year to do a first-class job of gathering, testing, writ- was created and that a family’s history has been pre-
ing, proofing, printing and assembling a cookbook. served for generations that follow.
