Category: Media Friends

6/29/19

DEAR MEDIA FAMILY,

MANY HEARTFELT THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!

On behalf of,

Gloria Pitzer, ‘The Secret Recipe Detective’

#MediaFriends

It is as much a thrill for me, today, to hear somebody… request that ‘Gloria, The Secret Recipe Detective’ try to duplicate a recipe, as it was for me a decade ago when it all began. – Gloria Pitzer (May 1982) [*NOTE: That thrill continued to remain with Mom, for many more decades, until she passed away in January 2018.]

This tab is dedicated to all of those whom have made a ripple in Mom’s life as the ORIGINAL Recipe Detective^TM. As I continue to come across more names in Mom’s writings, I will also continue to add their “thank you” notes and internet links (if I can find them) in my blogs and here, using #MediaFriends…as well as on social media! – Laura (Pitzer) Emerich

To all those who are reading this, please contact me, by email, at therecipedetective@outlook.com or through Messenger, on Facebook (@TheRecipeDetective), with your memories of my mom! I’d love to hear from you!

The following “thank you” notes are from page 4 of Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018), with additional excerpts found, mostly, in My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret Recipes^TM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989); followed by some other publishings, as well as, where Mom has mentioned these stations, shows and hosts.

THANK YOU, AGAIN, TO…

 …Bob Allison & his “Ask Your Neighbor” radio program, formerly on WWJ-Radio (Detroit, MI) and WEXL-Radio (Royal Oak, MI; 1340 AM). Now, you’ll find Bob on WNZK-Radio (960 AM; Detroit, MI) with his son, Rob Allison. The “Ask Your Neighbor” show has been broadcasting since 1962!

[Thank you] for your moral support and interest in my research and development of recipes that imitate restaurant and commercial food products. You’ve been a great friend over the years! – Gloria Pitzer (1982)

“ASK YOUR NEIGHBOR!” – I called [Bob] frequently with answers to his other listeners’ recipe questions, until I became ‘a regular’ on the show. With Bob’s generous help in mentioning my monthly newsletter, my subscriptions began to climb… I was finally showing a profit! That gave my husband, Paul, some relief from his skepticism that I would eventually outgrow my obsession with writing… From Bob Allison’s listeners alone, Paul and I had received over 1,000 letters in one day! [Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 9)]

…Art Lewis and his “Listen to the Mrs.” program [and cohost, Sue Smith] on WSGW-Radio in Saginaw, MI – which has been on the air since 1952… and also to Fred Krell [RIP], program director at WSGW-Radio, who had originated the early “call-in” talk shows, “Listen to the Mrs.” and “What’s Your Opinion?”

[Thank you, all, for being great friends over the years! – Gloria Pitzer]

DEAR FRIENDS – The best part of April [1995] will be our bus trip to Branson, Missouri with ‘The Art Lewis Tour’. Art is the co-host of my every Tuesday radio visits on WSGW-Radio (Saginaw, MI)…Paul and I haven’t been to Branson in 8 years. The best part…we aren’t doing the driving…Art is! And we’ll be in the company of so many new friends! [From the introduction, on the cover of Mom’s Spring-1995 newsletter, Secret Recipes Quarterly.]

…Warren Pierce of WJR-Radio (Detroit, MI) and “The Warren Pierce Show”, which has been on the air since 1976! Also…Bob Hynes and Jack Mindy, each, of WJR-Radio fame (Detroit, MI).

[Thank you] for putting me in touch with some of the most responsive and enthusiastic listening audiences. – Gloria Pitzer (1982)

Warren Pierce of WJR-Radio, (Detroit, MI) was one of my first radio friends with whom I would visit on the air regularly, giving out recipe secrets from the food industry. When Warren had an evening show, we found that the listeners’ responses to the famous “make-at-home” recipes prompted some very interesting challenges…my visits, on the radio, with Warren Pierce are still among my favorite experiences in my recipe investigations. I would rather do a radio show with Warren, in fact, than television with anyone else. [Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 254)]

…Jim White [RIP], Ann Keefe [RIP] & Art Fleming [RIP] of KMOX-Radio, St. Louis, MO…

[Thank you] for all the great years we visited on the air, sharing secrets of some giants in the food industry with your nationwide audience. – Gloria Pitzer (1982)

In the Mid-West (especially in the St. Louis, MO area), one of the most-often requested recipe secrets from my visits with KMOX-RADIO was for Steak and Shake’s chili. On my way to Los Angeles in March of 1982, I had to change planes in St. Louis and had some lay-over time in which to visit some of the area and get a good bowl of chili! The trip was well worth it! … Some of the radio shows that I took part in were on-the-air at midnight, especially my favorite visits with KMOX in St. Louis and WGY[-Radio] in Schenectady. [Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 54)]

…Bob Cudmore of WGY-Radio, Schenectady, NY [1980 to 1993 night time talk show host for “Contact”… and to his predecessor Bill Miller!]

…for whose listeners have become good friends over the many years of our radio visits with your wonderful audience…[Thank you!] – Gloria Pitzer (1982)

ONE OF MY FAVORITE radio visits, on a monthly basis (and sometimes more often than that) was with a Schenectady station [WGY-Radio]. Originally, I worked with Bill Miller, whose…show [called ‘Contact’] drew a good following. It was because of Bill’s interest in the nuns of St. Claire, an order in New York state, who baked a delicious cheesecake and sold it to raise money for the poor, that I was first asked to duplicate the recipe…It was a real challenge. Eventually, however, we did come up with our own version and it was a divine experience, which I called ‘Blessed Cheesecake’.

Bill Miller left WGY and was soon replaced by Bob Cudmore, who had [previously] worked with me… at a Pittsfield, MA station. I continued on with ‘Contact’ for a long while, until…around Christmas of 1988. [My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret Recipes^TM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 60)]

…Ralph Story [RIP fellow Michigander] of KNX-Radio (1070 AM), Los Angeles, CA. Also…Jackie Olden, Mel Baldwin and Melinda Lee on KNX’s “Food News Hour” [Source: My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret Recipes^TM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 58)]

[Thank you] for introducing me to your west coast audience, which offered me many new restaurants to investigate. – Gloria Pitzer (1982)

…Bob Barry of WEMP-Radio, Milwaukee, WI (1976-1979)…

…whose newsletter to…radio personalities included notes of my progress and opened many doors for me…[Thank you!] – Gloria Pitzer (1982)

…Paul Harvey, broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks…

[Thank you] for [your] kind words about my work. – Gloria Pitzer (1982)

…Michigan’s [Nat’l] Federation of Press Women

…[Thank you] for MANY years of meaningful membership. – Gloria Pitzer (1982)

…Marian Burros, Food Editor of “The Washington Post” and author of Pure and Simple…

[Thank you] for your encouragement and enthusiastic endorsement as Food Editor of ‘The Washington Post’, making my research of the food industry’s secrets an exciting and interesting labor of love. – Gloria Pitzer (1982)

…Ed (& Sydney) Busch of WFAA-Radio, Dallas, TX (1976-1982, hosts of “America Over the Weekend”)…

[Thank you for your priceless contacts and wonderful audience!]

…KSL-News Radio, Salt Lake City, UT…

…Toby Gold of WSAY-Radio, Rochester, NY

…Toni Harblin of WTNY-Radio, Watertown, NY

…Bunny Morse of WCMY-Radio, Ottawa, IL (and “The Morning Mix”, currently hosted by Maggie Frost)

…Pat Rogers of WOAI-Radio, San Antonio, TX – host of the show, “Cover Story”

[Thank you all for all of your past support!]

…Eddie Schwartz of WGN-Radio, Chicago, IL – founder of the Good Neighbor Food Drive that continues on today.

…Bob Sweeney of WHIO-Radio, Dayton, OH [FYI: Dayton is where Phil Donahue’s show originated.] Also…Lou Emm [RIP] of WHIO-Radio

…“PM Magazine” and their television crew in Detroit (at WJBK-Detroit as “PM Magazine Detroit” and “PM Detroit”)…

[Thank you] for having created new interests in my recipes. – Gloria Pitzer (1982)

…The Phil Donahue Show and its amazing television audience!

…Carol Haddix, Food Writer at the “Detroit Free Press”, 1971-1977 & Food Editor at the “Chicago Tribune”, 1977-2011…

[Thank you] for an over-whelming response to my “Eating Out at Home” ideas. – Gloria Pitzer (1982)

…Rosanne Robinson, who found my Facebook tribute page for Mom (@TheRecipeDetective). She said, in part, that Mom was a regular guest on her radio show at WMB-Radio, adding, “she was my favorite guest and a guarantee my mom would listen too!”

Thank you, Rosanne, for your messages and memories of my mom! Keep in touch!

The names for these NEW “thank you” notes that follow, were collected from Mom’s book, My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret Recipes^TM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, pages 58-61)]. All of these stations, talk show hosts and reporters contributed to the ripples of success for the Recipe Detective^TM. Therefore, on behalf of my mom and our family, I want to say a big “THANK YOU” to…

…KSDO-Radio, San Diego, CA

…WBKV-Radio, West Bend, WI

…WFIR-Radio, Roanoke, VA

…Andy Thomas of WVOC-Radio, Columbia, SC

…Carol Arnold of KTOK-Radio, Oklahoma City, OK

…Marty Kaye of WIBA-Radio, Madison, WI

…Jan Michaelson of WHO-Radio, Des Moines, IA [NOTE: Jan had, also, previously worked with Mom out of a Cincinnati radio station, but I couldn’t find the call letters for it.]

…Jeff Pigeon of WIBC-Radio, Indianapolis, IN

…who, after talking to me for only 5 minutes, had so inspired his listeners to want to try our recipes that we received nearly 1,000 letters within 2 days after the radio visit…[Thank you for having created new interests in my recipes.] – Gloria Pitzer (1989)

…Kevin McCarthy of KLIF-Radio, Dallas, TX

…Bob Lee of KSL-Radio, Salt Lake City, UT

…JB Miller of WKRC­-Radio, Cincinnati, OH (1989) [NOTE: JB Miller, of “Miller in the Morning”, was previously from a West Virginia radio station in 1976/1977 when he first worked with Mom.]

…Preston Westmoreland and Pat McMahon of KTAR-Radio, Phoenix, AZ…

[Thank you for your long-time holiday friendship! – Gloria Pitzer]

…Mike Donovan of WSTV-Radio, Steubenville, OH – Host of “Open Mike”

…Kathy Keene of WHBY-Radio, Appleton, WI

…Margie Kreschollek of WSUB-Radio, New London, CT…

‘The Microwhiz’…a new radio visit I thoroughly enjoy…[as she] takes my conventional recipes and converts them to ‘micro’ cooking in no time at all! [Thank you for having created new interests in my recipes!] – Gloria Pitzer

…Jim Warren [RIP], host of Moody Radio‘s “Prime Time America”

…Beth Albright of WISN-Radio, Milwaukee, WI

…Tim Regler of KLIN-Radio, Lincoln, NE

…Dennis Elliott of WMFR-Radio, High Point, NC – host of the “Opinion Please” show

…Dan Leonard of WEBR-Radio, Buffalo, NY…

I was honored to be one of your last guests when you left that station…[Thank you for having created new interests in my recipes.] – Gloria Pitzer

…Good Sam RV Club (MI & OH Branches)

…Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet with and talk to people from all over the country, relative to their recipe interests and food needs… Since our camping experiences with…’Good Sam’, [Paul and I] have truly adopted their slogan, ‘In Good Sam, there are no strangers – only friends we haven’t met yet!’ – Gloria Pitzer (1989)

…“The Noon News”, on WDIV-TV, (Channel 4) Detroit, MI

…Mother Jones Magazine, created in 1976, in the spirit of Mary Harris Jones, is an award winning magazine of investigative journalism that did a story about Mom in its inception.

…Julie Greenwalt of People Magazine, who…

…called and asked me to think about those typical things that happen here, which they could photograph to accompany the story she was writing about us…

Everyday…things, here, are quite unpredictable! Mostly, it’s a day filled with pleasant interruptions – such as the grandchildren dropping by to see us for a few minutes or a radio station calling and asking me to fill in at the last minute! [Thank you! – Gloria Pitzer, My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret Recipes^TM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 94)]

…Dick Syatt, of WRKO-Radio, Boston, MA (host of the “Hotline” show) –

I remembered what Dick Syatt, one of our radio friends, had told me about finally getting everything you ever wanted, when he said, “Hell is God, giving you what you thought you wanted.” Sometimes we need to have something, lose it and get it back again, before we can really appreciate what we have. I had that chance and I am so glad for it… Thank you! – Gloria Pitzer [My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret Recipes^TM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 96)]

…CR Powers and Loren Mitchell on AGM-Radio, Santa Fe, NM – where Mom shared her sister’s recipe (my Aunt Hazel) for her awesome appetizers, which she called “Hot Dog & Bacon BBQ”.

…Bob Talbert [RIP] of the Detroit Free Press fame, along with our condolences to his surviving family and friends. Mom often talked about his helpful boosts in getting her name out to his readers with the wonderful plugs he gave her products. Bob Talbert and Mom had a delightful friendship over the years, and she was quite saddened by his passing in 1999. Bob mentioned Mom’s first cookbook in one of his 1973 columns, where he referred to it as being great “…for a buck-and-a-half-and-a-belly-laugh” per page!

John Owen, Seattle Post-Intelligencer – Published March 1, 1994 – wrote…COLONEL SANDERS’ ORIGINAL RECIPE was pressure-cooked in oil. The spicing is supposed to be a secret. One researcher concluded there are only four “secret herbs and spices” in the late colonel’s recipe. Another…The Recipe Detective…offers an excellent approximation but contains 11 herbs and spices. And it’s probably better for you because it is oven-cooked. Gloria Pitzer calls it “Colonel Sanders-Style Chicken.”

7/14/19 MORE THANK YOU NOTES TO…

[The following names are all from Gloria Pitzer’s Mostly 4-Ingredient Recipes (Secret Recipes^TM, St. Clair, MI; April 1986)]

…Al Holzmeier of KIRX-Radio in Kirksville, MO…

[…who] always tried to stump me when we did the regular broadcast for Hy-Vee Supermarkets. Al and I would take a look at the advertised specials for the week in the Hy-Vee markets and Al would challenge me, on the air, to come up with a short recipe that incorporated the advertised food items into a special dish.

…Perry Wright, host of “Nightline”, on WTRX-Radio in Flint, MI…

[We’ve] had some interesting questions from his listeners, but one intrigued me for the Cherry Dumplings, as…served…in a little café in Traverse City (about a block north of the Milliken Department Store…[unfortunately, the restaurant closed] after years and years of being one of the favorite places in Traverse City.

…Ellen Schenk of KFRU-Radio (1983-1991) in Columbia, MO… now [1992 – Present], she’s a co-host of “Kansas City’s Morning News” on KMBZ-Radio in Kansas City, MO…

[We] had some very interesting radio visits with her [Columbia area] listeners and, on one occasion, a listener requested the chewy, chocolate chip bars that only the professional bakeries seemed to know how to make – and, of course, wouldn’t share the secret! [You know I can’t keep a secret!]

…Mark Murray of WAMJ-Radio in Mishawaka, IN [former AM-1620 & AM-1580 in South Bend, IN]…

[We] keep his listeners up to date on the secrets of the recipe world every now and then; and the letters we receive from Mark’s audience always invite a challenge [like] The Meadow Club in Rolling Meadows, IL [that] served a drink that one listener was simply crazy about [the Miami Express Meadow Club Cocktail]!

…Art Dineen of WPLP-Radio in the St. Petersburg-Bradenton area (FL)…

[Who] has introduced me to the taste favorites of Florida and each radio visit with his listeners gives me another secret to try and crack!

…Jim Pilgrim [RIP] of Alberta Lea-Radio in Alberta Lea, MN and of KGHR-Radio in Austin, MN [where he hosted “House Party”]…

[We] recently shared some holiday recipes with his [Alberta Lea] listeners and the letters that we received from Jim’s audience were very enthusiastic… [Additionally, his Austin] listeners must have enjoyed my last visit with them because we were opening mail of approval for days afterward!

…Bruce Allen [RIP] of WEBR-Radio in Buffalo, NY…

…one of the stations that carries “The Ed Busch Show” and [it’s] where I visit regularly. A recent visit…prompted a caller to request a good steak marinade [for which I gave my Steak Marinade recipe.]

…John Michael [RIP] of CKTB-Radio in St. Catharines, Ontario (Canada)…

…[who] has been calling me for years to visit with his listeners in the Toronto-Niagara area. The favorite recipe [request] of his listeners is for the barbeque sauce like they serve at The Swiss Chalet – a favorite of mine, too!

…Don Burley [RIP] of KMBZ-Radio in Kansas City, MO…

…[whose] listeners asked for interesting ideas for taking the monotony out of mealtime with good side dishes [like my Green Rice recipe]!

…Bob Riggins [RIP], host of the “Morning Report” on KTOK-Radio in Oklahoma City, OK…

[Thank you for all of your support!]

…Cathy Shay of WOR-Radio in New York City, NY…

…[who] thought [my recipe for ‘Cool Whip & Cake Mix Cookies’ and ‘Frosting Cookies’] were unique because even a ‘non-cook’ could make them with ease!

ENCORE THANK YOUs TO…

…WSGW-Radio in Flint, MI

…[encore/repeat] Ed Busch in Dallas, TX [1984 – 1986 host/producer of the “Ed Busch Talk Show”, a national call-in talk show, in joint venture with the Associated Press and carried by their network.]

…[he and his wife, Sydney] have been inviting me to talk with their listeners for over 10 years – originally through the Dallas station [WFAA-Radio] and, now… When I recently visited with [Ed] on the air for 2 hours, I met the most wonderful listeners, coast-to-coast. Always, a former Detroiter will call and ask me to give my version of the famous Sanders’ Hot Fudge Sauce, which Ed always emphasizes is the most incredible, most unique topping you’ll ever find anywhere! My ‘Secret Fast Food Recipes’ book devotes [about] 16 pages to the Sanders’ company…

…[encore/repeat] Andy Thomas of WWKB-Radio in Buffalo, NY… and later, WVOC-Radio, Columbia, SC…

…the 50,000 watt station puts us in touch with listeners from all parts of Ontario, Canada and [the state of] New York. The requests from Andy’s listeners have kept me on my toes for many years and especially when it comes to the Buffalo-area specialties [like Buffalo Wings]!

…[encore/repeat] Kathy Keene of WHBY-Radio in Appleton, WI…

…[We] have shared recipe secrets with her listeners for a long time and their requests reflect the need to cut out the lengthy list of ingredients and get right to the heart of the matter. Some of the favorite recipes requested by Kathy’s listeners include an array of wonderful, but simple to make dishes [like my Summer Cheesecake]!

…[encore/repeat] Pat McMahon of KTAR-Radio in Phoenix, AZ…

…I was delighted to hear from a gentleman who wanted [my recipe for] Strawberry Pie, like the Fogcutter’s in Port Huron [MI].

…[encore/repeat] Warren Pierce, host of “The Warren Pierce Show” and “Mid-Day Magazine” on WJR-Radio in Detroit, MI…

…[whose] ‘Mid-Day Magazine’ show… always brought me special requests for dishes served by restaurants of the area, which were no longer around or had changed their menu offerings so that some favorites were no longer available… [like] the chicken pot pie [that] JL Hudson’s dining room served in their downtown Detroit store.

…[encore/repeat] Toni Harblin of WTNY-Radio in Watertown, NY…

…[whose] listeners share my enthusiasm for the abbreviated recipes that take the task out of cooking and make it more of a joy than a job!

…[encore/repeat] Ellen Schenk of KFRU-Radio in Columbia, MO…

…[whose] listeners were asking about the Flag Ship Rum Buns from the Washington, DC restaurant; and I found a beautiful recipe for them…it had over 18 ingredients… So, I invented an abbreviated version and they loved it!

…[encore/repeat] Bob Lee of KSL-Radio in Salt Lake City, UT…

…[whose] listeners also asked for interesting side dishes ideas for taking the monotony out of mealtime [like my Fried Rice recipe, with shrimp, pork and mushroom variations]!

…[encore/repeat] Jackie Olden and Mel Baldwin, hosts of the “Food News” show on KNX-Radio in the Los Angeles-Hollywood area (CA)…

…[who] always made me feel at home. Among the many requests from Jackie’s listeners were those for a basic, abbreviated spaghetti sauce recipe [for which I gave them my ‘Port Wine Spaghetti Sauce’ recipe, with variations for a meat sauce and a mushroom sauce].

STAY TUNED…MORE TO COME…