Don Strange Remembered in Recipes

Don Strange fed the famous and the modest alike. Whether catering to congressmen at barbecue events on the White House lawn, swells in Hollywood, Katrina refugees at Kelley Air Force Base or 35,000 Lutheran youth at La Villita, he never forgot the true meaning of hospitality. San Antonio’s reputation as a city of open arms owes much to his generous spirit and his entertaining and cooking flair; with his death, in 2009, the city lost one of its most dedicated—and effective—apostles.

Many of us have attended Strange events over the years, either at his ranch near Welfare (complete with Longhorns, of course) or at any of a number of public and private venues around town. But even if his famous pan de campo or grilled white wings have never passed your lips, the new cookbook penned by his widow, Frances Strange, along with Terry Thompson-Anderson, should be of interest not only for its more than 100 recipes, but also for its documentation of more than four decades of entertaining in South Texas. According to Frances, “Don Strange of Texas: His Life & Recipes” is designed for “the home hostess to have fun with very simple recipes.” But it doesn’t stop there. “None of the recipes are complicated,” she reiterates, “and the photographs show innovative ways to serve them using items most people have around the house

.The cook book really is a piece of history.” Advance press suggests that the photographs, by Tracy Maurer, are given equal importance with recipes and tales of catering triumphs and tribulations.

The 256-page book is being launched next week, and Frances Strange will be hosting book-signing events around the state thereafter. If you can’t wait for one to come to a venue near you, a signed cookbook or two can be yours at www.donstrangemarket.com --along with numerous products such as sauces, Double Barrel Brownies, Two-Bite Pecan Tarts and more.