Contributions to Canadian Cooking

On cover: A bright yellow background with a photograph of a table with a roast turkey, a bowl of green beans, and a dessert, in the centre of the cover. Above the photograph in black lettering, 'Encyclopedia of Canadian Cuisine.' Below the photograph in black lettering is, 'Madame Benoit.' Written in the top left corner is a sketch of a house with 'Canadian Homes Magazine' inside it. Handwritten in black pen at the top right of the cover is 'Irene Dorrington.'

Hall of Fame Award (Posthumous) | 2011

Growing up in a family with French-Canadian and Irish roots, Jehane Benoît learned the basics of cooking from her mother and grandmother. After studying philosophy at the Sorbonne, Benoit extended her stay in Paris by enrolling in the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school. After graduating as a food chemist in 1925, she started her own cooking school in Montreal. She also opened one of Canada’s first vegetarian restaurants, The Salad Bar, in 1935. Among the thirty cookbooks that she authored in her lifetime, arguably she is best known for her substantial Encyclopedia of Canadian Cuisine (1963). Within its 1056 pages, readers are provided with a variety of recipes, educational tools, and cooking tips. Through her experiences and writing, Benoît developed a knack for explaining cooking in a way that anyone could understand.

                                                                                                                       

Benoît, Jehane. Encyclopedia of Canadian Cuisine. Ottawa: Les Messageries du Saint Laurent, 1963. Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library (TX 715.6.ZZ2933).

Jehane Benoît (1904–1987)
Contributions to Canadian Cooking
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