Institutional and Texan cooking
1906–1978 · United States
Helen Corbitt was born in Oneida, New York, in 1906 and trained in dietetics, cooking at hotels and universities before Stanley Marcus hired her in 1955 to run food service at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. She arrived expecting to stay a short while and stayed for more than a decade.
Her Zodiac Room and its popovers, poppy seed dressing, and chilled soups became a Dallas institution, and Helen Corbitt's Cookbook (1957) sold widely. She brought a light, modern, distinctly American touch to food that had once been thought of as merely institutional.
She retired in 1968 and died in 1978, leaving a standard for American restaurant and department-store cooking that others followed.
A sweet-tart dressing of sugar, vinegar, mustard, and poppy seeds, the Zodiac Room's signature.
A light frozen dessert of lemon custard folded into whipped cream, served in chilled dishes.
Crisp, buttery cheese crackers, made with sharp cheddar and a hint of cayenne, served with drinks.
Lunch at the Zodiac Room · 1968 · Dallas, Texas