The first time I ever heard the words vegetarian and restaurant used in the same sentence it was in reference to Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY.  At the time, I was in middle school and the concept of having a restaurant that served vegetarian fare seemed exotic and way far out.  Of course, I was eating  Burger King Whoppers and Lucky Charms like it was going out of style too. My tastes have drastically changed and this little restaurant has since revolutionized dining and vegetarian fare in the 20th century. 

"About Moosewood Restaurant: Moosewood (named after a local maple tree) was begun in September 1972 by a group of friends who enjoyed getting together to cook and eat, and who wanted to engage in a community project. The chosen site was an old brick school building which was being converted into shops offices and dwelling units. It took four months to transform a gymnasium into a ready-to-function-restaurant. 

After the grand opening in January 1973, more friends of the original seven people joined. Moosewood is now a collectively-owned and worker-managed business with 15 members, who participate in all aspects of running the restaurant from deciding policy to planning menus to changing lightbulbs. There is no singular owner and no "boss". Any profit that accumulates is distributed among the workers or recycled back into the restaurant.

Fast forward twenty years and Moosewood sounds like my kind of place. You could imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this cookbook while visiting the estate of a recently deceased family member. I collect cookbooks and love vintage items so this gem hit on two of my most favorite things. 

The book is astounding. Not only was it published in 1977, the entire thing is illustrated and hand-lettered by founding member of the Moosewood Collective, Mollie Katzen. The pages were well worn with time and, in some instances, stained. You can see some of that in the photos I have here. 

The recipes are a collection of beloved vegetarian recipes that span the international gamut from Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Russian, Asian, German, Indian and Mexican. There are whimsical descriptions and titles such as "Celebratory Sandwich Fillings", "Cream of Summer Green" soup, "Mondo Bizarro Sauce"  and family recipes like "Montana's Mom's Dynamite Cheesecake." Everything about the book shows a true love of food and genuine enthusiasm radiates from the pages. 

There are wonderful tips like "A Good Method for Assembling a Green Leafy Salad" and "How to Make Real Corn Tortillas" as well as options galore. The book offers basic recipes and then provides a wealth of ingredients to add or variations of the recipe to try. 

For me, the book conveys the art of cooking in a way that invites the user to play and have fun with the ingredients and each illustration reminds the reader to not take oneself so seriously. Check the Beavis and Butthead-esque illustration below. 

And, cue the whimsy...

I mean, how can you NOT smile while reading a book like this! 

What blows me away is how revolutionary this type of cooking used to be.  It took me at least two decades to become educated about the food I eat and the whole-foods based diet that Moosewood has been pimping for 38 years. So much of their foodlove and business ideas revolve around an enlightened perspective that has yet to reach the majority of Americans. 

The Moosewood people are true pioneers and this book is an indication of the genuine community that exists between people and food. Modern day concepts like Kinfolk Magazine follow a trail blazed by this remarkable community of individuals. 

Ah-mazing! I love, love, love my vintage vegetarian find. Hope you do too!