Excerpt
1
A Sensation
Putting a piece about food on the front page of the New York Times was unheard of, but on April 13, 1959, they did it.
ELEGANCE OF CUISINE IS ON WANE IN U.S.
Two time-honored symbols of the good life--great cuisine in the French tradition and elegant table service--are passing from the American scene. . . . Cost control cramps the enthusiasm and inventiveness of master chefs. . . . Training facilities for cooks and waiters are virtually nonexistent. Management and union officials are apathetic. . . . Menus soon will be as stereotyped as those of a hamburger haven. . . . Americans seem always to be in a hurry. . . .
Humbert Gatti, executive chef of the Plaza Hotel, predicts: "Within five years kitchens