"The book will chronicle the rise of tiki culture, as reflected in music, film, and TV, leading to the proliferation of tiki bars and culminating in the construction of the Kahiki Supper Club. It will recount the development of themed-restaurants and examine the use of such elements as ersatz Polynesian cuisine, stylized dinnerware, tropical cocktails, and exotic decor in creating the proper ambiance"--
Inspired by Florida's famed Mai-Kai restaurant, Bill Sapp and Lee Henry opened the Kahiki Supper Club in 1961. Patrons lined up for hours to see the celebrities who dined there--everyone from Betty White to Raymond Burr. Sapp and Henry set out simply to build a nice Polynesian restaurant and ended up establishing the most magnificent one of them all. Outside, two giant Easter Island heads with flames spouting from their topknots stood guard while customers dined in a faux tribal village with thatched huts, palm trees and a towering fireplace moai. One wall featured aquariums of exotic fish and another had windows overlooking a tropical rainforest with periodic thunderstorms. For nearly forty years, the Kahiki was the undisputed center of tiki culture.
The phenomenon of the supper club--as unique to the Upper Midwest as great lakes, cheese curds, and Curly Lambeau--is explored for the first time in this attractive and engaging book. Revealing the rich history behind these time-honored establishments, it defines the experience for the uninitiated and reacquaints those in the know with a cherished institution. Painstakingly researched, the book documents modern supper clubs in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, and Illinois, bringing to life the memorable people who created the tradition and keep it alive. It goes on to explain how combining contemporary ideas such as locavore menus and craft beer with staples like Friday night fish fries and Saturday prime rib has allowed the clubs to evolve over time and thrive. With numerous photographs, this combination social history and travel guide celebrates not only the past and present but the future of the supper clubs.
As early as 1755, explorers found coal deposits in Ohio's Hocking Valley. The industry that followed created towns and canals and established a new way of life. The first shipment of coal rolled into Columbus in 1830 and has continued ever since. In 1890, the United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus. Lorenzo D. Poston became the first of the Hocking Valley coal barons, and by the start of the twentieth century, at least fifty thousand coal miners and their families lived and worked in Athens, Hocking and Perry Counties. Authors David Meyers, Elise Meyers Walker and Nyla Vollmer detail the hard work and struggles as they unfolded in Ohio's capital and the Little Cities of Black Diamonds.
In 1956, a few brash young men created the Mai-Kai Restaurant and bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by poaching key staff from Don the Beachcomber's, a Polynesian-themed Chicago restaurant. The Mai-Kai became the playground of celebrities and playboys, and the beautiful women working there used it as a jumping-off point for adventure and fame. Through first-hand stories and more than 400 images, this book documents the history, allure, and enduring legacy of the mid-twentieth-century Tiki era. Focusing on the period 1955 to 1971, it is the story of how the Mai-Kai and its iconic elements came to exist, and the men and women who shaped it and went on to shape the world. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Mai-Kai is the only place on earth that still serves the Rum Rhapsodies that kicked off that indulgent era.
Authoritative, eye-popping, and massive, this is the first and last word on contemporary concert posters, with more than 1,600 exemplary rock posters and flyers from more than 200 international studios and artists.
Dainty Dining gives readers a glimpse inside some of the department store tea rooms of yesteryear, where the customers enjoyed such classics as Frozen Fruit Salad, Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Salad and Wellesley Fudge Cake. Features recipes and images from 20 flagship department stores!
Columbus: Past, Present and Future features twenty-three short stories of Columbus, Ohio. Each story is set in Columbus, Ohio between the city's founding 200 years ago, and 2212, a date 200 years in our future. These captivating, enlightening stories, each of which was written by a different Central Ohio author, will entertain readers of all types.With a foreword by Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, Columbus presents twenty-three entertaining, unique stories written by Central Ohio's most talented writers, as well as art from the region's brightest visual artists.Columbus includes stories written by notable Columbus writers such as Amy S. Dalrymple, Brenda Layman, Ben Orlando, Brad Pauquette and Kim Younkin, among many others.A portion of the proceeds from the sale of every book will be gifted to the Columbus Historical Society, which strives to preserve and protect the history of Central Ohio.Columbus contains an eclectic collection of stories. From romance to suspense, science fiction to comedy, and adventure to the supernatural, Columbus: Past, Present and Future captures the same variety and diversity that makes Columbus, Ohio an amazing place to live, work and play.
