Young Chefs of the West

They came to the frontier from around the world and invented dishes still served today.

- BY SHERRY MONAHAN

This photo was taken at the Broadmoor in 1920/1921 with chef Louis Stratta (center) along with manager, Edward Burke, and his daughter Bonnie (left).

The man on the right is unknown.

Courtesy of the Broadmoor Hotel

Did you know a large number of pioneers who settled the West were men and women in their 20s, 30s and 40s? Those included chefs, cooks and bakers.

Most of them were men, classically trained, and from European countries. The bigger the frontier city, the more credentialed the chef. Rural locations often had cooks and bakers who were self-taught or former Army cooks. Female chefs were rare, but many women cooked in their own boardinghouses, private homes and in some restaurants. Female chefs started getting attention by 1915.