Stanley Marcus declared Helen Corbitt "the Balenciaga of Food." Earl Wilson described her simply as "the best cook in Texas." Lyndon B. Johnson loved her stroganoff and wished she would accompany him--and Lady Bird--to the White House to run the dining room.
Helen Corbitt is to American cuisine what Julia Child is to French. Corbitt's genius was in presentations of new and unusual flavor combinations, colors, and even serving temperatures. She insisted on the finest, freshest ingredients, served with impeccable style. As Director of Food Services for Neiman Marcus, she traveled widely,...