In today's health-conscious society, it offers delicious and healthy alternatives to traditional scratch'' baked products without utilizing expensive sugar and fat substitutes or artificial ingredients. A multitude of healthful recipes, including classic desserts and pastries, have been reformulated for lower fat, sugar and sodium content and higher fiber content. Along with a wealth of illustrations and tables to aid readers in grasping the theoretical and practical ideas presented, the nutritional benefits of each recipe can be found listed in the appendix.

Richmond's culinary history spans more than four hundred years and includes forgotten cooks and makers who paved the way for Richmond's vibrant modern food scene. The foodways of local Indian tribes were pivotal to the nation. Unconventional characters such as Mary Randolph, Jasper Crouch, Ellen Kidd, Virginia Randolph and John Dabney used food and drink to break barriers. Family businesses like C.F. Sauer and Sally Bell's Kitchen, recipient of a James Beard America's Classic Award, shaped the local community. Virginia Union University students and two family-run department stores paved the...