‘United We Eat’ author hopes food can bring people together

When she was Minority Leader of the Ohio State Senate in 2011 Capri Cafaro liked to celebrate victories, such as the passage of bipartisan legislation she had co-sponsored, in a down-home, friendly kind of way.

She would bring homemade pie to the office.

“Cream pies, that’s my go-to,” Cafaro explained last week in a telephone interview. “I’ve made grasshopper pie, butterscotch pie, coconut cream, and chocolate cream. And I’m always trying to mix up something different, like Mexican chocolate pie with cayenne pepper.”

Mmm. Of course it didn’t matter if her colleagues were Democrats, as Cafaro is, or Republicans. Colleagues of all stripes would relax together and enjoy the pie.

Inspired by those moments of good fellowship, and similar stories from other political leaders, Cafaro has written a cookbook titled “United We Eat,” set for official release in hardcover on July 4.

“We all love to eat; we need to eat,” Cafaro said. “I wondered, how can we use food as a tool to bring us together when people are so divided?”

“I solicited individuals from both sides of the aisle to tell the story,” she continued. “It was a way to, frankly, humanize political figures. When you read about a family recipe for gumbo (Rep. Donna Brazile, D-Louisiana, contributed her mother’s recipe) or lasagna (Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, R-New York contributed his mother’s recipe), it’s something everyone can relate to. Most of us have those kind of traditions, of having a family recipe passed down.”

“I’m hoping people can put politics aside,” Cafaro said, “and relate to each other as human beings and as Americans.”

“United We Eat” contains recipes from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, with recipes from politicians of different philosophies, such as Fried Goat Cheese Cherry Balls (contributed by Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell from Michigan), Pork Butt and Smoked Corn (from Republican former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas); and GlazedBuffalo Medallions from former Independent Sen. and Rep. Larry Pressler of South Dakota.

Cafaro fleshed out the recipes with insight about the political figures and their home states.

Michigan, for example, leads the country in the production of tart cherries.

Basque settlers brought their culture, and steak-cooking techniques, to Nevada, where they came to work in the silver mines.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon started baking sourdough bread as a sophomore in college.

And Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former vice-presidential contender, once won top honors over fellow Minnesota politicos in a cooking competition. Cafaro describes Klobuchar’s cold-weather comfort-food offering as “her decadent Taconite Tater Tots Hotdish, which pairs tater tots with cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups, ground beef and heaps of Pepper Jack cheese.”

The author adapted 26 of the recipes herself, including the Pennsylvania Dutch Sweet and Sour Green Beans that represent the Keystone State, the Breakfast Chimichangas with Turkey Sausage and Jalapenos that represent Arizona, the Chai Spiced Pear Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel that represent Oregon and even the Beer-Battered Fried Cactus that represents Colorado.

“Some ingredients are trickier to find than others,” she admitted with a laugh.

“I wanted to use food as a storyteller, as a way to tell our nation’s story,” Cafaro said. “I personally did a lot of research on individual states. People don’t realize it but Pepsi was founded in North Carolina, so I included Pepsi Salad, which is something Elvis made famous. It’s really cool … quintessential Americana with the Jell-O mold. And I incorporated walnuts because they’re native to that region.”

Cafaro grew up cooking, learning alongside her sister from her grandmother.

“The thing about the United States is, we really are a melting pot,” Cafaro said. “And we were exposed to different things, both from the traditional Italian heritage recipes of our family to the recipes from the Betty Crocker and McCall’s cookbooks. My grandmother was just as likely to make a pie or layer cake as pizzelles or cannoli.”

Cafara’s cookbook may be purchased as a hardcover or an e-book from amazon.com.