Marian Clark - Author & Route 66 advocate
Inspired by a road trip on old 66, Marian conducted interviews with waitresses, cooks, roadies, and other people along the road. She used that information to write books including "The Main Street of America Cookbook", "The Route 66 Cookbook", and "Hogs on 66". Her books have sold over 150,000 copies.
Her books captured the story and flavor of the mom-and-pop eateries loved by locals and travelers alike. Marian was inducted into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame in 2014 and was recognized by the Oklahoma Legislature for her books on Route 66. She was an avid volunteer, active in her community, and regularly supported Route 66 festivals and events. Her passing was deeply felt by all; Marian was beloved along all 2,448 miles of Route 66.
Marian Clark's induction into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame in 2014 with Association President Brad Nickson
Marian's research archives were donated to the Oklahoma Route 66 Association after her passing. Among those archives were audio recordings of many of her interviews, which are available to the public below. The rest of her materials were donated to the Tulsa branch of Oklahoma State University in 2024, where it is catalogued with materials from Cyrus Avery and Michael Wallis.
Illinois
Chicago, IL
Restaurant was owned by Holiday Inn, opened in the early 1990s. Previously, it had been a disco nightclub called Kicks on 66. The restaurant was known for their Route 66 themed decor - among abundant plants were road signs, photographs, and old maps. The Route 66 Cafe-Grill was also distinctive because of its buffet.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 8-9. Featured recipes: Route 66 Grill Braised Lamb Shanks.
Route 66 Cafe-Grill
Pig Hip Restaurant
Broadwell, IL
One of the most unique eateries along Illinois’s stretch of Route 66. The owner, Ernie Edwards, took out a $100 loan and went into business in 1937. Originally called the Harbor Inn, the name changed to the Pig Hip Restaurant a year later.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 17-18. Featured recipe: Route 66 Pig Hip Sauce.
Pontiac, IL
Built in the mid-1920s on original Highway 66, Clark details a funny story about when the Old Log Cabin Inn was bypassed in her book. The business has a second life and was relocated and renamed the New Log Cabin. Known for their homemade soups and pies.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 10-12. Featured recipe: New Log Cabin Marinated Pork Chops.
Old Log Cabin Inn
The Tropics
Lincoln, IL
Operated by Lew and Beverly Johnson, The Tropics had a coffee shop, dining room, cocktail lounge, and event space. Their big, glitzy sign and extended hours made them a “can’t miss” stop on Route 66.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 16.
Missouri
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
St. Louis, MO
A place synonymous with the Mother Road itself. In 1941, Ted Drewes, Sr. opened a frozen custard stand on Chippewa Street in St. Louis. They operate for most of the year until the weather gets cold and then they sell Christmas trees instead of frozen custard.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 24-26.
St. Louis MO
Built by brothers James and Bill Smith from red cedar logs from their family farm, the restaurant was decorated with heirloom wood furniture and opened in 1934. There was a tree stump in the dining room that customers would carve their initials into - a sign that they had visited.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 26-27. Featured Recipes: Red Cedar Inn Country Carrots and Red Cedar Inn French Dressing.
Red Cedar Inn
Lebanon, MO
Built in 1965 by Loren and Norma Alloway, the Satellite Cafe was open 24 hours a day. In addition to the cafe, they also operated a service station next door.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 39-40. Featured Recipes: Norma Alloway’s Satellite Cafe Rolls and Norma Alloway’s Satellite Cafe Oatmeal Cake.
Satellite Cafe
Lebanon, MO
Gail and Izola Henson owned and operated the Bungalow Inn from 1939 to 1945. The Bungalow Inn, located about three miles west of Lebanon, consisted of six cabins, a service station and a restaurant. Photo courtesy of Merylene Henson Dampier and the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 42. Featured Recipe: Bungalow Inn’s Breaded Pork Chops.
Bungalow Inn
Interview with Emma and Robert Martley (1990)
Lebanon, MO (interview conducted by Ada Martley)
A conversation with The Martleys (born in 1911) about life in and around Lebanon, Missouri. Robert helped pave US Highway 66 and talks about the process of improving the highway for the modern traveler.
Interview with Aubrey and Ruth Young (1990)
Lebanon, MO (interview conducted by Ada Martley)
Aubrey and Ruth were born in 1918 and moved to Lebanon Missouri in the 1930s. They talk about their memories of how their lives revolved around Highway 66, including Aubrey’s time as a long haul driver. They also talk about the Nelson Dream Village.
Albatross, MO
Since 1929, the Crossroads Cafe has served highway customers. The location also boasted a filling station and dance hall.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 50-51. Featured Recipe: Ida Painter’s French Cream Coconut Pie.
Crossroads Cafe
Phil’s Bar-B-Cue
St. Louis, MO
Another longtime St. Louis tradition, Phil’s Bar-B-Cue was known for their bbq sauce. They opened on Gravois Rd. and West 5th St. in 1962.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 26.
Trotters Barbecue & Grill
Springfield, MO
Award-winning barbecue restaurant was first opened in 1979 by Steve Trotter. Well loved - at one time, they boasted seven locations. Photo courtesy of the Springfield News-Leader.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 44-45.
Gabriel’s Waffle House
Springfield, MO
Opened in the town square in 1918 by Harry Gabriel Sr., this restaurant predates Route 66. For many years, Gabriel’s Waffle House was the only eatery open 24 hours a day on Route 66 between St. Louis and Tulsa. President Harry S. Truman visited often to hear what locals were saying about politics.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 45. Featured Recipes: Gabriel’s Waffle House Spaghetti and Gabriel’s Blue Cheese Dressing.
Kansas
Baxter Springs, KS
Clark’s follow up telephone interview with Reddy covers three topics: Ma & Pa Lewis’s Cafe in Baxter Springs (Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 62), Murphey’s Slip Slide Custard Pie recipe (featured on p. 61 of Route 66 Cookbook), and most notably the Bunion Derby coming through town in 1928. Photo courtesy of Charles Kastner.
Reddy shares a piece of forgotten history about the Bunion Derby: how one of the black runners had to be segregated from the others. The individual runner’s name wasn’t mentioned, but he was housed in the Coleman Drugstore.
There were only 5 black “bunioneers” at the start of the race and only 4 of them made it past New Mexico. The runner Reddy mentions is one of these 4: Eddie Gardner of Seattle (eighth place winner), Sammy Robinson of Atlantic City, Toby Joseph Cotton, Jr. of Los Angeles, or Philip Granville of Hamilton, Ontario Canada (third place winner). Click here to read more about race and the Bunion Derby.
Interview with Margaret Mary Reddy
Murphey’s Restaurant
Baxter Springs, KS
Bill and Wanda Murphey opened their restaurant in December 1941. They served thousands of Route 66 travelers in their thrity-five years. They were beloved for Wanda‘s homemade pies. Photo courtesy of Northern Arizona University.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 61-62. Featured Recipes: Murphey‘s Slip Slide Custard Pie and Murphey’s Pie Crust.
Baxter Springs, KS
Opened first in 1944 as Spencer’s Diner by the Spencer Family. They served hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, and their famous made-from-scratch pies. The Spencer family retired in 1962 and sold the business.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 60-61.
Spencer’s Diner
Baxter Springs, Galena, and Riverton, KS
This interview covers a lot of the material that is used in Clark’s Kansas chapter of The Route 66 Cookbook. It covers Brown’s Cafe (p. 56), Murphey’s Restaurant (pp. 61-62), J.W. Grantham (p. 57), Anna & Goldie’s (p. 62), Gene Young’s Luncheonette (p. 62), Blue Castle Cafe and their famous Escalloped Turkey recipe (pp. 62-63), The Ranch House (p. 62), Maid-Rites (not featured in her book), Y Not Eat (p. 59), Spring River Inn (pp. 57-58), and Eisler Brothers’ Old Riverton Store (p. 59). In addition, the interview also discusses the Route 66’s path through Kansas and the dangerous wrecks that used to happen on Rainbow Bridge.
Interview contributes to content in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 56-63.
Kansas (General)
Oklahoma
Claremore, OK
Started by Joe Henderson in what used to be his residence. The house was remodeled and transformed into a restaurant. Cotton Eyed Joe’s served barbecue and they were well loved for their barbecue sauce.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 71. Featured Recipe: Cotton Eyed Joe’s Baked Beans.
Cotton Eyed Joe’s
Molly’s Landing
Catoosa, OK
The Molly Smith is a retired 119-foot Mississippi River push boat moored on the river. They are an upscale restaurant serving steak and seafood. The entrance to Molly’s Landing is an original Route 66 bridge that was relocated after construction.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 72. Featured Recipe: Molly’s Landing Marinated Mushrooms.
Tulsa, OK
Beloved by locals and tourists alike. The Metro Diner once sat near the University of Tulsa’s Skelly Stadium. Their 1950s memorabilia and decor paired well with their fare.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 76. Featured Recipe: Metro Diner Chicken Salad.
Metro Diner
Tulsa, OK
Tulsa restaurateur who brought Kentucky Fried Chicken to Tulsa. He opened his first restaurant in 1941 and is perhaps best known for his Harden’s Hamburgers store. Harden’s Hamburgers was on 11th St. and popular with Will Rogers High School students. Interview is with Johnny Harden.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 79.
Harden’s Hamburgers
Bristow, OK
Bristow was home to many Syrian and Lebanese settlers like Opal Lyons. Opal and her husband opened the Lyons Cafe in 1932. They became known for Opal’s delicious pies. Photo from the Bristow Historical Society.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 82-83. Featured Recipe: Opal’s Banana Blueberry Pie.
Lyons Cafe
Dan’s Barbecue Pit
Davenport, OK
John and Alice Vandever bought Dan’s in 1981 where they had been regulars for twenty years. Along with the building, they also bought the former owner’s secret recipes and pile of hickory out back. In addition to their barbecue, they were well loved for their cinnamon rolls and desserts.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 85. Featured Recipe: Dan’s Peanut Butter Dessert.
Porter House Restaurant
Weatherford, OK
Opened in 1949 by Laverne and Juanita Snow. They began with two booths and seven stools and eventually their restaurant grew to seat 144. They served “broasted” chicken and had the area’s first-ever salad bar and buffet. Elvis Presley would often eat here whenever he passed through. Photo courtesy of Route 66 News.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 102-103. Featured Recipe: Porter House Hot Cakes.
Sayre, OK
This interview with Gene Hill covered many topics: his many restaurants - Gene’s Cafe, Silver Grill, a cafeteria, and the Rainbow Cafe; his competition, Cal’s Country Cooking; the paving of Route 66 near Sayre; the construction and construction crew of Route 66 near Sayre; the oil boom of the 1970s and the bust of 1982 and its impact on the community; storms in Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle; and an ostrich farm / Route 66 attraction in Sayre. Content from the interview was used in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 106.
Rainbow Cafe
Erick, OK
Opened in 1946 and operated for thirty-three years on Route 66 until Erick was bypassed. Cal then moved his business to an exit off of I-40 in 1979. Cal’s Country Cooking served many celebrities including: Jessica Lang, Roger Miller, and Dale Robertson.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 107. Featured Recipe: Cal’s Mock Lobster Salad.
Cal’s Country Cooking
Texas
Adrian, TX & Wildorado, TX
Opened by Jesse Fincher after he was discharged from service in WWII. Jesse’s Cafe had two locations (one in Adrian and one in Wildorado). They were known for their lunch plates, hot rolls, and pies. Outside of Jesse’s Cafe was a big sign that read “Ho’ Made Pie.”
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 126. Featured Recipe: Jesse’s Cafe Beet Pickles.
Jesse’s Cafe
Golden Spread Grill & Texas Chapter
Amarillo, TX
This recording is unique because the first part of it (0:00-5:35) is Clark making notes to herself about the attractions, details, signs, history, sites, and restaurants she encountered in Amarillo, McLean, and Groom.
These notes mention: Devil’s Rope & Texas Old Route 66 Museum, McLean Cafe, Hotel 66, signage in Groom, Groom Drugstore, the Reptile Ranch, and her interview with Ruby Denton from the Golden Spread Grill (pp. 114-115).
The second part of the recording (5:36-17:31) is an interview with information that comprises much of her Texas chapter introduction as well as information about Cafe 66 (p. 113), McLean Cafe (p. 113), Greyhound Drug (p. 111 & 113), a restaurant by Gene Greer, The Big Texan, Phil Robertson, and Homer Ehresman (p. 129).
The interview also covers how to find and navigate Route 66 through Texas from Shamrock to the New Mexico border.
Content from this recording featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 111-115 & p. 129.
Neon Grill & Fountain & Texas Chapter
Amarillo, TX
This recording has two separate interviews on it. The first (0:00-12:04 and picking up again from 18:56-27:31) covers a lot of information and restaurants that comprise the bulk of Clark’s Texas chapter, including: Pig Hip Sandwich & secret sauce by Tingley and John Dinsmore (p. 120), Ansley’s Musical Pig Shop (p. 120), Ruth’s Steaks (p. 115), Underwood’s Barbecue (p. 119), Rice’s Dining Salon / Longchamps Dining Salon (p. 117), Myers Fried Chicken (p. 119), Golden Light Cafe (p. 121), Dream Diner (p. 119), The upscale Hackney Club (p. 119), Mason’s Cafe (p. 119), The Nat (p. 121), and the Aviatrix (p. 115).
This interview also includes an anecdote about Clark’s Texas restaurant postcard collection as well as an uncorroborated story about how a local restaurant would begin making Amelia Earhart’s dinner whenever they heard her plane buzz into the airfield nearby.
The second interview (12:05-18:55) covers the Neon Grill & Fountain in Amarillo (with a lovely side mention of El Reno’s Onion Burger Festival). The Neon Grill & Fountain served sodas, malts, and cokes from an old soda fountain. They had a 1940s Wurlitzer jukebox and lots of the original fixtures and ephemera from the old Neon Cafe.
Content from this recording featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 115-122. The Neon Grill & Fountain is featured on p. 122.
Amarillo TX
Built by Mae and Lance Pollard, the Tip Top Cafe became known as one of the best pie stands on Route 66. They also served barbecue to travelers and truckers.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 125.
Tip Top Cafe
Adrian, TX
Originally named the Old Route 66 Cafe, this eatery was renamed the Bent Door Cafe by its patrons. Open 24 hours-a-day, the Bent Door was a respite for travelers and a beloved local place to play dominoes, listen to someone play the fiddle, and enjoy a good meal.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 127-128. Featured Recipe: Bent Door Lemon Meringue Pie.
Bent Door Cafe
Vega, TX
This location operated as a cafe since 1930. In 1950, Don and Ann Krahn purchased it and the name changed. Open 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week, they were well loved for their enchiladas and pies.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 127. Featured Recipe: Krahn’s Cafe Enchilada Casserole.
Krahn’s Cafe and Truck Stop
New Mexico
Interview with Lillian Redman on her time as a Fred Harvey Girl
(Pt. 1)
Tucumcari, NM & Arizona
In Clark’s interview with Lillian Redman, they discuss the Blue Swallow Motel and her time as a Fred Harvey girl. This is one of two interviews that Marian Clark conducts with Redman. The second interview, which also details her time and experience as a Harvey girl, goes into more detail. See below in the Arizona section for the other recording.
Content from this recording is featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 131-132 as well as snippets included later in 166-167, 170-172, and 183-185. Featured Recipe: Lillian Redman’s New Mexico Bread Pudding (Capirotada).
Albuquerque, NM
Lindy’s Diner is across from the KiMo Theater in downtown Albuquerque. Lindy’s is the oldest restaurant in town doing business at the same location. They are famous for their chili.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 153. Featured Recipe: Lindy’s Red Chili.
Lindy’s Diner
Earl’s Family Restaurant / Earl’s Park ‘n Eat
Gallup, NM
Earl Nelson opened Earl’s Park ‘n Eat in 1947. The name later changed to Earl’s Family Restaurant.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 161-162. Featured Recipes: Earl’s Restaurant Santa Fe Chicken Soup and Earl’s Chocolate Cake.
Arizona
Williams, AZ
Operated by Lucia Kreutzer (with a name inspired by a loving nickname from her husband). The cafe’s walls are decorated with hundreds of photographs of singers and movie stars collected by Lucia’s son. The Little Fat Lady Cafe served American and Mexican cuisine.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 186. Featured Recipe: Little Fat Lady Green Chili.
Little Fat Lady Cafe
Arizona
Clark interviewed Lillian Redman who worked as a waitress in Fred Harvey restaurants for eight years in Arizona, primarily at their Grand Canyon location.
Lillian details the intensive training of Fred Harvey girls and talks at length about the training school. The training school was established to teach Harvey girls about proper serving, food etiquette, general etiquette, and maintaining their Harvey girl appearance (or what we might call today, brand standards of dressing). She also describes the eligibility requirements for being a Harvey girl, the employment opportunities if you excelled (working at the resorts or on the cruise ships), and operations in general.
Lillian shares some anecdotes about customers, train car service, the Fred Harvey silver, and her marriage to her husband (who was a cook at the El Trovar).
Content from this recording is featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 131-132, 166-167, 170-172, and 183-185. Featured Recipes: Lillian Redman’s New Mexico Bread Pudding (Capirotada), El Trovar Chicken and Shrimp Curry, Falcon Restaurant Hotel Rice Pudding, and Falcon Restaurant Barbecue Sauce.
Delgadillo’s Snow Cap
Seligman, AZ
Owned and operated by Juan and Mary Delgadillo, the Snow Cap is a Route 66 legend. Their food, collection of road memorabilia, and Juan’s sense of humor make the Snow Cap a can’t miss stop.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 189-190.
California
Amboy, CA
This recording covers an interview with Betty White, wife of Herman “Buster” Burri, about the town of Amboy in general, Santa Fe trains, Roy’s Motel & Cafe, and her husband, Burris. Burris was the inspiration for Clark’s Route 66 Cookbook.
Roy’s Cafe & Motel was named after Herman “Buster” Burris’s father-in-law. The cafe and motel as well as the remainder of the town were all owned by Burris. When Route 66 was bypassed, Burris put the town up for sale.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 201. Featured Recipe: Roy’s Cafe Chili.
Roy’s Motel & Cafe / Herman “Buster” Burris
Ludlow, CA
Chambless Camp is a camp for Cadiz migrant workers who are harvesting grapes and lemons from area farms. The camp sits across from the Marble Mountains in Ludlow. There you could find authentic South American cuisine.
Photo courtesy of the Pomona Public Library’s Burton Frasher Foto Postcard Collection.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, p. 200. Featured Recipes: Chambless Camp Salsa and Chambless Camp Guacamole.
Chambless Camp
Bono’s Restaurant & Deli
Fontana, CA
Bono’s Restaurant & Deli was owned and operated by the Bono Family. They emigrated to California from Sicily in the 1920s before Fontana was even a city. They served Italian cuisine and were known for also serving orange juice.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 206-207.
Thomas Winery
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Thomas Winery, also known as the Cucamonga Rancho Winery, was once the largest vineyard and winery in California. It was designated as a California Registered Historical Landmark in 1951.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 207-208.
La Parisienne
Monrovia, CA
The oldest French restaurant in Southern California, La Parisienne opened in 1958. They served upscale classic French cuisine.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 212-213. Featured Recipes: La Parisienne Leek and Potato Soup, La Parisienne Poulet aux Framboises, and La Parisienne Creme Brulee.
Interview with Lillian Redman on her time as a Fred Harvey Girl
(Pt. 2)
West Hollywood, CA
A Route 66 fixture, the Formosa Cafe was operated by Lem Quon. The Formosa specialized in Cantonese cuisine, seafood, and chicken dinners. Popular with Warner Brothers Studios employees and many Hollywood celebrities.
Featured in Route 66 Cookbook, pp. 217-218.
Formosa Cafe
Miscellaneous
Beryl Ford
- Recorded Talk at the Boston Avenue Methodist Church
Tulsa, OK
This is a recorded talk by Tulsan Historian, Beryl Ford, to a group at the Boston Avenue Methodist Church. Ford’s talk was about Route 66. He covers:
Cyrus Avery and the development of the federal highway system
Eleventh St. Bridge & its designation as a National Register of Historic Places
Sue Bland Oil Well
Tribal lands
Tulsa Churches
Hotels & Motels
Legislation (around Route 66) & its contemporary reception
The alignments of Route 66 in Tulsa. His detailing of the alignment of Route 66 in Tulsa also includes past and present businesses and landmarks
Route 66’s completion
Tulsa Race Massacre (Cyrus Avery and the Red Cross)
His talk is peppered with some Q & A from those in attendance. Q & A is from 41:21-57:35.
Photo courtesy of the Tulsa World.
Guy Logsdon spoke and sang about the influential musicians from Oklahoma who changed the nation’s sound. Logsdon’s talk touched on Texas Swing, Western Swing, KVOO Radio, and Cain’s Ballroom. He also touches on the Dustbowl and migration.
Logsdon discusses the following musicians: Woody Guthrie, Bob Wills, Gene Autry, Charlie Christian, Alfonso Trent, The Blue Devils, Benny Goodman, Eldon Chamblin, The Alabama Boys, and Jimmy Wilson and the Catfish Band, O.W. Mayo.
Photo courtesy of the Tulsa Historical Society
Smithsonian - Guy Logsdon
Phil Hopper wrote, produced, and filmed the documentary Route: The Road West. In his Smithsonian talk, Hopper spoke about the documentary briefly and about where music has been on and where it’s going.
His talk was accompanied by film clips and music which you can hear in the recording.
Smithsonian - Phil Hopper
Smithsonian - Suzanne & Michael Wallis
Suzanne and Michael Wallis speak poetically about the Mother Road in their Smithsonian talk. Suzanne reads beautiful prose about her and Michael’s July trip on the Mother Road.
Michael shares history, geography, and descriptions of Route 66. He shares anecdotes about Clark Gable and Carole Lombard’s marriage in Kingman, semi-wild burros who wander the streets of Oatman, ghosts, the eccentric Stanley Marsh 3 and Cadillac Ranch, and the heroes and outlaws of Route 66.
Michael also covers: the Oilman Frank Phillips, Henry Starr and Oklahoma bank robbers, Woolaroc outlaw parties, barbecue, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Oklahoma’s Route 66 history. Talk continued in the next recording below.
Photo Courtesy of Route 66 News.
Smithsonian - Michael Wallis & Celeste Miller
A continuation of Michael Wallis’s recorded talk above about the heroes and outlaws. In this part of the recording he covers Pretty Boy Floyd, Carl Janeway, and the people who have Pretty Boy Floyd stories. Michael also shares the prologue of his book, Pretty Boy: The Life and Times of Charles Arthur Floyd.
The latter half of the recording is Celeste Miller’s performance art titled “Vision On 66: Go Dad Go,” an amalgam of oral history, impressions and myth about U.S. Route 66. While you cannot see her performance, you can hear it.
Marian Clark shared highlights from her book, The Route 66 Cookbook: Comfort Food from the Mother Road.
In her talk, she discusses Funks Grove Maple Sirip, Pig Hip Restaurant, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, Red Cedar Inn, The Garbage Can Cafe, Spring River Inn, Eisler Brothers Old Riverton Store, Norma’s Diamond Cafe, Beverly’s Pancake Corner, Chicken in the Rough, The Country Dove Gift Shop & Tearoom, U Drop Inn, The Big Texan, Golden Light, Neon Grill & Fountain, Bent Door Cafe, Lillian Redman’s memories about being a Fred Harvey girl, M & J Restaurant & Sanitary Tortilla Factory, Silver Saloon, Luna Mansion, La Posada, Valentine Diner, Bono’s Italian Deli & Restaurant, and Buster Burris’s town of Amboy, CA.
Smithsonian - Marian Clark
Route 66 Cookbook Radio Interviews
Below are Marian Clark’s radio interviews where she promoted the publication of the Route 66 Cookbook. In every radio interview, Marian shared her inspiration for writing her book: a television interview that she watched on the news with Herman “Buster” Burris. Burris owned Roy’s Motel & Cafe in Amboy, CA. Interestingly, he also owned the rest of the town which had been bypassed so he was putting it all up for sale. Burris’s interview inspired Clark to record the stories and recipes of the mom-and-pop places that you can only find on the Mother Road.
Clark’s interview on Stephen Knight’s Broadcast Bistro on KIEV focuses on the California chapter of her book, how Marian decided which recipes to include, what it’s like to travel Route 66, and a fun anecdote about Pretty Boy Floyd’s apple pie baking (the recipe for which is included in her book).
Clark’s interview with Ann Williams & Co. on Tulsa FM 89 focuses on how Marian wrote her book, her fact-finding travels, Fred Harvey Houses, and the Pinto Bean Festival in New Mexico. She shares a recipe for Pinto Bean Fudge on air.
Clark’s interview with Kathy Carol on Tulsa Weekend focuses on recipe testing for the book, unique recipes that you’ll find inside, anecdotes from the people Marian met, and a thoughtful discussion about the types of cuisine and main staples Marian saw on Route 66.
Clark’s interview with Denver Fox on Tulsa KRMG focuses on the Smithsonian Route 66 tours, her relationship with Michael Wallis, how long it took Marian to write her book, the Tulsa restaurants featured (Old English Inn, Golden Drumstick, The Middle Path Cafe, Metro Diner, and Route 66 Diner), a brief mention of the newly rehabbed Rock Cafe, and a sweet anecdote about Marian cooking one of the recipes from her book (Rice’s Dining Salon’s dressing recipe) for Thanksgiving.
