‘The Silver Palate Cookbook’ Changed American Home Cooking | Eater

"Opened in 1977 on Columbus Avenue in the Upper West Side by two partners who moved from in‑apartment catering to a tiny gourmet shop, this business built a national reputation selling prepared foods and packaged condiments and then amplified that reach with a best‑selling 1982 cookbook that sold over 2.5 million copies. The shop and book popularized ingredients and preparations such as raspberry vinaigrette, pesto, arugula, salmon mousse, and — above all — chicken Marbella, the prune-and-olive, sweet‑and‑savory casserole that became iconic. Its recipes and style favored big, garlicky flavors, liberal use of butter, olive oil and alcohol, and accessible, dinner‑party‑oriented cooking (many recipes serve at least eight), presented in a friendly tone with doodle-like illustrations, marginal notes, and sample menus. The founders also turned their condiments into a retail business sold nationally, and though the shop closed in 1997 the cookbook's influence on the American palate endures." - Aimee Levitt