A Return to Sunday Dinner

Sunday dinner is more than just a meal - it's a time for food, fellowship, and the creation of long-lasting memories! Americans will be inspired to rekindle the tradition of hospitality among family and friends with this mouthwatering culinary collection, designed for any cook with basic kitchen resources. Russell Cronkhite, former executive chef of the Blair House - the presidential guest house - has served three U.S. presidents and nearly every major world leader. A Return to Sunday Dinner includes twenty complete menus (with over 100 recipes) that highlight regional influences on cookery and explore the rich spiritual heritage of the American family.

The oval table in our dining room

was the gathering place for hopes and dreams,

the listening place for prayers and petitions,

and the loving place for joy and laughter.

But on Sunday it was something more—

it was a special place for family and friends.

Sunday was an important day for us;

it was a day when everything—

from the clothes we wore

to the spoons we used—was distinctive.

After church I would help with Sunday dinner,

first by smoothing a beautiful white cloth over the oval table.

The delicate china and ornate silver service were laid out.

Then Tante Anna would emerge from the kitchen,

wiping her hands, and ring a little bell.

“Come to dinner, everyone.”

Corrie ten Boom

Russell Cronkhite is a renowned chef, pastry chef, and baker whose culinary career has spanned over thirty years. His work has appeared in Art Culinaire, Bon Appetit, The Washington Post, and Weber's Big Book of Grilling. In 1988, Russell began twelve remarkable years as executive chef of Blair House, the guest house of the president of the United States, where he served three presidents, five secretaries of state, and six chiefs of protocol. Russell and his wife have three grown children who still come home for Sunday dinner.