The Passing of Nach Waxman

From the August 5 newsletter of the Culinary Historians of New York:

“We are sad to report the passing of Nach Waxman , founder in 1983 of the Kitchen Arts & Letters bookstore, a haven for people serious about food and drink books. Nach, a 2014 recipient of CHNY’s Amelia Award, made a deep imprint on the world of food culture and is remembered as a bookseller who worked tirelessly and with enthusiasm and humor to serve the needs of his customers the world over and create a repository of the finest food literature. He will be deeply missed.”

From the NYT:

I met Nach over ten years ago at a history of cookbooks workshop, and we corresponded off and on for a while after that. He tracked down for me a book on the Mango, and helped me complete my collection of the Penguin “Essential … Cookbook” series on regional Indian cookery by supplying me with the then hard-to-get “Essential North-East Cookbook”.

Did anybody else here interact with him, or use Kitchen Arts & Letters?

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Yeah, I went up there a long time ago to buy a cookbook. Nowadays, I try to get recipes online, but there are some dishes I really haven’t done to my satisfaction, so I just might need to go up there again at some point to buy another cookbook or two.

Two weeks ago I attended (virtually) an event at the New School remembering Nach. A number of food people – chefs, writers, etc. – were present. Here’s a recording.

PS: @Pan, welcome back.

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Thanks. I stay away a lot now, but I come back now and then. The pandemic has been difficult for people who love to eat out. I do mostly takeout now and cook when I have the time and energy.

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