Every summer, the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site welcomes artists of different media for their Artist-in-Residence program. Artist residencies for the National Park Service began in the 1870s. The early iterations welcomed famous painters of the time to document the gorgeous landscapes in the West. As time passed, artists of other media were welcomed, which even included writers, dancers, and composers.

This month, the National Park Service welcomed Steven Reed to the Hoover Campus. He created a watercolor on his interpretation of Hoover’s Invisible Guest dinners. These dinners were used as a fundraiser for the American Relief Administration following World War I. When federal funds were exhausted, Hoover obtained permission to run the administration as a private entity. Since the government was no longer supporting it, he had to secure private donations.

The Invisible Guest dinners invited donors to sit at a table lined with tin dishes. Instead of receiving an extravagant meal, which their per plate cost would normally dictate, they received rations of soup and bread that the hungry children in Europe would receive. At the head table, there stood a lit candle with an empty chair representing the invisible guest, a child in Europe reliant on food relief to abate starvation in the war-torn landscape following the war.

As Reed said, “Herbert Hoover was wealthy and could order anything off the menu, so it was a statement for him to eat this simple meal at these events.”

Reed’s interpretation shows Herbert Hoover on one end of the table with soup and bread and his favorite foods on the opposite in front of an empty chair, just as the children in parts of Europe would be removed from their favorite foods during this time. Around the edge, Reed added a unique element to his work: a menu.

In addition to his art, Reed is also a sorority chef at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. Instead of his residency being comprised of a solitary medium, he integrated his culinary expertise to create a meal comprised of Herbert Hoover’s favorite foods presented as hors d’oeuvres and served to employees of the National Park Service.

His menu was a treat for those in attendance.

Salmon Sliders

Rattley Ham Skewers

Corned Beef Croquettes

Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Maryland Caramel Tomatoes

Raspberry Cake

Mango Ice Cream

Virgin Ramos Gin Fizz

What is also remarkable is that everything was cooked outdoors in the Boy Scout shelter on the grounds of the National Historic Site. Reed selected this approach as a nod to Herbert’s love of the outdoors. Reed noted that Hoover was an avid fisherman, and stories were told of him scrambling eggs for everyone on outdoor trips. Lou Henry Hoover also loved the outdoors, and as a girl, would camp with her father and cook bacon in a cast iron skillet. Reed had his own experiences with outdoor cooking as an assistant scout master and member of a Dutch oven cooking society.

Reed became a chef while stationed in South Carolina in the Coast Guard. He said he fell into it by accident. With 17 on board the ship and one cook, help was needed, and Reed volunteered. Eventually, he was placed in a three-month program in Petaluma, California at the Coast Guard Training Academy.

Reed found his way into art, largely because of his wife. His wife, who is an artist, has a studio in their home. She introduced him to a watercolor pencil, and his love for painting took off.  He found a way to incorporate his new passion into his love of cooking. For special sorority meals, he will paint an image on the theme and list the menu in his work.

His interest in Herbert Hoover started when he heard an interview with Margaret Hoover, host of The Firing Line with Margaret Hoover. This is when he learned of his humanitarian work. Reed also found his life of adventure fascinating and appreciated how he always considered himself an Iowan.

The meal was well received by attendees and prompted discussions both about the cuisine and Hoover. The excited guests compared favorites and were quick to praise the meal.

Sydney Foster, Biological Science Technician, said, “Oh, it was great. I really like the corned beef hash. I’ve never had it before. It was delicious. The salmon sliders were also really good.”

Seasonal Park Guide Aaron Kruger concurred, “The salmon sliders were really good. Same for the mango ice cream.” While pointing to his virgin Ramos gin fizz, he remarked, “It’s kind of refreshing. The bitterness goes away, and it’s really nice.”

The virgin gin was created by using juniper berries on the Hoover Campus and letting them soak in water to get the general flavor of gin without the alcohol. It was then sweetened and “fizzed” with egg whites and an immersion blender. The final product was earthy, slightly citrusy, and creamy but very refreshing.

As for his next project, Reed is hoping to do another Artist-in-Residence program. His goal is to one day do a project involving President Eisenhower. He had an interesting take on this President saying, “Eisenhower has to be the best chef. If there was an Iron Chef competition among presidents, Eisenhower would win.”

If you are interested in seeing his painting and other works of art produced from the Artist-in-Residence program at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, you can see all of them on display in the Visitor Center.

Reed shared two of his recipes used for this meal.

NO-CHURN MANGO ICE CREAM

2-3 RIPE MANGOS, PEELED CHOPPED AND PUREED

½ CUP SUGAR

2 TBSP. LEMON JUICE

2 TSP.VANILLA

1 -14 OZ. CAN SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

2 CUPS HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM

DIRECTIONS:  PEEL AND DICE THE MANGOS.  USING A FOOD PROCESSOR PUREE THE MANGOS.  PLACE THE PUREED MANGOS INTO A MEDUM-SIZED BOWL AND ADD THE SUGAR. LEMON JUICE, VANILLA, AND SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK.  STIR INGREDIENTS UNTIL THOROUGHLY MIXED.  IN A LARGE MIXING BOWL, POUR THE HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM AND WHIP IT UNTIL IT FORMS STIFF PEAKS.  USING A RUBBER SPATULA, ADD THE MANGO PUREE MIXTURE, GENTLY FOLDING IT INTO THE WHIPPED CREAM UNTIL ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS ARE THOROUGHLY COMBINED.  TRANSFER THE ICE CREAM TO A FREEZE SAFE CONTAINER WITH A SERVING, REMOVE ICE CREAM FROM THE FREEZER 5-10 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING.  RECIPE SERVES 8 PEOPLE.

 

SALMON SLIDERS

1-14 OZ. FILET ALASKAN PINK SALMON, THAWED

1 LARGE EGG, BEATEN

½ CUP RED ONION, MINCED

1 TBSP. DILLWEED

2 TSP. LEMON JUICE

1/2 TSP. BLACK PEPPER

1/2 CUP PLAIN BREADCRUMBS

1 TSP. KOSHER SALT

2-3 TBSP. OLIVE OIL

DIRECTIONS:  REMOVE THE SKIN FROM THE SALMON FILETS.  DISCARD THE SKIN AND FINELY CHOP THE SALMON FLESH.  IN A LARGE BOWL, ADD THE FINELY CHOPPED SALMON, EGG, ONION, DILLWEED, LEMON JUICE, BLACK PEPPER, BREADCRUMBS, AND SALT.  THOROUGHLY COMBINE ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS AND FORM 16 SMALL PATTIES.  POUR HALF OF THE OLIVE OIL INTO A LARGE SAUTE PAN AND COOK SLIDERS FOR 3-4 MINUTES PER SIDE UNTIL THE SLIDERS ARE THOROUGHLY COOKED.  SERVE SLIDERS ON SLIDER BUNS WITH SLICED TOMATOES, LETTUCE, AND PICKLES.  RECIPE MAKES 8 SLIDERS.