The Art of Cooking in Johnson City – Tabernacle Baptist Church

The Art of Cooking in Johnson City is a community church cookbook from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Johnson City, Tennessee.

The plastic-comb-bound cookbook contains recipes credited to many individual contributors, giving it additional interest for family-history and genealogy research. The pages also include advertisements for Johnson City-area businesses and institutions, creating a snapshot of the local community and commercial history represented in the book.

Published through Women’s Clubs Publishing Co., Inc., Chicago. 

Historical context: Although no publication date is printed in the photographed material, the cookbook appears to date from approximately the late 1970s to early 1980s. Tabernacle Baptist Church was founded in Johnson City in 1976 by Pastor George Higgins and his wife Fannie, and its sanctuary was completed in 1978. The congregation was later renamed Oakland Avenue Baptist Church. Local advertisements within the cookbook, including Colonial Hill Health Care Center and other Johnson City-area businesses, provide additional period context. Based on the available evidence, a circa 1979–1982 date is a reasonable estimate, but no exact publication year has been verified.

A handwritten “No Crust Pie” recipe is tucked into the back and will remain with the book.

Condition: Pre-owned vintage/community cookbook with visible cover wear, age toning/spotting and general handling wear. Handwritten recipe included at the back. Please review photographs carefully for condition and contents.

A strong East Tennessee local-history piece as well as a useful collection of community recipes, contributor names and Johnson City business advertising.