Call Number:

Print Collection 14

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

13.2 linear feet (40 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Chef Fritz Blank collection of menus, 1834-2009, Print Collection 14, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1834-2009 (inclusive)

Creator:

Blank, Fritz (Frederick Carl), 1942-2014

Form:

Menus

Abstract:

Chef Fritz Blank (1942 August 25 – 2014 September 9) was a prominent chef, restaurateur, and gastronome during the beginnings of Philadelphia's second-wave restaurant renaissance in the 1980s. In 1979, Blank opened his renowned French restaurant, Deux Cheminees, on South Camac Street in Philadelphia. After being destroyed in a fire in 1987, Deux Cheminees then moved to 1221 Locust Street. In addition to his work as a chef, Blank collected menus from around the globe. This collection contains menus from his own restaurant, Deux Cheminees, as well a diverse set of restaurants he presumably visited: from fast food to fine dining.

Chef Fritz Blank (1942 August 25 – 2014 September 9) was a prominent chef, restaurateur, and gastronome during the beginnings of Philadelphia's second-wave restaurant renaissance in the 1980s. Born Frederick Carl Blank Jr. in Pennsauken, New Jersey, Blank was nicknamed "Fritz" by the same German grandmother who first piqued his interest in cooking and began to teach him the skills that would eventually form the basis of his passion for every aspect of food and cooking.

Prior to becoming a chef, Blank studied and worked as a scientist, earning degrees in dairy husbandry, dairy science, medical technology, and clinical microbiology and then working as an analytical chemist for the USDA, a Clinical Laboratory Officer for the US Army Medical Service Corps, Associate Microbiologist at the Wilmington Medical Center, and Chief Microbiologist at Crozer-Chester Medical and Regional Burn Center. Amongst his scientific accomplishments, the best known is his contribution, made at the age of 32, to the discovery of the pathogen that causes Legionnaire's Disease. He also contributed to the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery in England and the International Workshop on Molecular and Physical Gastronomy in Italy.

In 1979, inspired by a series of dinners based on the 1969 book entitled Great Dinners from Life, Blank opened his renowned French restaurant, Deux Cheminées, on South Camac Street in Philadelphia, but in 1987 the original location was destroyed by a fire. Deux Cheminées then moved to 1221 Locust Street, the former site of the Princeton Club of Philadelphia and the current location of Vedge, a popular vegan restaurant. The upper floors of 1221 Locust Street became a home to both Blank and his vast culinary library, which eventually totaled over fifteen thousand volumes spanning a wide array of formats and areas of interest.

Upon closing Deux Cheminées and retiring in 2007, Blank relocated to Thailand where, after several years of struggling with Alzheimer's, he passed away in 2014.

This collection contains menus from Chef Fritz Blank's own restaurant, Deux Cheminees, as well a diverse set of restaurants he presumably visited: from fast food to fine dining and from across the globe. For the most part, this collection was arranged by location--and it is unclear if the categories of locations were created by Blank or by previous processors. Philadelphia's restaurant scene is most richly documented within the collection, along with local restaurants within the Mid-Atlantic/Delaware Valley. There are also a large number of menus from New York, New York; Providence, Rhode Island; and New Orleans, Louisiana. Western Europe and the United Kingdom are also well documented.

Series I. Deux Cheminees includes general menus for their standard lunches, dinners, etc. It also includes special event menus. Both of these groups are organized chronologically.

Series II. United States is further organized by broad geographic region: New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southeastern United States, Southwestern United States, Midwestern and Western United States, and Islands. Within each category, menus are organized by state and within each state by city. Within each city, menus are arranged alphabetically by restaurant name.

Series III. International is further organized by broad geographic region: Africa; Asia; Canada; Europe and Overseas Territories; Caribbean and Latin America; Middle East; Oceania; and the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Overseas Territories. Within each category, menus are organized by country and within each country, by city. Within each city, menus are arranged alphabetically by restaurant name.

Series IV. Travel (cruises, flights, and trains) is organized alphabetically by company (Air France, Cunard Lines, etc.)

Series V. Unidentified locations includes all menus that could not be placed within the above categories. Menus are arranged alphabetically by restaurant name.

Organized into 5 series: I. Deux Cheminees; II. United States; III. International; IV. Travel menus (cruises, flights, and trains); and V. Unidentified locations.