The great thing about history is that everybody can see it from their own vantage point. Here’s a very thought-provoking review of Appetite for America written by an alum of Williams College, who has a special interest in the two Williams grads who married Fred’s daughters, Minnie and May.

Minnie’s husband, John Huckel, went on to join the family business and ran all the retail. But as the author points out, May’s husband Herbert Hall settled in New York, often traveled to the Berkshires, and were probably the ones who brought “La Fonda Pudding” to the “the attention of chefs at Williams, where it remained an occasional menu item in the 1990s.”

And, in case you’re now hungry for the pudding, here’s the recipe, as it appears in the appendix to the book:

LA FONDA PUDDING
Beat three egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored; gradually add one cup sugar, beating constantly. Fold in one cup finely crushed graham crackers, one-half cup chopped nuts, one teaspoon baking powder, one-eighth teaspoon salt, and one-half teaspoon vanilla. Fold in three egg whites, stiffly beaten. Bake in a buttered eight-by-eight-by-two-inch pan in moderate oven (three-hundred fifty degrees) for forty-five minutes. Cool in pan for ten minutes. Remove from pan. Cut in squares and serve topped with whipped cream and extra chopped walnuts if desired.

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