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Introduction Four Recipes Page 2 Family Photo Album Page 3
Rowena & Julius J. Torok. Click photo for larger image. Medina is now a suburb of Cleveland located in the heart of the Western Reserve which is the county seat of Medina County Ohio. The Western Reserve area of Ohio is land that was originally set aside and used as payment to the men who served in the Revolutionary War. During Rowena’s life she gathered many old and time-tested Ohio and early Michigan recipes. Some came from family and friends gathered together during the holidays - others came from summer trips to Michigan, western Ohio and Chicago. Many of the recipes were obtained from her friends at the church "Guild" meetings (you will see "Guild" next to the recipe name). You may also notice that several recipes refer to "Susan" next to the recipe name. These recipes are attributed to Susan W. Torok, the wife of David M. Torok, the youngest son of Julius and Rowena. Susan was from Farmington, Michigan. She lived in Toledo, Ohio for a number of years and during that time she had the opportunity to share some of her special recipes with Rowena. Rowena was quite fond of Ohio and the rich culture which today is often attributed to the fertile farmlands of the Midwest. She loved to cook and to try new recipes. Capturing a new and delicious recipe was a favorite pastime of hers. We have found in reviewing her recipes, that some were learned by heart or perhaps only partially recorded, and only later, when Rowena was much older did she write them down. Rowena married Julius J. Torok, who at the time (1933) was a promising engineer with Westinghouse Electric in Pittsburgh. Shortly after their marriage, Julius and Rowena moved to Corning, New York where Julius began working in special glass research with the Corning Glass Company. While in Corning, Julius and Rowena had three children, James, Jay and David. All the children had enormous appetites, and kept Rowena busy full time with cooking, grocery shopping, and taking care of the three constantly moving offspring. Rowena’s mother, Cornelia Spitzer Newton, was also born in Ohio and grew up in Medina. Rowena, her grandmother, grandfather, and sister, as well as Cornelia and Ernest were all graduates of Medina High School. Upon graduation, Cornelia Spitzer married her high school sweetheart, Ernest James Newton in 1889. The Spitzer’s and Newton’s believed in the benefits of education for men and women, and since Cornelia graduated from Lake Erie College, both Rowena and her sister, Evelyn, attended Ohio schools by graduating from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Rowena received her Master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and taught nursing. It is probably worth mentioning that the Spitzer’s were early settlers of the Western Reserve area of Ohio. Both the Newton’s and the Spitzer’s came to Ohio as a result of being granted land in the Western Reserve as payment for their services in the Revolutionary War. Therefore, this cook book features recipes that were used by the Spitzer’s, the Newton’s, the Calkins, and other relatives who were not only early settlers of the Western Reserve, but also prudent bankers and farmers. The Spitzer farm consisted of a section of land (640 acres) just outside of the City of Medina, and is an early source of many of the recipes featured in this cook book. Unfortunately the Spitzer Farm is now part of a golf course and a shopping center. The Spitzer’s founded the first bank in the Western Reserve, which was called the Savings Bank of Medina. The Savings Bank of Medina was eventually sold about 1970 to the Cleveland Trust, and the last Spitzer remaining in Medina, E. B. Spitzer, left the Cleveland Trust once the transition time was over with the family bank. E.B. is now a bank examiner for the State of Ohio. The Newton’s relocated to Ohio from Connecticut shortly after the Revolutionary War, and were primarily ministers, musicians, and educators. Ernest Newton, Rowena’s father, was a concert violinist. In my opinion, E. James Torok, my brother, inherited his special musical talent. E. James Torok has Ernest’s violin which Ernest used when performing a concert in Carnegie Hall in New York. My thanks and gratitude to Judy Unger and Great Western Land & Recreation, Inc., for the help provided in editing the recipes and assistance in the timely publication of this cookbook. I hope you enjoy these recipes. If you have any comments regarding them, I would enjoy hearing from you.
Jay & Anne Torok
Click photo for larger image.
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