Along with feeding and organizing mass feeding of weather-and war-ravaged countries and regions, and putting out cookbooks to help fund World Central Kitchen’s missions, Chef Andres writes a Substack.
A celebration in Tijuana honors the 100th anniversary of the Caesar salad
JUL 15, 2024
Hola friends! I’m still smiling from all the amazing sports victories for Spain—between my friend, Sergio Garcia, winning the most recent LIV golf event, Spain becoming the Euro 2024 champion, and Carlos Alcaraz taking home his second consecutive Wimbledon trophy, I’m so proud of my home country!
Today, I want to talk about a very interesting anniversary that was just celebrated on July 4th (no, not America’s birthday)! I’m talking about the 100th anniversary of the creation of one of the most famous salads, if not THE most famous salad in the world…the Caesar salad! There is something that is always so satisfying about a pile of ice-cold, crispy romaine leaves coated in a tangy, garlicky, savory, light but also just creamy enough dressing. Maybe you add some croutons for crunch, maybe you add some thickly sliced parmesan. Maybe you “hug” the salad to bring it all together, like my friend Jamie Lee Curtis, or maybe it’s prepared for you tableside at a steakhouse.
However you Caesar, let’s raise a glass to 100 years of this amazing salad, and let’s learn a little more about where it came from.
Like so many things with legendary status, there are still some questions around the origin of Caesar salad. Counter to what some might think, It’s not named for the famous Roman emperor, Julius Caesar. The Caesar in question here is Cesare Cardini, an Italian immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1913 from a small town in Piedmont, in northern Italy. He worked in a few different restaurants in California before moving to San Diego. When he arrived in San Diego, he noticed lots of Americans who were crossing the border for nice dinners with cocktails and wine, which was illegal in the US because of Prohibition. So he saw an opportunity to open a restaurant in Tijuana. (snip-more)
Scottie's Playtime 
FYI: The Jamie Lee Caesar Salad link is “paid subscriber only.”
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I am not a paid subscriber, either! The link came along with the piece; I’ll go in and delete it. I’m sorry-I bet you’re hungry for a salad now, and no actual recipe!
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As it happens, I’m a huge fan of Jamie Lee Curtis. I even had a total stranger once tell me I reminded them of her, back in January 2011. I hadn’t even started HRT yet then. Needless to say, I was blown away by that. 😮
So yeah, I was interested in seeing her recipe. I love Caesar Salads. I love Jamie Lee Curtis. It seemed like the perfect convergence to me. 🤷♀️
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She is indeed awesome. I purposely left that bit in because I like her so well. Well, I would if I knew her. I’m sorry about the link. I might be able to find it or something like it around, maybe. I’ll try!
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OK. I found several references to this salad of hers, but each one leads to a paywall. So, I went to ol’ dependable Food Network, and searched. Of course I didn’t find Jamie Lee’s, but I found a goodly page full of recipes, https://www.foodnetwork.com/search/caesar-salad-recipes- .
I did happen to catch a bit on a page with Jamie Lee’s salad on it before the paywall arose, and saw that she includes Worcestershire sauce. Some of the Food Network recipes might, but I bet a person can just add by taste if a person likes Worcestershire sauce. I love it, so I’d be game. I’m not making a Caesar tonight, though. Good luck, Janet! 💜
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Oh I’m not making one either. I just was very curious about her secret. Thanks! 💜
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Well, I don’t know if the Worc. sauce is a secret, but it was in the LA Trib in 1990. Still behind paywall in 2025! 😀
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