If you’re a fan of the Gilded Age and food, join Abbot Public Library in partnership with Ashland Public Library on Monday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. to hear author Becky Libourel Diamond as she discusses her new book, “The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook: Cookies and Treats from America's Golden Era,” with all of the details that will go straight to your foodie heart. 

“The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook” bridges the past and present, bringing back sugar plums and other confections not typically found in modern cookbooks, while revisiting some beloved favorites. Please note that this is a discussion, NOT a cooking demo. But, feel free to grab the book from your library or local indie bookstore to learn how to make some fantastic, historical treats from one of our favorite eras!

Registration is required to attend via Zoom - please register at HERE. After registering for Zoom, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting online.

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded and all registrants will receive the recording after the program.

Although most Americans have heard of sugar plums thanks to the famous holiday poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore, many have likely never had the pleasure of tasting one of these luxuries, or even know what they really are (hint: they are not sugar-dusted plums). This is because sugar plums are one of the Gilded Age era holiday sweets that got eclipsed as America moved into the twentieth century. But “The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook” will bridge the past and present, bringing back sugar plums and other confections not typically found in modern cookbooks, while revisiting some beloved favorites.

With origins that date back to the nineteenth century and even earlier, the recipes in “The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook” have been adapted for today’s ingredients and appliances, allowing cooks to recreate them in their own modern kitchens. Each recipe will provide a colorful glimpse into the era, featuring the fascinating history behind each cookie, its ingredients and baking methods. There will also be sidebars throughout, offering tidbits of Christmas lore of the era.

A perfect gift to bring sparkle to the holiday season for anyone who enjoys food, history, culture and Christmas traditions, “The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook” is a unique way to revitalize any baker’s holiday repertoire while looking to past foodways for inspiration. With all the opulence and enchanting allure of the Victorian period, this nostalgic book is chock-full of delicious holiday treats.

A food writer, librarian and historian, Becky Libourel Diamond has had a varied career combining writing and research. Her book, “The Gilded Age Cookbook,” was published by Globe Pequot in August 2023. Her previous book, “The Thousand Dollar Dinner,” tells the unique story of a nineteenth-century “Top Chef”-style competition between Philadelphia restauranteur James Parkinson and the Delmonico family of New York. The result was a luxurious seventeen course feast that helped launch fine restaurant dining in America as we know it today. She is also the author of “Mrs. Goodfellow: The Story of America’s Cooking School,” a successful nineteenth-century pastry chef who also ran an innovative cooking school for young women - a Philadelphia first.

Her fourth book, “The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook: Cookies and Treats from America’s Golden Era,” launched in September 2025. She is currently working on a history of the City Tavern restaurant, to be published by Westholme in the Summer of 2026.

This program is hosted by Ashland Public Library and is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library in collaboration with the Chelmsford, Groton, and Tewksbury Libraries in partnership with a multitude of MA & NH libraries.

For more events, please visit abbotlibrary.org/events.