ABOUT
David Wade - The "Gourmet's" Gourmet Chef
Wade began his TV career in Dallas at WFAA in 1949 hosting a 15-minute show about dogs called “Canine Comments” — it became so popular that it was syndicated around the country and it became an award-winning favorite. In 1952, Wade was also appearing on WFAA radio as “The Hymn Singer,” singing religious songs and talking about each song’s history and composer. Along the way, he made the switch to food.
He was doing food demonstrations at personal appearances and on local television by 1957. In the early 1960s he became a nationally-known figure when he commuted to New York from Dallas to tape regular spots for a show called “Flair” in which he appeared with numerous celebrities. They would cook together and share favorite recipes.
Eventually his Dallas-based TV shows were syndicated all over the U.S., and he was so popular locally that he decided to run for mayor in 1971. He lost to Wes Wise, but continued in his role as a cooking instructor and media figure until his retirement.
David Wade, a much-beloved man who lived and worked in Dallas for the bulk of his career — died in Tyler in March of 2001 at the age of 77. He had been a fixture on Texas television and published numerous cookbooks. In between rhapsodizing on good food and wine, he taught untold thousands how to cook fish in the dishwasher and how to roast a turkey in a paper sack.
Today, the David Wade legacy continues with his signature spice the “Original Worcestershire Powder." It can be rubbed or sprinkled on beef, chicken, seafood, vegetables or add this unique blend of spices to enhance the flavor of your favorite cocktail sauce recipe and homemade Bloody Mary’s. The possibilities are endless!
Pictured with Gregory Peck in 1960's
A Little History on Worcestershire Sauce
Worcester is the principal city in Worcestershire County in the West Midlands of England. Bifurcated by the River Severn, it has a population of about 100,000. Inhabited since at least Neolithic times, it eventually became a Roman hub of trade and manufacturing.
Worcester played a key role in the English Revolution, (1642-1651). King Charles I was overthrown and beheaded in 1649. His son, Charles II endeavored to wrest control back from the Parliamentarians and restore the monarchy.
That didn’t go so well. In the Battle of Worcester in 1651, Charles II’s Cavaliers were defeated, thus marking the denouement of the English revolution. Worcester had remained loyal to the king. To immortalize its fealty it was proclaimed “The Faithful City”, a motto now embodied in its coat of arms.
Worcester is also the home, but not necessarily the origin of Worcestershire sauce. Here we go with another culinary mystery, rife with alternative accounts and “depends on who you ask” explanations. John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, a pair of successful Worcester chemists, are credited with concocting Worcestershire sauce in 1837, (other sources site 1835 or 1838). It was commercially available to the public by the next year and obviously became a huge success. Some sources allege that it was developed in India.
What About Those Secret Ingredients?
Whatever the history or the recipe, Worcestershire sauce has a distinctive and savory flavor that adds an alluring dimension to many dishes. Worcestershire capitalizes on umami, now recognized as the fifth basic taste along with salty, bitter, sour, and sweet. All of these tastes have specific receptor cells on the tongue.
Umami, somewhat ineffable, has been described as brothy, meaty, and/or savory. Worcestershire is used on all kinds of meats as well as marinades, sauces, stews, Caesar salad, bloody Marys and countless other preparations.