I come from a Slovak Catholic family, most of which are from the Pittsburgh
area. The cookie table is a must have at family weddings. We always have
homemade cookies and provide take home boxes, guests are often more
interested in the cookie table than the cake.
To the best of our knowledge, it is a Western, PA tradition which grew from
Eastern European roots. Families would make the cookies when cakes were too
expensive or unavailable. (I cannot speak to the Italy connection.) I think
the common thread in early use of cookie tables is Catholicism. My mother
cannot remember a wedding happening in the area without a cookie table.
Also, it seems to localize in the west and central areas of the PA, the
farther east, the less you see them.

Of course this is all passed down and from experience, I can not give you a
source, but NPR did a story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10965922  and the
Pittsburgh Post Gazette has done many.




On Fri, Mar 13, 2009 at 1:06 PM, Frances Hayden
<[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> I also grew up in Northeast Ohio and never heard of such a tradition
> before.
>
> Frances D. Hayden, Registrar
> North Carolina Maritime Museum
> 315 Front Street
> Beaufort, North Carolina 28516
> Ph (252) 728-7317
> Fx (252) 728-2108
> North Carolina Maritime Museum:
> http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/maritime/default.htm
> * This message does not necessarily represent the policy of the NC Dept. of
> Cultural Resources. E-Mail to and from me, in connection with the
> transaction of public business, is subject to the North Carolina Public
> Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lisa Shockley" <
> [log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 12:38 PM
> Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Free Cookies?
>
>
> I grew up in Northeast Ohio, and this is the first time that I've heard
> of this. Although, sounds like a pretty good idea to me!!
>
> Lisa Shockley, Curatorial Specialist, 3-D Collections
> Union Station/Kansas City Museum
> 30 W. Pershing Road
> Kansas City, MO 64108
> 816-460-2055
> "Where there is Peace; there is Culture;
> Where there is Culture; there is Peace."
> Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Heidi Campbell-Shoaf
> Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 8:37 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Free Cookies?
>
> Being from W.Pa. I agree with Judy, it is not Midwestern. I have been to
> weddings with cookie tables. I did not have one but my cousin did. It
> was
> not in place of the cake but in addition to it. I have a completely
> informal
> theory that people in W.Pa. tend to have more sweets around in general.
> When
> I moved to Md. I was surprised at the paltry candy sections in most of
> the
> supermarkets.
>
> Heidi Campbell-Shoaf, Executive Director
> Historical Society of Frederick County
> 24 East Church Street
> Frederick, Md. 21701
> www.hsfcinfo.org
>
> Current Exhibit:
>
> What's Old is New: Recent Additions to our Collection
> January 26- May 31, Museum of Frederick County History
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf
> Of Judith Turner
> Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2009 11:23 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Free Cookies?
>
> Hi, Liz --
>
> In this article it's called a Midwestern tradition but it goes on to say
> the
> cookie table at weddings developed in the northeastern Ohio/western
> Pennsylvania area (hardly Midwest, imho)
>
> http://weddingservicesreceptions.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_cookie_tab
> le
>
> You'll find quite a few links by doing a google search of the phrase
> "wedding cookie table"  with the quotation marks or you'll get deluged
> with references.
>
> I've seen pastry tables at various receptions and bar/bas mitzvah's but
> I've
> never seen one nor heard of a cookie table before.  My experiences at
> weddings have been limited to New Jersey, Wisconsin and Ireland and all
> have
> relied on local bakeries for the traditional tiered wedding cakes.
>
> Judy Turner
> Whitefish Bay, WI
>
>
> --- On Thu, 3/12/09, Liz N. <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>  From: Liz N. <[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Free Cookies?
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Date: Thursday, March 12, 2009, 3:56 PM
>> Ok. I lied. I don't have free cookies but am wondering
>> if any of you can help me with some historic research I am
>> doing. I asked it long, long ago when I did an exhibit on
>> weddings.
>>
>> On to my question: Have any of you ever been to a wedding
>> that has a "cookie table"? This is a table that
>> has lots of cookies that have been made by families (or in
>> some cases, a caterer.)
>>
>> Where and when did you see it?
>>
>> Have you always known about cookie tables? I could really
>> use the help!
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Liz Nohra
>> Fairfax, VA
>>
>>
>>
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