How weekends changed in Northern Nevada.
As you head out to Sunday brunch, do you ever wonder how or when the tradition of brunch originated? You probably haven’t unless, like me, you are a food historian who’s always digging into arcane culinary stories.
I discovered that brunch has a long history. The word was coined in 1895 by British writer Guy Beringer, who argued that instead of the post-church early dinner typical in England at that time, there should be a hybrid of breakfast and lunch for “Saturday-night carousers” to enjoy. Beringer wrote, “Brunch is cheerful … talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper … it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.”
Brunch Comes Stateside
The brunch concept arrived in the United States in the 1930s, supposedly because Hollywood stars making transcontinental train trips frequently stopped off in Chicago to enjoy late morning meals. Plus, with church attendance flagging after World War II, people looked for a new social outlet that also let them sleep in. Brunch was born!
Brunch began to infiltrate the home setting. Newspapers were filled with recipes for the new meal — there were your common standbys, such as waffles, and more complex choices, such as chicken hash with ripe olive sauce. The trend spilled over into home fashion, including the brunch coat that could be wrapped over sleepwear. By the early 1940s, the craze reached Reno’s social scene. Brunches were served to bridge groups, wedding guests, sororities, shooting associations, political gatherings, and every service and community club imaginable.
Northern Nevada Catches On
Most of these social activities were treated like special events and held in facilities that didn’t offer brunches on a regular basis. During the 1940s, you could find brunch at Lake Tahoe, at locations such as Tahoe Village and Sahati’s Stateline Country Club.
The craze came to Reno in December 1944, when The Bonanza, located at 207 N. Center St., announced its Sunday brunch: “Our incomparable chef and staff know how to prepare and serve Jerry’s Texas breakfast … we know this is new to Reno but we are too, so come down, let’s get acquainted, and have brunch in Reno’s newest and smartest club.”
Before brunches became a regular part of weekend life, special occasions such as Easter, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day led the way. In 1957, for example, Easter brunch was advertised at the 20th Century Club, Dick Graves’ Nugget in Sparks, Harrah’s at Lake Tahoe, and even the Elks Club. By 1952, brunches became a weekly Sunday occurrence. An article in the Reno Evening Gazette reported about the Riverside Hotel, “Sunday brunch is catching fire — picking up new customers every week. Churchgoers are dropping in for the buffet feed…” Soon The Mapes, The Nugget, and The Holiday followed. The Holiday deviated from the more typical buffet, bringing in a well-known San Francisco chef to start a new Reno tradition in which you could order from a menu. By the 1960s, with increased leisure time on people’s hands, brunches started to appear on Saturday. The weekend custom had arrived.
Catering to Changing Tastes
As a food historian, I find it interesting to see how societal trends affect the menu. Early brunches included kidneys, chipped beef, chicken livers, and corned beef hash. By the 1970s, these items had all but disappeared, and diners were tempted by eggs Benedict, frittatas, quiche Lorraine, huevos rancheros, and crêpes. As brunch evolved, so did the libations. Early brunches were sober affairs, but soon restaurants lured customers with complimentary booze. Ramos fizzes, a popular holdover from Prohibition’s bathtub gin days, were popular. Soon, Champagne brunches took hold. Mimosas entered the scene. The Riverside even provided Roy Rogerses for the children.
For decades, casinos and large hotels were the primary sites offering weekend brunches. I spent days peering over hundreds (maybe thousands) of newspaper citations through 1980, looking for the time when independent restaurants capitalized on this trend. I hoped to find some contenders in the Reno Gazette-Journal’s 1980 article “In Search of the Best Brunch,” but entries were sparse. Casinos came out on top, led by the MGM Grand Hotel. A year later, 350 entries were submitted in a similar contest; the MGM again topped the list, by a margin of three to one.
By the mid-1970s, restaurants started offering weekend brunches. Some of them are long gone — Holcomb House, Eugene’s, Chez Maxime, Seaweed Inn. But one spot led the way for outrageous and fun brunch dining. In 1974, Squeeze In opened in Truckee, offering outlandishly named “omelettes” in its tiny space. It became a local institution and now can be found in nine locations in three states. Now there’s a success story worth raising your bloody Mary to!
