Pamela Strobel facts for kids

Pamela Strobel (born around 1928) was a talented chef and author. She was also known as Princess Pamela. She became famous for her amazing Southern cooking. She served it at her New York City restaurant, The Little Kitchen. Pamela Strobel also wrote a cookbook in 1969. It was called Princess Pamela's Soul Food Cookbook. This book was even shown in a special exhibit. The exhibit was at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

Early Life of Pamela Strobel

Pamela Strobel was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Her grandmother, Addie, mostly raised her until she was 10 years old. Her birth name might have been Addie Mae Strobel. Pamela's mother, Rosella, was a skilled pastry chef. She worked at the Elite Restaurant in Spartanburg. Rosella moved to Boston for work soon after Pamela was born. She left Pamela with her grandmother. Sadly, Rosella became sick and passed away at age 28. This happened when Pamela was 10. Her grandmother, Addie, died a year or two later.

After her mother and grandmother passed away, Pamela traveled North. She found different jobs in restaurants to support herself. Before she arrived in New York City in 1950, she worked at a tobacco plant. This was the R. J. Reynolds tobacco plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She also worked in other places like Virginia Beach and Newport News, Virginia.

Once in New York City, Pamela worked two jobs. She worked in a chemical factory during the day. At night, she worked in a restaurant. Her friend Visee Dubois was a dancer there.

The Little Kitchen Restaurant

In 1965, Pamela Strobel opened her own restaurant. It was called The Little Kitchen. It was located at 242 E 10th Street in Lower Manhattan's East Village. This soul food restaurant was quite small. It was about 120 square feet (11 m²) (around 11 square meters). It could only seat about 12 to 15 people at a time.

The most popular dish was fried chicken. It came with collard greens and black-eyed peas. This meal cost only US$1.35. Pamela had a special rule for her restaurant. Customers had to knock before she would let them in. If she didn't like a customer, she would ask them to leave. The Little Kitchen was also a jazz club. Sometimes, Pamela herself would sing for the guests.

Many famous people visited The Little Kitchen. Some of them included Lee Radziwill, Monique Van Vooren, Julius Monk, Skitch Henderson, Pearl Bailey, Tom Wolfe, Diana Ross, Gloria Steinem, and Andy Warhol.

In 1969, Pamela Strobel's cookbook was published. It was called Princess Pamela's Soul Food Cookbook. The New American Library published it.

Pamela Strobel appeared briefly in a movie. It was Sheila McLaughlin’s She Must Be Seeing Things (1987). She was seen singing her own song with musicians. This is the only known video of her.

In 1989, Pamela moved her restaurant. She changed its name from "The Little Kitchen" to "Southern Touch." It was on East Houston Street, across from Katz’s Delicatessen.

Pamela closed Southern Touch in 1998. The reason why is not known. After that, her location became a mystery. So, it's not known if she lived past 1998.

Princess Pamela's Soul Food Cookbook

Pamela Strobel's cookbook, Princess Pamela's Soul Food Cookbook, was first released in 1969. It was published by Signet. The book has almost 150 recipes. It mainly focuses on traditional Black Southern cooking. Pamela also wrote poems to go along with her recipes throughout the book.

In 2004, Matt and Ted Lee found an old copy of the cookbook. They are known for their Lee Brothers Boiled Peanuts Catalogue. They decided to bring the book back. In 2017, they republished Pamela's cookbook with Rizzoli.