Book Update

Clifford Clinton

You haven't heard from us for awhile because we've been hard at work finalizing the manuscript for the biography of Clifton's Cafeteria founder Clifford Clinton. We have a few updates for you about the title, a special guest introduction, and unpublished photographs and a tentative publication month.

We have finalized the book's title with our publisher, Angel City Press, as "Clifton's and Clifford Clinton: A Cafeteria and a Crusader." The book is tentatively scheduled for publication in October of 2015.

The book is a retelling of the establishment of Clifton's Cafeteria during the Great Depression in Los Angeles and the vivid life of its founder. The book is based on Clifford's unpublished memoirs, and has been authored by Edmond J. Clinton III, his grandson.

We're pleased to announce that the introduction has been written by Los Angeles historian Tom Sitton, who has published books about the progressive movement in the 1930s through '50s, the Bannings, and the history of Catalina Island.

To illustrate the story, we will include several galleries of photographs, including some that have never been published.

The publishing of the book should generally coincide with the reopening of Clifton's Brookdale at 648 S. Broadway. The cafeteria is being restored by developer Andrew Meieran, the man behind The Edison lounge at 108 W. Second St. Stay tuned.

Meals for Millions

Clifford Clinton left the Army in 1944 and went to work for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (UNRRA). With the end of World War II in sight, Clifford, Nelda, and Clifton's public relarions director Ernest Chamberlain visited Cal Tech professor and biochemist Dr. Henry Borsook, who had done work on synthetic vitamins. Clifford hoped to develop a low-cost, nutritious subsistence meal for war-torn Europe.

This product had to provide 1/3 of daily nutrition in two ounces and "must not offend any religious dietary law," Cliff later wrote in his memoirs. It also needed to cost under five cents per meal, have a long shelf life, require no refridgeration, and taste good hot or cold.

Clinton provided a $5,000 retainer and Borsook began work. In less than a year, Borsook developed Multi-Purpose Food (MPF) -- a defatted soybean product with added multivitamins.

The development of MPF was the culmination of Clifford's lifelong goal of feeding underserved and needy people. The soy product still needed a distributor, so Clifford, son Edmond, and Chamberlain visited leading humanitarian advocates, agencies, and other hunger warriors.

He met with Pearl Buck, whose 1931 novel "The Good Earth" won the Pulitzer Prize for its description on life in China. He also met with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and cooked a sample of MPF for her.

In 1946, the three men formed Meals for Millions Foundation in donated space on the fourth floor of Clifton's Brookdale on Broadway St. in downtown Los Angeles. This became the headquarters dor distribution of MPF.

Clifford Clinton Biography Is Coming Soon

A 77-year-old neon tube and other artifacts being uncovered during the renovation of Clifton's Brookdale shed a new light on the restaurant's heyday in the 1930s. The discovery gives a glimpse into the origins of Clifford Clinton's cafeteria of the Golden Rule.

The Los Angeles Times published a story about the neon tube and other artifacts from the cafeteria's early days found by Andrew Meieran earlier this month. The filmmaker and nightclub developer told Blog Downtown he'll display the artifacts for future patrons of the restaurant when its first phase reopens in about six months.

A biography of my grandfather will tell much more of the story. When I worked in the cafeteria in the early 1960s as a busboy, I carried many trays up stairs to the second-floor dining room that was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling "transparency" images of forests, mountains, and lakes. The neon tubes were mounted behind the walls to illuminate the scenes.

As Clifford's grandson, I've taken on the duty of telling the story of Clifford's extraordinary life and desire to give diners a peaceful respite along with their meal. Clifford believed the images helped achieve that.

Angels City Press has agreed to publish Clifford's biography later is year. The publication of the book may coincide with the first phase of the renovation.

The book reveals many new details about the development and history of Clifton's culled from Clifford's personal memoirs, which have been unavailable for public consumption. The book also reflects the first-hand experiences of the people who lived the story.

Related:

Clifton's Brookdale Reborn

Clifton's Brookdale Reborn

Clifton's Brookdale's new owner took the first step toward restoring the cafeteria to its 1940s heyday, when he peeled off the aluminum-grill facade at 648 S. Broadway St. in early February.

Historic facade unveiled Feb. 9.
Photo: Paul Clinton

Nightclub owner and filmmaker Andrew Meieran, who acquired the cafeteria in 2010, plans to reopen Clifton's Brookdale, retaining the decor that made it famous. He plans to bring back menu items that diners remember fondly, including maceroni and cheese, beef stroganoff, and fresh strawberry pie.

On Feb. 9, the cafeteria's late-1930s facade revealed lodge-like windows that allow streams of natural light into a dining room that's reminescent of a big redwood forest. The theme has captivated and beguiled diners and Los Angeles visitors through the decades.

The Penny Cafeteria

To feed Los Angelenos with little money in their pocket during the Great Depression, Clifford Clinton opened the Penny Cafeteria at Third and Hill streets in October of 1932.

Clifton's Brookdale opened in 1935.

For one cent, the poor and hungry could buy a simple meal that included macaroni, beans, stews, thick soups, salads, bread, dessert, and coffee. Each meal cost 4 1/2 cents to provide. Clifford operated the cafeteria, labeled as "the Caveteria" by the Los Angeles Times, out of the basement. The main floor dining room was operated conventionally and food prepared there was brought downstairs.

Clifford opened the Penny Cafeteria partly out of necessity. He had been operating the Olive Street cafeteria for about a year, and feeding the multitudes had taken a toll on his business. Clifford had fed 10,000 people in the first three months. With the threat of bankruptcy staring him in the face, Clifford shifted his neediest clientele to Third and Hill.