Labtec Cook Book

Saskatoon Academy of the Canadian Society of Laboratory Technicians - 1954

Published in 1954, this book was a fundraiser for the Saskatoon Academy of the Canadian Society of Laboratory Technicians, now the Saskatchewan Society of Medical Laboratory Technologists. The cover illustration oddly superimposes a chef’s hat on a microscope, demonstrating that community and fundraising cookbooks were not limited to church or after-work groups. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the contributors were women, and several were from the United States, suggesting a possible partnership with an equivalent American organization. This would not be the technicians’ last cookbook: they produced a second fundraising volume entitled Wheatland Bounty Cookbook in 1981, which ended up on the Canadian bestseller list, selling approximately 55,000 copies (Windrum). This copy’s owner clearly tried the “Workpoint Pastry” and “Pumpkin Chiffon Pie” recipes, making her own notes about ingredients, cooking times, and serving sizes.

Private collection. With permission from the Saskatchewan Society of Medical Laboratory Technologists.