Beneath the Oaks Cookbook

The NEW Christ Church, Frederica Cookbook Tidbits

The current Christ Church cookbook was originally published over 30 years ago in 1992. It has enjoyed great success: over 83,000 copies have been sold, generating thousands of dollars to help women and children in need in our area. This ‘old’ cookbook will now be referred to as the “Legacy” cookbook.

The title of the new cookbook is “Beneath the Oaks.” The grounds surrounding Christ Church, Frederica are part of the original Frederica settlement where James Oglethorpe founded a Royal Colony protected by Fort Frederica. General Oglethorpe invited two British priests, Charles and John Wesley, to the new Royal Colony of Georgia. John was assigned to the Savannah mission, and Charles to the Frederica mission: thus, today we have Christ Church, Savannah and Christ Church, Frederica.

An important feature of the new cookbook is a beautifully rendered history of Christ Church, including a brief history of St. Simons Island beginning in pre-historic times. Each page is brilliantly illustrated with a full-page, full-color photo of the stained-glass windows at Christ Church and St. Ignatius.

Local photographers including Ben Galland, Annaliese Kondo and Elliot Van Otteren contributed to the
book as well as well-known New York photographer Michael Garten. The highly regarded food stylist
Christine Albano worked with Michael Garten to create the splendid food images throughout the book.
Notably, Christine was the food stylist for famed Ina Garten’s latest book titled “Go-To Dinners.”

A committee from Christ Church worked tirelessly for almost three years to collect and curate recipes
and photographs for the book. They worked with the University of Georgia Press to refine and design
the book.

This new cookbook highlights images of the natural beauty and charm of the church’s island home. We
hope you will take special note of the beautiful double-page photographs of the Sunrise and Sunset on Sea Island and St. Simons Island. The images are accompanied by a Bible verse and a prayer from the
Episcopal Book of Common Prayer which convey a spirit of gratitude, devotion and joy.

This collection of recipes ranges from classic, Southern recipes dating from mid-20th century; to the latest quick and nutritious dishes perfect for busy, working moms and dads; to meals and drinks inspired
by a trip to Italy!