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James Dean may have only starred in a few Hollywood movies before his life was tragically cut short, but he left a huge impression. He became a cultural symbol of the disillusionment that many young people felt during the 1950s thanks to his angst-ridden characters in films like “East of Eden” and “Rebel Without a Cause.” But while he may have been a wild child onscreen, Dean was actually pretty low-key when it came to day-to-day meals. He preferred comfort foods over fancier fare and was known to indulge in many classic all-American dishes.
Born in Marion, Indiana, Dean moved to California when he was five, but returned to Indiana at age nine after his mother passed away. There, he was raised by his aunt and uncle on their farm. That’s likely where he developed a taste for hearty, homey meals. After high school, Dean left for Los Angeles and later New York City to pursue acting, and it was in those cities that he found new favorites at diners and neighborhood restaurants.
Much of what we know about Dean’s favorite foods comes from the places he used to frequent and the people who were close to him. Several of his colleagues and friends have shared stories about the actor over the years in documentaries, books, and letters. Many recalled fond memories of meals they shared with him and the foods he ordered most. Drawing from those accounts, here are 10 foods that the Hollywood “rebel” absolutely adored.
1. Spaghetti and meatballs
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In 1951, James Dean moved to New York City at the young age of 20. He had big dreams of landing an acting job, but the first few years were pretty hard going. He often stayed in hotels for short stints, and his life was somewhat chaotic. However, one place he found solace was a spot named Jerry’s Bar on 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue. He got to know the owner, Jerry Lucci, and fell in love with his spaghetti and meatballs.
When Lucci was interviewed for the 1957 documentary “The James Dean Story,” he said, “Always spaghetti. He was a spaghetti boy.” Lucci recalled teaching Dean how to roll his spaghetti “just like an Italian” and how the young actor practiced again and again until he got it right. “He could roll spaghetti just like he was from Naples, Italy,” Lucci said. Some accounts state that Lucci also taught Dean how to cook Italian food.
Dean may have loved the spaghetti at Jerry’s, but during those early days in New York, he didn’t always have money to pay for it. In the documentary, a waiter named Louie, who was reportedly Dean’s favorite, recalled times when Dean would ask if he could have a plate of spaghetti on the house, to which Lucci would often agree. In addition, Louie stated he would often lend Dean rent money. “And he always paid me back,” Louie said. “When he made it, he paid me back.” “Good boy,” Lucci added.
2. Banana salad
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When James Dean was just nine years old, his mother passed away due to uterine cancer. His father felt he couldn’t raise him on his own, so he sent him to live with his aunt and uncle, Ortense and Marcus Winslow, in Fairmount, Indiana. Dean would go on to attend Fairmount High School, where he acted in school shows and played on the basketball team. In an interview for the school newspaper, he revealed that he loved motorcycles, drama, and art, and that his favorite food of all time was his aunt’s banana salad.
Given that Dean was a teenager in the 1940s, you might assume that his beloved banana salad was something along the lines of the Jell-O salads that were all the rage at the time. However, it was actually more like a Southern-style banana pudding. We know this because Gregory Swenson tracked down the recipe for his book “Recipes for Rebels: In the Kitchen with James Dean.” The book features recipes provided by James Dean’s family members, friends, and fellow actors.
Aunt Ortense’s banana salad recipe consisted of bananas layered in a bowl, then topped with a “dressing” of custard made with sugar, flour, milk, and eggs. More bananas and custard were piled on, and the final touch was a sprinkling of crushed peanuts or Corn Flakes. It’s easy to see why Dean loved the dish so much. You get the fresh flavors of the bananas combined with the sweet, creamy custard, and then the contrast of crunchy, salty peanuts or flaky cereal.
3. Pizza
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Few people know more about James Dean’s eating habits than Gregory Swenson, who corresponded with many of Dean’s friends and family members when compiling his book “Recipes for Rebels: In the Kitchen with James Dean.” One thing that Swenson discovered is that Dean didn’t cook for himself much, but that he loved spending time in friends’ kitchens while they prepared meals. In an interview with Eat Drink Films, Swenson stated that Dean loved it when his friends cooked pizza.
Swenson said, “He would call his friend Beulah Roth late at night and ask if she’d make pizzas, showing up at her door moments later with a brown paper bag full of English muffins, cheese, salami, and tomato sauce. I think it reminded him of hanging out in the kitchen with his mother or aunt when he was growing up.” And it wasn’t just homemade pizzas that Dean adored. According to Swenson, Dean’s favorite restaurant was a pizza place in Hollywood called Villa Capri.
It’s hard to imagine it now, but prior to 1939, there were no pizza places in Los Angeles. That all changed when Pasquale “Patsy” D’Amore and his brother Franklyn moved from New York and opened Casa D’Amore. The brothers would go on to open Villa Capri in 1950, and it quickly became a hotspot for the stars, including James Dean. We’re not sure which pizza Dean loved most there, but his choices would have included plain cheese or pizza with toppings like anchovies, sausage, or mushrooms.
4. Meatloaf
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Another thing that Gregory Swenson uncovered while researching “Recipes for Rebels: In the Kitchen with James Dean” was that the star was a big fan of comfort foods, like the dishes his Aunt Ortense would cook on the family farm. Meatloaf was a favorite, which is not surprising, considering it was very much a recipe of that era. The dish became a symbol of resourcefulness during the Great Depression, and it endured long after because it’s relatively easy to make, affordable, hearty, and packed with flavor.
Swenson managed to obtain Aunt Ortense’s recipe for meatloaf, and it’s about as classic as you can get. It features chopped onions, beaten eggs, canned tomatoes, salt, and pats of butter mixed with ground beef and pork. Crushed crackers also go into the mix to add texture and help retain moisture. Everything goes into a loaf pan, then it’s topped with a glaze of ketchup, mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar, and then baked.
Even after Dean rose to stardom and was spending time with other celebrities in L.A., his tastes remained humble and down-to-earth. As Swenson told Eat Drink Films, “He wasn’t a fan of the fancier restaurants like Brown Derby and Romanoff’s or even the Warner Brothers Commissary, but liked Schwab’s Pharmacy, Barney’s Beanery, Formosa Café, and Musso and Frank’s.” In places like those, a dish as straightforward as meatloaf would have been right at home.
5. Hot dogs
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While in New York, James Dean befriended another young actor named Arlene Sax. In the documentary “The James Dean Story,” she talked about how they would listen to music together and read from his favorite book, “The Little Prince.” Dean also showed Sax his sensitive side. She recalled that he once drifted off in his thoughts, and when she asked what he was thinking about, he said he was thinking about his mother. When she asked if he missed his mother, he simply said, “C’mon let’s get a hot dog.”
Clearly, hot dogs were a source of comfort to Dean when he was feeling down. In New York, he would have had no shortage of places to grab one, since the city had been closely tied to the recipe since German immigrants first popularized sausages in buns during the 19th century. By the 1950s, pushcarts and stands selling hot dogs were fixtures across the boroughs, making it easy for Dean to find a classic New York hot dog no matter where he was.
Dean was also a fan of several Los Angeles hot dog spots. His close friend Lew Bracker told Vintage Los Angeles, “Jimmy and I did frequent the dog places, our favorites being the Tale of The Pup on La Cienega, Pinks on La Brea, and The Hot Dog Show on Ventura in Studio City. Our favorite was the Hot Dog Show, maybe because it was so close to our pool in the summer of 1955.”
6. Wine and 7Up
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Lew Bracker met James Dean through composer Leonard Rosenman, and the two bonded over conversations about girls, movies, and cars. They were close friends for 16 months, all the way up to Dean’s death. Bracker later wrote a memoir called “Jimmy & Me: A Personal Memoir Of A Great Friendship,” where he detailed insights into Dean’s life and what it was like to be his friend. In several interviews, Bracker also shared interesting anecdotes about the star, including one of his favorite drinks.
When speaking with Film Review, Bracker recalled a time that he and Dean were dining at Villa Capri, a restaurant that he called Dean’s “sanctuary.” He said, “We’re sitting there waiting for our meal, Jimmy concentrating on his usual drink that I hated: wine and 7UP.” Bracker went on to explain that he and Dean met actor Alec Guinness that night, and Guinness famously warned Dean not to get into his new Porsche. The meeting has become part of Hollywood lore, but what stands out for us is the wine mixed with 7UP.
Although Bracker didn’t specify whether Dean preferred red or white wine with his 7UP, both sound like they could be a strange combination. That being said, it’s not too far off a traditional wine spritzer, which typically features white wine with soda water. And it turns out there is actually a Spanish cocktail called a Tinto de Verano that features red wine and lemon-lime soda. So, perhaps Dean was a bit more worldly than we give him credit for when it came to his cocktail choices.
7. Steak
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In the early days of his career, James Dean struggled to find steady work, and he often lived on a tight budget, so it makes sense that many of his food choices were pretty humble. However, once he started to land roles and money wasn’t such an issue, he did splurge on the occasional indulgent meal. Gregory Swenson told Eat Drink Films, “In good times, a steak dinner was his choice.” And there were plenty of places in Los Angeles where a hungry star could get a good steak.
Swenson mentioned that Dean was a fan of Musso & Frank, a classic steakhouse that’s been a Hollywood favorite since 1919. The restaurant has hosted its fair share of celebrities over the years, including James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Steve McQueen. It was also one of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. The menu features an array of steaks and chops, as well as seafood, pastas, and sides.
In addition, Swenson revealed that Dean’s “East of Eden” co-star Burl Ives would take him to lunch every day while they were shooting, and that the Smoke House was a favorite. Opened in 1946, the Smoke House became so successful that it had to move to a larger space just across from Warner Bros. Studios in 1950. It was also a hub for celebrities, who would (and still do) flock there for its famous garlic bread and succulent steaks.
8. Hamburgers
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As his career took off, James Dean often ate out in Los Angeles with friends and fellow actors, and he typically gravitated toward casual spots. According to Gregory Swenson in his interview with Eat Drink Films, “Villa Capri was probably his favorite, but Hamburger Hamlet was a close second.” Swenson noted that Dean would often drop in with his “Rebel Without a Cause” co-star Natalie Wood after a long day filming.
Established in 1950, Hamburger Hamlet was a wildly popular spot on the Sunset Strip that attracted everyone from movie stars to regular families. It was famous for its burgers served with an array of toppings, including chili and onions, guacamole, and sautéed mushrooms. It was a casual spot with red leather seats and lots of wood paneling, which probably would have made Dean feel at ease, considering he was into laid-back eateries. Sadly, neither the original Hamburger Hamlet nor any of its franchises are around today.
While the Hamburger Hamlet may have been one of Dean’s favorite hangouts, it wasn’t the only spot he liked to get his burger fix. Legend has it that while he was dating Pier Angeli, the two would often go for drives and stop at hamburger stands for meals. In addition, Natalie Wood once said that during the time she and Dean worked together, he would often bring hamburgers to snack on, while she would bring her radio to play classical music that Dean liked.
9. Chili
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Chili parlors were popular across the Midwest in the first half of the 20th century, so it’s likely James Dean was already familiar with chili long before he made it big in Hollywood. However, there is evidence that he may have developed a love for the dish while he was filming “Giant,” in which he played a Texas cowboy named Jett Rink who is intent on wooing Elizabeth Taylor’s character, Leslie Lynnton.
In an article written by actor Bob Hinkle on American Legends, he recalled working with Dean to help him really nail Jett Rink’s character. Hinkle took Dean to Barney’s Beanery in Los Angeles and told him, “If you are going to be a Texan, the best way is to be a Texan all day long. Get up in the morning, put on your hat, put on your boots. Dress like a Texan, eat the food Texans eat.” Considering the restaurant was (and still is) famous for its chili, Barney’s would have been the natural choice.
Gregory Swenson told Eat Drink Films that chili was one of Dean’s go-to choices when money was tight because it was “affordable and satisfying.” In addition, Swenson’s book “Recipes for Rebels: In the Kitchen with James Dean” includes several chili recipes that were supplied by people close to Dean. These include Chill Wills’ version with cubed beef and pepper powder and Monte Hale’s chili with ground beef, pork, tomatoes, onions, and grated cheese.
10. Apple pie
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Seeing as how James Dean was a big fan of all-American dishes like hamburgers, hot dogs, and meatloaf, it should come as no surprise that he also loved apple pie, one of the country’s most iconic comfort foods. Sweet, simple, and familiar, apple pie fit perfectly with Dean’s down-to-earth tastes. Sadly, the reason we know that he was a fan is because it was reportedly the star’s last meal before he lost his life in a car crash on a highway in Cholame, California.
On September 30, 1955, James Dean set off in his Porsche Spyder to a race in Salinas with a mechanic named Rolf Wütherich. Legend has it that the duo stopped at a cafe called Tip’s Coffee Shop in Castaic Junction, where Dean ordered a slice of apple pie and a glass of milk. Several people working at the cafe distinctly remember Dean’s visit, and state that he sat at the counter to enjoy what would become his last meal.
Just a few hours later, Dean’s Porsche collided with a Ford Tudor sedan driven by a university student named Donald Turnupseed at an intersection. Both Wütherich and Turnupseed were injured but survived. Tragically, Dean died in the ambulance at just 24 years old and with two of his movies yet to be released. That his last meal included a slice of apple pie shows that, even up to the end, Dean stuck with the comforting, no-frills foods he liked best.
Dining and Cooking