Talk about your warm wilkum.

Lancaster's new police chief, who's known for dabbling in the kitchen, told us in a profile 10 days ago that he was on the hunt for a good Amish cookbook.

Well, he got one.

And a baker's dozen more.

Countians hoping to welcome Philadelphia native Keith Sadler to town have sent 14 locally flavored cookbooks to the chief's office on West Chestnut Street since May 10, the day the story appeared.

"Three Amish ladies came in on their way to Central Market and dropped me off two cookbooks. The one lady's son is on the police department here," Sadler said.

"It's been overwhelming, really, the kindness."

Elsie Glick of Gordonville, whose church and school published the two cookbooks as fundraisers, was one of the women who stopped by.

"When I saw the story, I thought, 'he needs one of our cookbooks,' " she said. "He seemed very happy with them."

Marianne Stoltzfus of Lancaster, whose son in on the force, accompanied Glick.

"So much fellowship takes place around food," Stoltzfus said. "It's kind of a neat connection people make with each other. It seemed natural to reach out to Chief Sadler by giving him a good old-fashioned Lancaster County cookbook."

Sadler, who cooks for himself while his family remains in Philadelphia for the time being, has mastered recipes for chicken cacciatore and Southern fare such as chicken, corn bread and macaroni and cheese.

But he wants to try chicken pot pie.

"I didn't realize it until I came up here that the pot pie is a little different," he said. "I understand it's more with noodles and chicken and broth. The pot pie I was used to making was more like the actual pie with chicken and creamy vegetables inside."

He's waiting until his family visits on a Sunday, the day he prefers to get inventive in the kitchen, to make any of the recipes.

"It's going to take me years to get through these cookbooks," he said.


Staff writer Tom Murse can be reached at tmurse@LNPnews.com or 481-6021.