What’s behind Italy’s ingredients?
Presented by Viola Buitoni

Come join us as Viola Buitoni (yes, she’s a member of that illustrious pasta-manufacturing family) shares the history and geography of Italy’s most iconic ingredients, and gives tips on how we can incorporate their vibrant flavors and techniques into our kitchens. (Think balsamic vinegar, flakes of parmigiano reggiano, fresh ricotta and creamy grains of risotto.) As a native Roman raised in the Umbrian countryside, Viola grew up savoring these artisanal foods.

Viola will also give us a preview of her just-released debut cookbook Italy by Ingredient: Artisanal Foods, Modern Recipes

Viola is now a San Francisco-based cooking instructor and food writer. In 2020, the President of the Italian Republic honored her with the title Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia for her work furthering the culture and business of Italian food.

Recorded via Zoom on October 4, 2023

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What’s behind Italy’s ingredients?

National Ask An Archivist Day: Nancy Webster, Archivist

Celebrate ‘Ask An Archivist Day’ – Ask anything about archives and history, especially Highland Park history with Nancy Webster, Archivist.

#AskAnArchivist Day

Ask me anything, Highland Park, Illinois and beyond.

If you are already on our email list, you will receive a link, otherwise please contact us. Questions may be posed live or before the meeting via email: archives@highlandparkhistory.org or telephone: 847.432.7090.

Frequently asked questions about the history of Highland Park:
Is Roger Williams Street named after the piano player?
I was trying to find this house number, but it does not seem to exist. Is the home still there?
Where do I go to find out about my family who served at Fort Sheridan?
What do archivists do?
What is the coolest item in your collection?
Who invented the telephone?
Where is the oldest standing house of worship?
How can I use the archives?
How do I find ...?

Recorded via Zoom on October 5, 2023

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Highland Park Historical Society

National Ask An Archivist Day: Nancy Webster, Archivist

Feeding the Art Deco Spirit
Presented by Teri Edelstein, PhD

Cover image: Café, bars, restaurants, Cover Félix Jobbé-Duval Café, bars, restaurants, Cover Félix Jobbé-Duval Paris: Librairie de la Construction moderne, 1930

A central aspect of the culture and lifestyle of the 1920s and 30s was the creation and consumption of food. You could exist in an Art Deco world where everything from the soup to the nuts was inflected with this style. As a pervasive mode, Deco shaped a total environment and food and drink were an integral part of this. The lecture will focus upon some of the more striking results of this encounter.

Dr. Teri J. Edelstein, curator and museum consultant is principal of Teri J. Edelstein, Museum Strategies. She served as Deputy Director of The Art Institute of Chicago and before that as director of the David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art and the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. She has taught at Yale University, Mount Holyoke College, and The University of Chicago. Her numerous publications include many articles and exhibition catalogues as well as the book Art for All: British Posters for Transport. She contributed a major essay to Art Deco Chicago: Designing Modern America. Most recently, she curated Everyone’s Art Gallery: Posters of the London Underground for the Art Institute of Chicago and contributed an essay to the book E. McKnight Kauffer: The Artist in Advertising.

Recorded via Zoom on Monday, October 16, 2023

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Chicago Foodways Roundtable

Feeding the Art Deco Spirit

The Delmonico Way
Max Tucci

From Scott Warner, President, Culinary Historians of Chicago

I just couldn’t pass it up. When I attended the International Association of Culinary Professionals Conference in New York this past September, one limited-seating event had me signing up immediately: an historic dinner in the board room at Delmonico’s, hosted by third generation partner and global brand officer, Max Tucci.

Max regaled us with the luscious history of what is widely recognized as America’s first fine dining restaurant, that began in 1827 in Manhattan as a small cafe and pastry shop. It was  opened by Italian-Swiss immigrants, the brothers Giovanni and Pietro Delmonico. Ten years later, in 1837, they moved nearby to what is still Delmonico’s present location at 56 Beaver Street — in the heart of Manhattan’s financial district. The rich, powerful  and famous frequented the eatery.

Fast forward 100 years, to 1926, and Italian immigrant Oscar Tucci (Max’s grandfather) buys Delmonico’s, opens a speakeasy in the basement, continues attracting celebrities and world leaders (i.e.,Elvis, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Marilyn Monroe, Richard Nixon)  and institutes many of the professional restaurant standards in use today, known as the Delmonico Way. During the height of the Tucci era, Delmonico’s, with its many rooms was considered the largest restaurant in the world. (63,000 sq. ft.) One of the lush private dining rooms included an en suite bedroom — if only the walls could talk!

Delmonico’s is also credited with being the first U.S. restaurant to use white tablecloths, and the creator of Delmonico steak, Eggs Benedict, Baked Alaska, Lobster Newberg and the Wedge Salad.

So do join us as Max Tucci takes us on his personal tour of his beloved Delmonico’s. Max has also captured his family’s legacy in his book, The Delmonico Way. Sublime Entertaining and Legendary Recipes from the Restaurant that Made New York! (Rizzoli).

Recorded via Zoom on November 9, 2023

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The Delmonico Way

A History of the World in 10 Dinners: 2,000 Years, 100 Recipes
Victoria Flexner and Jay Reifel

In 2014, food historians Victoria Flexner and Jay Reifel cooked up a NYC supper club called Edible History, a pairing of fine dining and intellectual stimulation. Now they’ve spun their experience into a recently published book, A History of the World in 10 Dinners: 2,000 Years, 100 Recipes (Rizzoli).

Come join us as the authors share highlights from their work and give us a world of culinary traditions and unfamiliar ingredients through dishes that make up 10 historical dinners: think Tudor England’s Cockatrice — a chicken sewn into a pig, then roasted; or Glazed Whore’s Farts (meringues) from Versailles. And they point out how we, too, can reenact these dishes at home.

Bios: Victoria Flexner is a food historian and founder of Edible History, a NYC-based historical supper club. Jay Reifel, Edible History’s executive chef, studied at the French Culinary Institute. He has competed on Chopped, and Beat Bobby Flay.

Recorded via Zoom on December 11, 2023

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A History of the World in 10 Dinners: 2,000 Years, 100 Recipes

Ignite The Conversation: A Exploration Into Chicago-style BBQ

Dominique Leach (Lexington Betty Smokehouse) – Brian Jupiter (Frontier/Ina Mae Tavern)- Daniel Hammond (Smoky Soul BBQ)- Ron Conner (U Want Dat Smoke BBQ)

Media Speakers: Journalist Monica Eng of AXIOS Chicago and co-author of Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites & James Beard Award-winning food writer/video producer Mike Gebert of Fooditor

Moderator: Catherine Lambrecht, Culinary Historians of Chicago

We’ve all heard of the classic BBQ styles from regions like Kansas City, Memphis or Texas-style. But what about Chicago-style BBQ?

From Rib tips to Hot Links to Mild Sauce and more, Chicago Chef and Pitmaster Dominique Leach of the Black-Women-Queer-Owned and award-winning restaurant Lexington Betty’s Smokehouse, plus the 2023 winner and the current reigning “MASTER OF ‘CUE” of the Food Network’s Hit Show BBQ Brawl , is making it her mission to further define this unique style and put it on the map in 2024. And she’s calling on a few more experts to help!

On Sunday, February 25th, join us for Ignite the Conversation, an educational panel and BBQ tasting with BBQ legends from throughout Chicago and top local journalists to lead a discussion on the origins of Chicago-style BBQ, its variations, and its future. To moderate the discussion, she has tapped Catherine Lambrecht of the Culinary Historians of Chicago with proceeds of this event to be made to their American Midwest Scholarship fund which provides financial support for the study of Midwestern foods and food-related institutions.

Recorded live at Lexington Betty Smokehouse on February 25, 2024

www.CulinaryHistorians.org

Culinary Historians of Chicago, guest moderator

Ignite The Conversation: A Exploration Into Chicago-style BBQ

From Bean to Bar – Exploring the Complex World of Chocolate
Presented by Adam Centamore

Chocolate is one of the world’s most beloved foods, and it’s no surprise why. Few treats can rival the sweet, rich flavors of a well-made bar of chocolate. When it comes to the history, creation and production of cacao, however, most people are far less familiar with those details. It’s time to see what makes this global favorite tick! Spend an evening learning all about chocolate with educator and writer (and chocolate fiend) Adam Centamore. He’ll share chocolate’s origins and history, how different styles of chocolate are made, and what makes it so special. He’ll also touch on why chocolate has been such a controversial food on the global stage, and how the industry is responding. Get to know one of the world’s most favorite foods – chocolate!

BIOGRAPHY: Adam Centamore is a culinary educator and writer with thousands of events and seminars to his name, including hundreds on the topic of chocolate alone. From casual tasting seminars to more formal academic presentations, Adam has been sharing his knowledge and love of chocolate with students for more than 15 years. He is also a writer and journalist with chocolate-themed stories written for Chocolate Professor, Edible Magazine, and other print and online publications.

Recorded on February 28, 2024 via Zoom

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From Bean to Bar – Exploring the Complex World of Chocolate

How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America 
Sarah B. Franklin

Come join us as food historian and author Sara Franklin gives insight into Judith Jones, the visionary behind some of the most important authors of the 20th century, including Julia Child, Anne Frank, John Updike and Sylvia Plath. This iconic editor finally gets her due in Ms. Franklin’s newly released book, The Editor.

Ms. Franklin recounts that when Judith Jones began working at Doubleday’s Paris office in 1949, the then twenty-five-year-old spent most of her time wading through manuscripts in the slush pile and passing on projects—until one day, a manuscript caught her eye. She read the book in one sitting, then begged her boss to consider publishing it. A year later, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl became a bestseller. It was the start of Jones’ culture-defining career in publishing.

Jones moved to Knopf publishing, and during her more than fifty years at that company, she published the who’s who of food writing, including Edna Lewis, M.F.K. Fisher, Madhur Jaffrey, James Beard, Joan Nathan, and, most famously, Julia Child. Jones helped turn these authors into household names and changed the way Americans think about food, cooking, and culinary diversity.

Ms. Franklin became friendly with Ms. Jones, conducted numerous interviews with her and studied her personal papers. And now she wants to share the life of one of our country’s most influential tastemakers.

Biography:

Sara B. Franklin received a 2020–2021 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) public scholars grant for her research on Judith Jones and teaches courses on food culture, writing, and oral history at NYU’s Gallatin School for Individualized Study and via the NYU Prison Education Initiative at Wallkill Correctional Facility. She is the author of Edna Lewis and The Phoenicia Diner Cookbook. She holds a PhD in food studies from NYU and studied documentary radio and nonfiction at both the Duke Center for Documentary Studies and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. SaraBFranklin.com.

Recorded via Zoom on June 10, 2024

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How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America

My Life in Recipes: Food, Family and Memories
Presented by Joan Nathan

Joan Nathan has been called the Jewish Julia Child, and is considered one of the world’s great authorities on Jewish cuisine. She is the author of twelve books, including the award winning Jewish Cooking in America and King Solomon’s Table.

Come join us as Joan Nathan serves a buffet of tales from her latest and most personal book, My Life in Recipes/ Food Family and Memories. Joan uses recipes to look back at her own family’s history — their arrival in America from Germany; her childhood in postwar New York and Rhode Island; her years in Paris, and Israel, where she worked for Jerusalem’s mayor, Teddy Kollek.

Along the way she earned a graduate degree from Harvard University, married a Washington attorney, had children, wrote for the New York Times, produced and hosted a PBS television series “Jewish Cooking in America”, and ultimately  became “The Matriarch of Jewish Cooking”, according to the Jerusalem Post. So, gather ‘round to hear of a life well-lived, centered around all the foods Joan has come to love and share with the world.

***

Here’s a sampling of Joan’s favorites from My Life in Recipes on our website CulinaryHistorians.org:

Pasta with Almond Pesto, Green Beans, Eggplant, and Cherry Tomatoes
Halibut Gefilte Terrine with Fresh Herbs
Passover Pecan Lemon Torte with Lemon Curd Filling
Rugelach with Raspberry Walnut Filling

Recorded via Zoom on Wednesday, August 14, 2024

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My Life in Recipes: Food, Family and Memories

Meticulous Process of Recipe Writing
Raeanne Sarazen

One might think that writing a recipe is an easy task; just list some ingredients, their amounts and give some simple instructions on how to combine them, then roast, bake, boil or fry them. But it’s not that easy! Writing a recipe that takes a cook’s hand and guides them into turning out a delicious dish, takes great skill, with a large pinch of talent thrown in.

Come join us as Raeanne Sarazen, registered dietitian and chef, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the grueling and glorious art of recipe writing. Raeanne will also delve into the history and evolution of recipes, the art of headnote writing, and the importance of nutrition standards.

Raeanne will reference her recently published book, The Complete Recipe Writing Guide, which is an awards finalist at the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

BIO: Raeanne Sarazen, a registered dietitian and chef, combines over 20 years of experience producing recipe content as a test kitchen professional, food writer, and editor. Her writing and recipes have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, Cooking Light, and Better Homes and Gardens, among other places. She is the author of The Complete Recipe Writing Guide, a comprehensive resource for food professionals on developing, writing, and publishing successful recipe content. Raeanne currently works as a consultant for major health organizations, nonprofits, and food media companies, incorporating her extensive knowledge and experience to help improve their policies, curriculum, and food and recipe content. Find Raeanne at RaeanneSarazen.com and on Instagram @rsarazen.

Recorded via Zoom on Wednesday, September 18, 2024

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Meticulous Process of Recipe Writing with Raeanne Sarazen

The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food

An interview with Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Conducted by culinary historian and food writer Donna Pierce


Black cooking has always been more than “soul food,” with flavors tracing to the African continent, to the Caribbean, all over the United States, and beyond.

Join us as internationally acclaimed chef Marcus Samuelsson highlights the diverse deliciousness of Black cooking today. Driven by a desire to fight against bias, reclaim Black culinary traditions, and energize a new generation of cooks, Chef Samuellson will share his own journey and that of other top chefs, writers, and activists.

* * * *

The Ethiopian-born, Swedish raised, Marcus Samuelsson is one of the most famous chefs in the world. He’s an entrepreneur, philanthropist and culinary star with a long list of TV and book credits as well as ownership of a namesake global hospitality group that includes more than a dozen restaurants. His most famous eatery, Red Rooster is in New York’s Harlem, where he lives. Chef Samuelsson’s latest book, The Rise, begins with a look to the future, exploring where Black food is heading, and then pays homage to cooks on whose shoulders Black chefs stand, and the migration stories that make the cuisine so diverse and rich.

* * * *

A fixture in Chicago’s culinary scene, Donna Pierce has worked as a test kitchen director and assistant food editor for the Chicago Tribune, an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and contributing editor for Upscale Magazine. Her syndicated column “Black America Cooks” has appeared in the Chicago Defender and other national Black publications. With a Nieman Foundation Visiting Fellowship at Harvard University, she researched black cookbooks and forgotten cooks at The Schlesinger Library for her upcoming book about Freda Deknight.

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The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food

Culinary Historians of Chicago studies the history of food and drink in human cultures. Why we procure, prepare and serve the food we do has cultural, sociological, geographical, financial and political influences. We encourage participation from all walks of life: from academics to home cooks, chefs to grill masters, farmers to heirloom gardeners, food scientists to students. Our programs, and those of our sister organization Chicago Foodways Roundtable, are supported by research, fieldwork and scholarship, though geared to an informed popular audience. We welcome everyone to gather at our table to share food, drink and their life’s culinary experiences.

If you would like to contact us, please e-mail us at CulinaryHistorians@gmail.com

The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food

CulinaryHistory

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