Culinary Historians of Chicago

Paris à Table, circa 1846 Presented by Joe Weintraub, PhD Paris à Table: 1846 is the first English translation of an essential text in the literature of gastronomy. Written by the journalist and critic, Eugène Briffault, the book takes readers from the opulence of a meal at the Rothschilds' through every social stratum down to the student on the Left Bank and the laborer eating on the streets. The...

A Classic French Chef Confronts 21st Century Technology Presented by Chef Dominique Tougne, Chez Moi The importance of social media can’t be ignored. It is vital for a restaurant to constantly keep aware of both customers’ wants and culinary trends. While restaurateurs used to stay informed simply by keeping a physical presence with their clientele, today, the world has become “virtual.” And it’s...

Friends Dan Goldberg and Andrea Kuhn fell in love with Cuba at first sight, on their first visit three years ago. They decided to write a cookbook to celebrate the spirit of the country and visited Cuba three times during their journey to document a place they have grown to love so much. Their book, Cuba! Recipes and Stories from the Cuban Kitchen, details their adventures, the food they ate, and...

Beholding a Grainy History: A Woman Named King is a Queen of Our Local Bread Scene Presented by Ellen King, Hewn Bakery Historian/Baker/Author “The future of food actually lies in the past,” says Ellen King, co-owner and head baker of the nationally acclaimed Hewn Bakery in Evanston, where she creates hand-forged artisan bread. (www.hewnbread.com).There’s more than a grain of truth to everything E...

Swedish American Museum Tour Tour led by Don Ahlm, Docent The Swedish American Museum has been active for 40 years in the heart of Andersonville, a traditionally Swedish area on the north side of Chicago. Andersonville, the “Little Sweden” of Chicago, is one of the most concentrated areas of Swedish heritage in the United States, with Swedish roots dating back to the 19th century. Tourists visit t...

Currying Interest in Indian Cuisine From its Arrival in America to its Rise in Chicago Presented by Colleen Sen, PhD Author, Culinary Historian “The history of Indian food in America has been largely neglected, even though it is much older than Chinese American cuisine,” says Colleen Sen, PhD, one of our nation’s foremost authorities on South Asian food. Please join us as Colleen regales us with a...

Currying Interest in Indian Cuisine From its Arrival in America to its Rise in Chicago Presented by Colleen Sen, PhD Author, Culinary Historian “The history of Indian food in America has been largely neglected, even though it is much older than Chinese American cuisine,” says Colleen Sen, PhD, one of our nation’s foremost authorities on South Asian food. Please join us as Colleen regales us with a...

75 Year Retrospective of French Restaurants in Chicago: 1924-1999 Alain Maes, French Virtual Cafe http://frenchvirtualcafe.blogspot.com Since 2010, Alain Maes has published a five-part series on French restaurants in Chicago from 1924 until 1999. Part 1. 1924-1959. A few glorious years and then a big gastronomic desert http://frenchvirtualcafe.blogspot.com/2010/03/ Part 2. 1960-1969. A new beginni...

Community Cookbooks: Inspiring Twain Restaurant's Midwestern Menu Join husband and wife team Chef Tim Graham and Sommelier Rebekah Graham’s of Twain (2445 N. Milwaukee Ave.). Logan Square’s new Midwestern-inspired restaurant, as they discuss community cookbooks with Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance. Influenced by the couple’s extensive collection of spiral-bound women’s club cookbooks from the 19...

Part One: Food and German Identity from the Third Reich to the Berlin Wall Alice Weinreb, PhD Associate Professor of History, Loyola University Chicago Part Two: (starts at 46 minutes) Beyond repletion: Discovering functions of German food in Chicago Nadja Huthmann, M.A. Cultural Anthropologist Part One: Food and German Identity from the Third Reich to the Berlin Wall Alice Weinreb will be discuss...

Presented by Restaurateurs Amy Besa and Chef Romy Dorotan, of Purple Yam, Brooklyn, NY & Manila, Philippines There are many indigenous ingredients in the Philippines which need to be recognized as the foundation of Philippine food traditions. These indigenous ingredients represent Filipino flavor profiles which should be categorized as FOOD THAT WAS ALWAYS OURS opposed to Food that was borrowed an...

Presented by Catherine Lambrecht Vice-President, Culinary Historians of Chicago Come join us as the Culinary Historians’ own Catherine Lambrecht dishes on her upcoming book, Family Heirloom Recipes, an Illinois Bicentennial Project.. The book is based on Cathy’s work through the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance, and was also inspired by her own family’s heirloom recipes. Since 2009, Greater Midwe...

A Patch of the Midwestern Quilt An occasional series about ethnic cultures who call the American Midwest home Sun Wah BBQ has had a generational shift from its founder Mr. Cheng, a Chinese immigrant from Guangdong province in China, to his American born children: son Michael (BBQ Chef) and daughters Kelly and Chef Laura, who trained at Kendall College. The children have one foot in Chinese culture...

Pigs were the first food animals to be domesticated, so they have a history with humans that goes back more than 12,000 years. Antiquity is only one of the reasons, however, that pork is the most commonly eaten meat in the world. This odd, contradictory animal offers a great range of advantages when it comes to feeding large populations, especially urban populations, though historically, it has al...

Presented by Dino Dean Producer, The Black Foodies Most of us adore barbecue. We just can’t seem to get enough of it. And just about all of us have imbibed in such iconic barbecue styles as Memphis, Texas and Kansas City. But did you know that Chicago has its own zesty style? Come join us as one of our town’s most passionate foodies, Dino Dean, whets our appetite for Chicago-style barbecue. Dino w...

Steve Dolinsky and Chef DeRuvo will prepare Davanti’s traditional Neapolitan pizzas for people to sample as they regale us with Chicago and Italian pizza lore. In his new book, Pizza City, USA: 101 Reasons Why Chicago is America’s Greatest Pizza Town, Chicago’s eminent food journalist and impartial pizza judge extraordinaire, Steve Dolinsky, embarked on a self-described “Pizza Quest,” methodically...

Presented by Ramona Thomas, Chief Sweets Officer, My Chocolate Soul MyChocolateSoul.com “I love candy. Always have. Now, I get to make chocolate that other people love” says Chocolatier Ramona Thomas of My Chocolate Soul. Join us as Chef Ramona shares her journey from mathematics and education to chocolate and why starting and running an all-natural sweets business is so important to her and to th...

When the 18th Amendment was enacted in 1919, the fifth-largest industry in the United States became illegal. While many parts of the country (including, famously, many north-of-Chicago suburbs) were already legally “Dry,” Prohibition changed the political and moral landscape of the nation, introducing intrusive federal law enforcement, a new kind of organized crime, and the “scofflaw.” In this tal...

By Russell Lewis Executive Vice President and Chief Historian, Chicago History Museum Founding Member, Culinary Historians of Chicago Do join us as the Chicago History Museum’s Russell Lewis gives us a slaughtering presentation on Chicago’s legendary Union Stockyards and its impact on the city and the nation. (Think: “Hog butcher to the world.”) And how did the stockyards help put the sizzle in Ch...

Presented by Carrie Nahabedian By Scott Warner, President, Culinary Historians of Chicago: It’s not too often that a James Beard Award-winning chef stops me on the street and says she’d like to speak to the Culinary Historians of Chicago. But that’s what happened when I was walking near Carrie Nahabedian’s acclaimed River North eatery Naha; the famed chef and I spotted each other and stopped to ch...

Although the French are known for croissants, they did not invent this globally appealing culinary pleasure. Come join us as one of Chicago’s most celebrated bakers, Sandra Holl, traces the origins of the croissant and other “laminated” pastries and touches on some of the colorful, although not necessarily true, origin stories But what exactly is laminated pastry, which sounds about as appetizing...

Presented by Valerie Beck, Founder, Chocolate Uplift, and Valerie’s Original Chocolate Tours Editors note: Podcast ends abruptly during question period due to technical issues. Video clips shown at this event: Media montage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ1WiDl9OnQ&feature=youtu.be CNN Cocoanomics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u4LFZ2TEIg According to Chicago native Valerie Beck, “chocolate ca...

Presented by Meathead Barbecue Maven and New York Times Best-Selling Author, “Meathead, the Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling" The barbecue world is rife with rules and concepts that modern food science has proven wrong, and our speaker, reverently known in BBQ-land as Meathead, will debunk a bunch of them and teach concepts and techniques that can be applied to cooking indoors as well. He wi...

Presented by Dana Cree Executive Pastry Chef, Publican Restaurants Author, Hello, My Name is Ice Cream According to pastry chef and Ice Cream College-educated Dana Cree, if you ask anyone their favorite flavor of ice cream, it will undoubtedly bring a smile to their face. (Add some whipped cream, and you’re talking about ecstasy!) Dana, who is the author of the newly released book, Hello, My Name...

Does a discussion about dinnerware just include the work of either skilled potters or gifted designers? When beauty and function intersect with a certain type of (possibly twisted) visionary genius, anomalies and curiosities of dinnerware are created. Illustrative of the short list of 20th and 21st century artists who took standard plates, cups and saucers, place settings, and teapots, and elevate...