Upcoming Programs at a Glance

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Our events are typically at Bethany Retirement Community (directions and parking) on Saturday mornings from 10:00 am until noon. Occasionally, our event time varies or we meet at a different location. These variances will be highlighted below, though please read the full event notice for details. You can always join our email list to get this in your mailbox.

Culinary Historians of Chicago:
  • February 22, 2020: Michael Lachowicz of Aboyer
  • March 14, 2020: John Ota, The Kitchen
Chicago Foodways Roundtable: 
  • January 25, 2020: A Taste of Food Cultura, part 1, Students from the University of Chicago
  • February 15, 2020: A Taste of Food Cultura, part 2, Students from the University of Chicago
  • October 16-17, 2020: TBA

Find Culinary Historians of Chicago and Chicago Foodways Roundtable on Twitter or Facebook.

Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance:

Find Greater Midwest Foodways on Twitter, Facebook or our website.

A Taste of FoodCultura

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Presented by Students in 
Foodcultura: The Art and Anthropology of Cuisine, 
University of Chicago, Autumn 2019

Matzoh ball and turkey ball soup
FoodCultura – Persian Matzoh Ball Soup with a Turkey Ball

Persian Matzoh Ball Soup

In November we were treated to Maggi Galaxy, a presentation by Stephan Palmié, Professor of Anthropology at University of Chicago and Antoni Miralda, Barcelona-based artist and founder of FoodCultura. They are collaborating on a Chicago-focused project supported by a Gray Center Mellon Collaborative Fellowship, exploring the intersection between food, art, and other forms of cultural exchange. Continue reading →

Chicago’s evolving restaurant scene: How can the cherished small guy survive?

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Presented by Master Chef Michael Lachowicz
Owner, George Trois, Aboyer, Silencieux, in Winnetka

Remember when you could get a great meal at an independently owned restaurant where the chef was often the owner, dishing out their unique culinary perspective? Well, as large restaurant groups continue to take over our dining scene, more independents are finding it difficult to compete. Continue reading →

The Legitimacy and Legacy of Chinese Food in America

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Presented by Louisa Chu and Monica Eng
Co-hosts, “Chewing” Podcast

“Chewing” podcast hosts Monica Eng, left, and Louisa Chu. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Links to mentions in podcast:
Chewing episode where Monica talks to Raymond Lee
How Chinese Restaurants Nearly Became Extinct across USA
What A Murder In My Family Reveals About Chicago’s Chinese Gangs
Why do Egg Rolls in Chicago Taste Like Peanut Butter?

Chicago Tribune food reporter Louisa Chu and WBEZ reporter Monica Eng talk about 150 years of Chinese food in America, how it was shaped by social, political, and legal circumstances plus how it shaped their own families and lives. The co-hosts of the Chewing podcast will document the Eng family restaurant dynasty in Chicago and how it reflected the food and culture of the times. Continue reading →

How the Instant Pot Helped This Indian-American Forge Her Ethnic Identity

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Presented by Chandra Ram, Chef, Author, Editor

To be Indian-American means you have a foot in two cultures. For Chandra Ram, author of The Complete Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, America is home, but some part of her identifies as Indian as well. She didn’t want to let go of Indian culture as her parents were encouraged to do when they immigrated a generation ago, but she didn’t always know how to claim it for herself. Continue reading →

A Culinary History of Downeast Maine

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Presented by Sharon L. Joyce

Maine’s Downeast culinary history begins well before explorers arrived in the 1500s. Some of the food preparation and preservation techniques used by the Wabanakis and early colonists are still in use today. Lobster and other seafood from the Gulf of Maine and the area now known as Acadia National Park paved the way for a vibrant tourist food scene. Continue reading →