Presented by Carolyn Nadeau, PhD

Drawing from concrete data on the recipes and their primary and secondary ingredients in Montiño’s 1611 court cookbook, Arte de cocina, pastelería, vizcochería y conservería [The art of cooking, pie making, pastry making and preserving], this essay examines concepts of taste as presented in this culinary artifact. Data analysis of close to 5,000 individual references to ingredients allows today’s scholars and gastronomes to gain access to what was being prepared in the royal kitchens and to establish for the first time the culinary scaffolding for what was eaten at court in early seventeenth-century Spain. Continue reading →

Michael Gebert, Editor

The world of Chicago food media is rapidly changing. Michael Gebert is a Chicago based writer who has found new opportunities to tell stories of Chicago’s rich culture. He’ll talk about the changing media landscape, how to find opportunities to share your voice within it, and the role of lists and guidebooks, from Michelin to his own, in helping people discover what their local food scene is about. Continue reading →

Margaret Carney, PhD, Director
The International Museum of Dinnerware Design

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. Continue reading →

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 and made our own. Continue reading →