Sweet Greeks: First-Generation Immigrant Confectioners in the Heartland

Presented by Ann Flesor Beck
Author and Candy Maker

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Gus Flesor came to the United States from Greece in 1901. His journey led him to Tuscola, Illinois, where he learned the confectioner’s trade and opened a business that still stands on Main Street. Sweet Greeks sets the story of Gus Flesor’s life as an immigrant in a small town within the larger history of Greek migration to the Midwest. Continue reading

What a Waste! Here’s what the world is doing to recover, reduce and recycle food waste

Presented by Andrew Smith
Culinary Historian, Author, Editor

Podcast

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Don’t hold your nose! We’re not going to trash-talk you. Instead we’re going to offer you some savory food for thought when Andy Smith, one of our nation’s most esteemed culinary historians lifts the lid on a vital issue: food waste. Continue reading

An Invasion of Gastronomic Proportions: My Adventures with Chicago Animals, Human and Otherwise

Presented by Mike Sula,
Senior Writer, The Chicago Reader

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Mike’s favorite stories were about the people on the edges of the city’s food system; the oddballs, the uncelebrated, the immigrants cooking for their own—and especially the people willing to break the law to put food on the table. There was Shirley the Muffin Lady, making the rounds of the bars with baskets full of weed-spiked treats. Continue reading

Fat Rascals: Dining at Shakespeare’s Table

Presented by John Tufts
Actor, Author

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 and YouTube

If you ever wanted to see Shakespeare sizzle, now”s your chance. Join our “Zoominar” as actor/cook John Tufts dishes up an historically savory stew of Elizabethan and Tudor Culinary delights that the Bard himself whetted our appetites for in his iconic plays.

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The Most Loved Room In The House: The Evolution of the American Kitchen

Wednesday July 15, 2020

Book cover of John Ota’s book, The Kitchen

Presented by John Ota,
Author, The Kitchen

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No samples available at this virtual presentation,
though feel free to try this recipe for Matzo Ball Soup.

John Ota was a man on a mission–to put together the perfect kitchen. He and his wife had been making do with a room that was frankly no great advertisement for John’s architectural expertise. It just about did the job.

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