Thoughts on the Origins of Pizzerias in America and Chicago

Presented by Peter Regas
PizzaHistoryBook.com

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In the past, the historical consensus was the first licensed pizzeria in America was opened in 1905 at 53 Spring St. in New York City by a young Italian immigrant named Gennaro Lombardi. However, in 2019 at the U.S. Pizza Museum in Chicago, Peter Regas challenged that consensus with a talk titled “Filippo Milone and the Forgotten Pizza Makers of New York City.” Continue reading

Gordon Sinclair – Live!

An interview with the Chicago culinary icon
conducted by award-winning foodwriter and publisher
Michael Gebert

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Recipes: Artichoke Fritters and Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cake

The following information appeared in The Chicago Food Encyclopedia, University of Illinois Press, 2017, and was authored by Barbara Revsine.

Gordon Sinclair was working in public relations when a psychic predicted he would become a famous restaurateur. After working part-time as a maître d’ to see whether he liked it, he opened his flagship restaurant Gordon in 1976. Continue reading

How Trader Joe’s Changed the Way America Eats

Presented by Susie Wyshak

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Discover Trader Joe’s key role in introducing fun and unusual foods into the American diet decades ago, when the company was already encouraging the non-health food store shopper to try “better for you” versions of already-popular foods. Wyshak compares items featured in a 1982 flyer  to how we eat now to show TJ’s importance in creating a nation of adventurous food lovers. Continue reading

Women in the Kitchen: 12 Essential Cookbook Writers Who Defined the Way We Eat

Presented by Anne Willan
Culinary Historian, Author, Cooking Teacher
 
 
Women cookbook writers have had an enormous influence on the way we eat today. In her latest book, Women in the Kitchen: Twelve Essential Cookbook Writers Who Defined the Way We Eat, from 1661 to Today, Anne Willan profiles twelve of these women–from Hannah Woolley in the mid-1600s to Fannie Farmer, Edna Lewis, Alice Waters, and her dear friend, Julia Child. From her home in London, via Zoom, Anne will discuss the lives and works of these women, whose landmark books have defined cooking over the past three hundred years. Highlighting their historical contributions and most representative recipes, Anne shows how they created the foundation of the American table. Continue reading