The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food

An interview with 
Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Conducted by culinary historian and food writer
Donna Pierce

View presentation on Facebook and YouTube.

Black cooking has always been more than “soul food,” with flavors tracing to the African continent, to the Caribbean, all over the United States, and beyond. 

Join us as internationally acclaimed chef Marcus Samuelsson highlights the diverse deliciousness of Black cooking today. Continue reading

Thoughts on the Origins of Pizzerias in America and Chicago

Presented by Peter Regas
PizzaHistoryBook.com

View Presentation on Facebook and Youtube.

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

View presentation on Facebook and YouTube

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

View presentation on Facebook and YouTube

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