Culinary Historians of Chicago/ Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance (events)

[Debbie Hillman]

Thanks to Jose Arrom, practicing anthropologist (retired from UIC), for reminding me about two very interesting related organizations:

Culinary Historians of Chicago

Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance

Here are their respective mission statements and below is information about three events that are coming up.  Both organizations seem open to anyone.  

GMFA sponsored: Road Food: Exploring the Midwest one bite at a time (Chicago - April 27-29, 2012)

GMFA sponsored:  Road trip from Bloomington, IL to Lincoln, IL

CHC sponsored:  The Endangered Art of French Hospitality (Chicago - Feb. 18, 2012)

The Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance is dedicated to celebrating, exploring and preserving unique food traditions and their cultural contexts in the American Midwest. By hosting public events, developing archival resources and generating publications, Greater Midwest Foodways uncovers the distinctiveness of a region that is as varied in tastes and traditions as it is in its geography from the Great Lakes to the Great Plains. Whether indigenous foods like Wisconsin cranberries and Minnesota walleye, iconographic flavors like the wheat and corn from across the prairies, immigrant cuisines from early Europeans to 21st century newcomers, or fish boils and fine dining in small towns and big cities, Greater Midwest Foodways promotes and chronicles the diversity of the region’s culinary character.

http://www.greatermidwestfoodways.com/

The Culinary Historians of Chicago (CHC) is an educational organization committed to the study of the history of food and drink in human cultures. The members are from a wide range of competencies: those who are everyday cooks or amateur historians to the food professionals and those in academia. The common denominator being that all are food enthusiasts. The blend is of the academic with the popular for presentations to the public in many venues including seminars, conferences, publications and other media. 

http://www.culinaryhistorians.org/

-- Debbie

Debbie Hillman

847/328-7175

DLHi...@sbcglobal.net

http://about.me/debbiehillman

Evanston Food Council   (co-founder and chairperson)

Illinois Local Food and Farms Coalition   (co-founder)

Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council   (co-founder)

Cook County Food Systems Steering Committee (member)

Road Food: Exploring the Midwest

One Bite at a Time

Kendall College, Chicago, Illinois

April 27, 28 & 29, 2012 

Heirloom Recipe Competition, 2012

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin

 

 

Road Trip!

From Bloomington to Lincoln, IL

Saturday, June 18, 2011

From: Jose Arrom <josa...@gmail.com>

Date: January 30, 2012 12:26:22 PM CST

Subject: Event --“The Endangered Art of French Hospitality" - Culinary Historians of Chicago

Probably a "yummy event".
Jose O. Arrom, MA

Practicing Anthropologist
773-209-1817

Chicago, Illinois

 

Culinary Historians of Chicago

“The Endangered Art of French Hospitality”

Presented by 
Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer
Co-Founder/Academic Dean for Faculty & Programs
The French Pastry School, Chicago

Saturday, February 18, 2012
10 a.m. to Noon
Kendall College, School of Culinary Arts
900 N. North Branch Street, Chicago
(Located just north of W. Chicago Ave. at N. Halsted St.)
Free Parking

 

In 2010, UNESCO declared “The Gastronomic Meal of the French” an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The meal, an elaborate celebration of good taste and togetherness, is often described as a ritual: the choosing of the aperitif, the four courses paired with impeccable wines, the desserts, the liqueurs, and the service is an art in itself. Just as important is the awareness that everyone at the table has come together to celebrate one occasion and to experience the same sensations over a common meal. In this lecture, Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer will discuss how the Gastronomic Meal of the French has evolved over the centuries and how something as fundamental as eating in the company of others has come to be labeled “a Cultural Practice in Urgent Need of Safeguarding.”

In an age of smart-phones, fast food, and eating on-the-go, UNESCO has emphasized this communal meal as an important source of personal contact in a virtual age and an opportunity to use natural products, thoughtfully chosen. The task of preserving these customs is left to gastronomes, culinary historians, and instructors like Chef Pfeiffer, who must continue to pass on their knowledge and show, through example, the cultural value of preserving the art of entertaining.

Bio: Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer

In 1995, after an already successful career in pastry, Jacquy Pfeiffer along with Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F., founded The French Pastry School where their entire team is devoted to imparting excellence to future pastry professionals. Today, The French Pastry School is considered one of the leading pastry institutions in the world and Chef Pfeiffer continues to gain accolades for the school and his personal achievements. In 2003, he was inducted into the Académie Culinaire de France. In 2011, after being featured in the documentary, “Kings of Pastry,” Chef Pfeiffer was inducted into the Pastry Hall of Fame by Dessert Professional magazine. His most recent accomplishment was coaching the winning team of 2011’s National Pastry Team Championship, a role he will continue this year as the team prepares for the 2012 World Pastry Champioships. Jacquy Pfeiffer is presently the Academic Dean for Student Affairs at The French Pastry School and sits on the boards of For the Love of Chocolate Scholarship Foundation and Pastry Chicago.

* * *

Cost of the lecture program is $5, $3 for students and no charge for CHC members.

To reserve, please e-mail your reservation to: Culinary....@gmail.com.

PLEASE NOTE: RSVP REQUIRED.

###

 

Follow Culinary Historians of Chicago: Facebook  Twitter: CulinaryHistory

Culinary Historians of Chicago, 280 Laurel Avenue, Highland Park, IL  60035

 

[Lara Oppenheimer]

So cool! Thanks for posting, Deb!