Two Great Chefs: Chicago’s Evolution as a Food Mecca John Hogan and Tony Mantuano Come join us as two of Chicago’s most acclaimed chefs, John Hogan and Tony Mantuano, look back on their 40+ year careers in Europe and Chicago, and reveal how our city has evolved as a world class food destination since the 1980’s, the significant changes in the restaurant industry, the farm-to-table movement, and their vision of restaurants in the future. BIOS Chef John Hogan began his career in the 1979 learning the craft of French cuisine in some of Chicago’s finest restaurants. In 1987 he was contacted by Che ..read more

How Vienna Changed Baking Everywhere Rick Rodgers’ book, Kaffeehause: Exquisite Desserts from Vienna, Budapest, and Prague, has been in print for over two decades. Its longevity is primarily due to the luscious recipes, which are so different from those in the Franco-Italo canon. Also, readers are fascinated by the interesting story of the coffeehouse culture. In his presentation, Rick will discuss how the Viennese (it was not Marie Antoinette) brought the crescent roll (kipferl) to Paris, its transformation into the croissant, and subsequent conquering of the pastry world. In Europe, what we ..read more

How Vienna Changed Baking Everywhere Rick Rodgers’ book, Kaffeehause: Exquisite Desserts from Vienna, Budapest, and Prague, has been in print for over two decades. Its longevity is primarily due to the luscious recipes, which are so different from those in the Franco-Italo canon. Also, readers are fascinated by the interesting story of the coffeehouse culture. In his presentation, Rick will discuss how the Viennese (it was not Marie Antoinette) brought the crescent roll (kipferl) to Paris, its transformation into the croissant, and subsequent conquering of the pastry world. In Europe, what we ..read more

Chicago’s Astounding Food Evolution: 1990 ’til Now Chef Dean Zanella Founder and instructor, Tutore Italian Cooking School The past 35 years have seen a sea change in Chicago dining. And who better than to take us on a voyage through this period than a master chef who has sailed through this time? Come join us as chef Dean Zanella takes us from the local culinary world of 1990 to the present; where fine dining no longer requires white tablecloths; where non-European cuisine has been elevated; where chefs are the main focus of the restaurant; and where chefs work with local farmers. And he’ll d ..read more

Leftovers A History of Food Waste & Preservation Eleanor Barnett, PhD A third of all the food we produce goes to waste globally, and if all this needlessly discarded food were a country it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world after China and the US! How did we become such a wasteful society? What can we learn about building a sustainable food future by looking to the past?Based on Dr Eleanor Barnett’s newly-published book Leftovers: A History of Food Waste and Preservation, this talk will explore the many ingenious ways our ancestors sought to avoid food wast ..read more

The Story of Chicago’s South Asians and Their Food Colleen Taylor Sen Chicago has the country’s third-largest urban population of South Asians (a community that includes Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and Nepalis) – and a vibrant South Asian food scene. Colleen Taylor Sen will tell the story of this community from the early 20th century when a small community lived on the Far South Side to the present. She’ll also talk about the evolution of the city’s South Asian grocery stores and restaurants, including the transformation of Devon Avenue on the Far North Side from a mainly Jewish shoppin ..read more

The Multiple Heritages of Irish Soda Bread Presented by Lucy Long, PhD Soda bread, a quick bread using baking soda as the primary rising agent, is closely associated in the U.S. with Ireland. Its history and meanings, however, are much more complicated—and tasty—than the sweet loaf with raisins that is usually found around St Patrick’s Day in March. This talk discusses the various forms this bread takes in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and the U.S., exploring how it represents different notions of Irish heritage in each of those countries. Recipes will be made available. Lucy M. L ..read more

The Glory of Chicago-Style BBQ Dominique Leach We’ve all heard of the classic BBQ styles from regions like Kansas City, Memphis or Texas. But what about Chicago-style BBQ? From rib tips to hot links to mild sauce and more, Chicago chef and pitmaster Dominique Leach of the black-women-queer-owned and award-winning restaurant Lexington Betty’s Smokehouse (plus the 2023 winner of the Food Network’s hit show BBQ Brawl), is making it her mission to further define this unique style and put it on the map in 2024. Join us to hear Dominique discuss the origins of Chicago-style BBQ, its variations, and ..read more

Advances in science and community science are positively impacting fungal conservation Presented by Greg Mueller, PhD Greg will discuss how advances in science and community science are positively impacting fungal conservation. This presentation is for all audiences, and no prior knowledge of mycology or biology will be needed to thoroughly enjoy it. Gregory M. Mueller, Ph.D. is Negaunee Chief Scientist and Vice President of Science at the Chicago Botanic Garden. He has been involved with the Illinois Mycological Association nearly 40 years. Among Greg's many interests and duties, he serves as ..read more

From ‘Peanut Weddings’ to ‘Beef Stands’: The Socio-Culinary History of Chicago’s ‘Italian Beef’ Presented by Anthony F. Buccini, PhD Italian Americans have contributed a considerable number of portable fast foods to regional and local cuisines around the United States, some of which have become extremely popular at the national level. One such food which, despite its frequent discussion in recent food-related media, has remained very much a local dish is Chicago’s ‘Italian beef’. As a sandwich filled with thin slices of roasted beef, this product at first blush looks to be an Italian-American ..read more