Food

Part of a nation's history lies in what people eat. Artifacts at the Museum document the history of food in the United States from farm machinery to diet fads.

More than 1,300 pieces of stoneware and earthenware show how Americans have stored, prepared, and served food for centuries. Ovens, cookie cutters, kettles, aprons, and ice-cream-making machines are part of the collections, along with home canning jars and winemaking equipment. More than 1,000 objects recently came to the Museum when author and cooking show host Julia Child donated her entire kitchen, from appliances to cookbooks.

Advertising and business records of several food companies—such as Hills Brothers Coffee, Pepsi Cola, and Campbell's Soup—represent the commercial side of the subject

This shipping crate side contained Murphy’s Select brand California tomatoes that were packed and shipped by the Murphy’s Brothers Company in California during the early 20th century. The crate side has a four leaf clover logo in the upper right.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Murphy’s Select brand California tomatoes that were packed and shipped by the Murphy’s Brothers Company in California during the early 20th century. The crate side has a four leaf clover logo in the upper right.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
O. P. Murphy & Sons
ID Number
1979.0441.229
catalog number
1979.0441.229
accession number
1979.0441
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968-1970
author
Waters, Alice
ID Number
2016.0085.20
accession number
2016.0085
catalog number
2016.0085.20
This bottle once held Angelica wine, produced by Concannon Vineyards in Livermore, California, in 1929, at the height of Prohibition in the United States.
Description
This bottle once held Angelica wine, produced by Concannon Vineyards in Livermore, California, in 1929, at the height of Prohibition in the United States. National Prohibition, the 18th amendment to the Constitution, was passed by Congress in January 1919 to prohibit the manufacture, transport, sale, export, and import of alcoholic beverages in the United States. Lasting almost 14 years (Repeal took effect on December 5, 1933), Prohibition had a tremendously negative impact on the American wine industry. Yet this Angelica was produced legally during Prohibition, due to an exception in the law, which permitted certain wineries to make wines for sacramental and medicinal purposes. The Concannon family made altar wine for the Catholic Church during this period.
The bottle includes a stamp indicating that taxes had been paid on the wine and the permit information: “Bonded Winery 616 / 11th Permissive Dist. Calif. / Permit Calif. A 854"
Concannon Vineyards was established by James Concannon, a native of County Galway, Ireland, who arrived in Boston in 1865 and San Francisco in 1878. As a rubber stamp salesman whose territory extended into Canada and Mexico, he was a well-traveled entrepreneur. In 1883 he bought 47 acres of land in California’s Livermore Valley and established vineyards there, with a winery to follow in 1895. James’s son Joseph took over the business and kept it going through Prohibition. By the 1950s another generation—Joseph Jr. and James (Jim)—were running the company. Although the winery has been owned by the Wente family since 1992, the Concannon family is still very much involved in the management of the operation. John Concannon is now the fourth generation vintner at his family’s historic vineyards and winery.
date made
1929
ID Number
2014.0095.02
catalog number
2014.0095.02
accession number
2014.0095
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968-1970
author
Waters, Alice
ID Number
2016.0085.12
accession number
2016.0085
catalog number
2016.0085.12
Advanced Fresh Concepts Corporation (AFC), known for their prepackaged sushi prepared and sold in supermarkets, extended their product line to include sushi related products.
Description
Advanced Fresh Concepts Corporation (AFC), known for their prepackaged sushi prepared and sold in supermarkets, extended their product line to include sushi related products. This bottle of AFC’s first generation sushi rice/salad seasoning with vinegar is covered by green plastic, and the body is wrapped around by a printed label that includes the word “Natural,” the original AFC logo, the title "Sushi Rice/ Salad Seasoning with Vinegar" in black lettering, and a picture of three pieces of maki sushi on a bamboo mat and a picture of salad below. The images suggest that this product can be used to season rice to recreate the same taste as the rice used at sushi bars, and can be used as a substitute for vinegar in salad dressings as well. Underneath the images reads NET 12.7 FL OZ (375mL) in black lettering, and the directions are written to the left. To the right of the front cover, there is a list of ingredients and the nutrition facts.
The vinegar seasoning shows AFC’s attempt to popularize sushi making in American households. It’s versatility in being a substitute for salad dressing is also intended for the product to appeal to a wider market, and not exclusively to those interested in making sushi at home.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980s
maker
Advanced Fresh Concepts Franchise Corp.
ID Number
2012.3099.11
catalog number
2012.3099.11
nonaccession number
2012.3099
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968-1970
author
Waters, Alice
ID Number
2016.0085.09
accession number
2016.0085
catalog number
2016.0085.09
A first generation AFC ginger salad dressing bottle.Like other AFC products, this bottle has a green lid and a yellow printed plastic label that covers the top part of its body.
Description
A first generation AFC ginger salad dressing bottle.
Like other AFC products, this bottle has a green lid and a yellow printed plastic label that covers the top part of its body. The label includes the first generation AFC logo underneath the printed “NATURAL” letters, and “Ginger Salad Dressing” written in black over the image of a ginger root. The bottom right reads NET 10.6FL OZ (280ml) in black. To the right, the Nutrition Fact is listed, along with a “Distributed by: AFC Corp” print underneath. The left side of the container includes a barcode, a few sentences that suggest its use, the ingredients, and a caution note.
AFC extended their product line to include sushi related products to diversify the consumer’s sushi eating experience, and popularize ingredients used in traditional Japanese foods. This salad dressing is advertised to be versatile, as it can be used for salads, stir-fry dishes and a marinade for barbeques.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980s
maker
Advanced Fresh Concepts Franchise Corp.
ID Number
2012.3099.17
catalog number
2012.3099.17
nonaccession number
2012.3099
First generation AFC teriyaki sauce bottle:The plastic bottle is clear with a green plastic lid. The graphic on this label includes the original AFC logo, which is an oval consisting of the letters “AFC” and an image of two pieces of nigiri sushi below.
Description
First generation AFC teriyaki sauce bottle:
The plastic bottle is clear with a green plastic lid. The graphic on this label includes the original AFC logo, which is an oval consisting of the letters “AFC” and an image of two pieces of nigiri sushi below. “Teriyaki Sauce” is printed in the center, with an image of a red Japanese fan and a skewer of beef and vegetables behind it. The combination of the red fan and the beef and vegetables skewer markets this product as a fusion flavor. While the American favorite beef and vegetable skewer provides comfort to the consumers, the Japanese fan marks this product as Asian-inspired. “All Natural” is written across the top, implying that the product is healthy. The contents have a NET of 6.8FL. Oz. (205 ml), and underneath the weight, it reads 2003.1.5. On the back of the container there is a barcode, the nutritional facts, the ingredients, and the AFC Corporation address.
Teriyaki sauce is made of soy sauce, mirin, sugar and ginger. It is typically used to marinate meats and vegetables before cooking, or used as a dipping sauce for cooked meats and vegetables. It has a tangy sweet taste that appeals to a wide range of audience, and has become a staple for Asian-inspired flavors.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980s
maker
Advanced Fresh Concepts Franchise Corp.
ID Number
2012.3099.09
catalog number
2012.3099.09
nonaccession number
2012.3099
Labels are an important marketing device.
Description (Brief)
Labels are an important marketing device. They often go beyond merely identifying contents and are designed to help establish brand distinction and generate customer loyalty for a largely interchangeable product.
This Bell Cove brand orange crate label was used by the Earlibest Orange Association of Lemon Cove, California during the early 20th century. The lithographed label has an illustration of a bell surrounded by flowers, and an image of a house surrounded by orchard trees on the bell. The label also has the Sunkist orange logo on the lower right, a designation given to high quality oranges grown by the California Fruit Growers Exchange.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Earlibest Orange Association, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.079
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.079
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968-1970
author
Waters, Alice
ID Number
2016.0085.01
accession number
2016.0085
catalog number
2016.0085.01
This shipping crate end panel is imprinted with the “Libby’s” script of the manufacturing firm Libby, McNeil, and Libby. This crate contained Santa Clara, California Prunes. Archibald McNeil and Charles and Arthur Libby founded the Chicago based company in 1868.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate end panel is imprinted with the “Libby’s” script of the manufacturing firm Libby, McNeil, and Libby. This crate contained Santa Clara, California Prunes. Archibald McNeil and Charles and Arthur Libby founded the Chicago based company in 1868. Originally specializing in canned meats, Libby’s began to produce canned fruits and vegetables in the early 20th century. The company was purchased by Nestle in 1971.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Libby, McNeill & Libby
ID Number
1979.0441.354
catalog number
1979.0441.354
accession number
1979.0441
This shipping crate end is imprinted with the Zerolene Polar Bear logo. Zerolene (also sometimes called Polarine) was an engine lubricant first manufactured by the Standard Oil Company of California in 1907.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate end is imprinted with the Zerolene Polar Bear logo. Zerolene (also sometimes called Polarine) was an engine lubricant first manufactured by the Standard Oil Company of California in 1907. The Standard Oil Company of California became its own entity after the 1911 breakup of Standard Oil. In 1977, the Standard Oil Company of California became the Chevron Corporation.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Standard Oil
ID Number
1979.0441.228
catalog number
1979.0441.228
accession number
1979.0441
This shipping crate side contained West-Pak brand melons that were packed and shipped by Westside Growers & Shippers Inc. of Firebaugh, California during the early 20th century.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained West-Pak brand melons that were packed and shipped by Westside Growers & Shippers Inc. of Firebaugh, California during the early 20th century.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Westside Growers & Shippers Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.180
catalog number
1979.0441.180
accession number
1979.0441
This shipping crate side originally contained Banquet brand canned tomatoes that were packed and shipped by the California Packing Corporation of San Francisco, California during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side originally contained Banquet brand canned tomatoes that were packed and shipped by the California Packing Corporation of San Francisco, California during the early 20th century. The crate contained 24 28-ounce tins of canned tomatoes with puree from trimming.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
California Packing Corporation
ID Number
1979.0441.254
catalog number
1979.0441.254
accession number
1979.0441
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
ID Number
DL.64.0515A
accession number
251849
catalog number
64.0515A
This jumpsuit was worn by a scientist from Advanced Genetic Systems during the first release of genetically modified microorganisms into the environment approved by the federal government.The organisms, a genetically modified version of naturally occurring bacteria from the genus
Description (Brief)
This jumpsuit was worn by a scientist from Advanced Genetic Systems during the first release of genetically modified microorganisms into the environment approved by the federal government.
The organisms, a genetically modified version of naturally occurring bacteria from the genus Pseudomonas, were sprayed on test fields of strawberry plants in Monterey County, Calif., to increase their resistance to frost.
In nature, Pseudomonas can be found on the surface of many plants. The bacteria contribute to problems with frost on crops because they produce a protein that promotes the formation of ice. In hopes of reducing frost damage to crops, scientist Steve Lindow at the University of California altered the bacteria to stop producing this protein. The University patented these “ice-minus” bacteria and licensed the technology to Advanced Genetic Systems, a company based in Oakland, Calif. AGS hoped to bring the bacteria to market as an ice-proofing spray for crops called “Frostban.”
After careful review, the U.S. government approved field tests of Frostban. Despite the review, public fear of releasing these bacteria into the environment remained. Some scientists raised concerns that the ice-minus bacteria could replace the natural bacterial population. Because of their ice-forming abilities, the natural bacteria play a role in the creation of precipitation. This fact led some to worry that damage to the natural population could have repercussions for rainfall and weather patterns.
Activists against Frostban broke into test fields and uprooted plants to be sprayed several times throughout the field trials. After four years of tests, Frostban was found to be effective in reducing frost damage to crops. Due to continued public discomfort with genetically modified organisms, however, AGS never marketed the product. The company feared that the expense of fighting legal battles to get it to market would outweigh possible profit.
Sources:
“Public Fears Factored Into Gene-Altered Bacteria Tests.” Griffin, Katherine. The Los Angeles Times. April 18, 1988. p. AOC11.
“Bacteria on the Loose.” Fox, Michael W. The Washington Post. November 26, 1985. p. A16.
“Chapter 5: Ecological Considerations.” Office of Technology Assessment, Congress of the United States. Field-Testing Engineered Organisms: Genetic and Ecological Issues. 2002. pp.94–95.
“Chapter 4: The Release of a Genetically Engineered Microorganism.” Schacter, Bernice Zeldin. Issues and Dilemmas of Biotechnology: A Reference Guide. 1999.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1987.0770.01
accession number
1987.0770
catalog number
1987.0770.01
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968-1970
author
Waters, Alice
ID Number
2016.0085.30
accession number
2016.0085
catalog number
2016.0085.30
The brainchild of cab driver Henry C. James, Jr., the James Remind-O-Clock was a useful innovation for people in various industries, from hotels to taxi services to laboratories.
Description
The brainchild of cab driver Henry C. James, Jr., the James Remind-O-Clock was a useful innovation for people in various industries, from hotels to taxi services to laboratories. The electric clock’s unique feature is its mechanism for allowing multiple alarms for a single event, such as a laboratory experiment that requires the timing of various steps. The 48 small keys located around the face of the clock could be set to ring a maximum of 48 alarms or ‘reminders’ at one setting. James established the James Clock Manufacturing Co. in Oakland in 1933, and produced and patented this model in 1937 (Patent number 2,098,965).
Enologist Andre Tchelistcheff used this Bakelite-housed “Remind-O-Clock,” to time various experiments and processes in his winery laboratories in California’s Napa Valley. Tchelistcheff made significant contributions to the wine industry, helping to improve techniques and raise standards for winemaking in the postwar period. He helped many winemakers improve their operations by adopting the practices of sterile filtration, cold fermentation, and attention to yeasts.
Andre Tchelistcheff was born in Moscow in 1901; he and his family fled the country at the time of the Russian Revolution in 1917. After receiving his degree in agricultural science at the University of Brno in Czechoslovakia, he moved to Paris, where he was employed at the Institute of National Agronomy outside the city. While there he was contacted in 1937 by Georges de Latour, of Napa Valley’s Beaulieu Vineyards (BV). Latour was searching for a highly qualified wine chemist to help improve the stability and quality of BV’s premium wines, which had recently suffered the disastrous effects of microbiological spoilage and volatile acidity.
When he arrived in Napa in 1938, just five years after the repeal of Prohibition, Tchelistcheff was struck by the primitive conditions of winegrowing and winemaking. It took him several years to improve the winemaking at BV by upgrading equipment and controlling fermentation processes. He also worked in the vineyards, with, in his words, “the voice of nature.” Tchelistcheff was committed to the idea of community and promoted the sharing of both technical data and philosophical musings among the people trying to rebuild the wine industry. He also maintained close relationships with the scientists and scholars of viticulture and enology at the University of California at Davis.
After he left BV in 1973, Tchelistcheff became a consultant, serving dozens of California wineries old and new. He also played a key role in developing the modern wine industry in Washington State. In 1991 Tchelistcheff rejoined Beaulieu as consulting enologist. He died in the Napa Valley in 1994.
maker
James Clock Mfg. Co.
ID Number
2011.0131.02
catalog number
2011.0131.02
accession number
2011.0131
patent number
2098965
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968-1970
author
Waters, Alice
ID Number
2016.0085.23
accession number
2016.0085
catalog number
2016.0085.23
AFC first generation single serving cup of instant miso soup.The yellow container is covered by a sealed paper lid that reads “MISO SOUP Traditional Japanese Soup, with a three step instruction printed below.
Description
AFC first generation single serving cup of instant miso soup.
The yellow container is covered by a sealed paper lid that reads “MISO SOUP Traditional Japanese Soup, with a three step instruction printed below. “Natural Tofu Miso Soup” is printed across the container, with the original AFC logo in the center and a graphic of a bowl of miso soup in the background. Underneath reads NET WT. 0.76 OZ. (22g). The “Fill line” printed on the upper right part of the container indicates how much water should be poured in. The left side lists directions for hot water and directions for microwave use, as well as a barcode and a general miso soup description. The right side lists the nutrition facts, the ingredients and the distributor.
Miso soup is a common Japanese soup that often accompanies a sushi meal. AFC has expanded their products from fresh pre-packaged products to other sushi-related products, and has included two types of instant miso soups.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980s
maker
Advanced Fresh Concepts Franchise Corp.
ID Number
2012.3099.25
catalog number
2012.3099.25
nonaccession number
2012.3099
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968-1970
author
Waters, Alice
ID Number
2016.0085.14
accession number
2016.0085
catalog number
2016.0085.14
This label from the late 1940s is for Pinot Chardonnay wine made and bottled by Bargetto’s Santa Cruz Winery. Pinot Chardonnay is the historic name for what became simply Chardonnay.
Description
This label from the late 1940s is for Pinot Chardonnay wine made and bottled by Bargetto’s Santa Cruz Winery. Pinot Chardonnay is the historic name for what became simply Chardonnay. In the late 1940s, the acreage of Chardonnay grapes in California was a mere fraction of what it would become by the end of the century.
The Bargetto family’s story reflects in many ways the history of Italians in California, with several themes threaded throughout: multiple migrations between Italy and America, opportunity and work in the wine industry, and the importance of family and community. The first Bargettos to arrive in California were Giuseppe (Joseph) and his eldest son Filippo (Philip), who left their ancestral home in Italy’s Piedmont region, in 1890. They settled among other Italians in the winegrowing area around Mountain View, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where they found work at the Casa Delmas Winery. Although Joseph moved back to Italy two years later, Philip remained until 1902, when he returned to Italy to be married. Three years later Philip and his new family arrived back in California, settling first in San Francisco, then, with remarkable prescience, to Mountain View just before the devastating earthquake and fire in 1906.
In 1909, back in San Francisco, the Bargettos opened their first family winery on Montgomery Avenue. Philip’s uncle Giovanni (John) arrived from Italy and, with a third partner, Alberto Colombo, they formed the South Montebello Vineyard and Wine Co., where they fermented, aged, and delivered barrels of wine to local restaurants. The next member of the family to arrive from Italy was Philip’s younger brother, also named Giovanni (John P.), who went to work in a San Francisco restaurant. After two years and suffering from exhaustion, he moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains, where he was joined by his sisters Angelina and Maddalena, both of whom married Italian immigrants. The growing Bargetto family became part of an expanding community of Italian Americans in the town of Soquel.
As Prohibition loomed, the Bargettos closed the San Francisco winery and moved to Soquel in 1917, where they purchased the site of what became the family’s winery after Repeal. Here they began making wine for home use by family and friends. To keep themselves financially afloat during Prohibition’s dry years, the family peddled vegetables and also served meals out of their home on weekends. Customers who wanted a glass of wine with their meal, a longstanding Italian tradition, were served wine from barrels stored in the cellar.
After Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the Bargettos applied for federal bonding, and officially became Bonded Winery 3859. The two brothers, Philip and John P., ran the winery together until Philip’s death in 1936; through the 1940s and 1950s, John P. held the company together with help from his sons Ralph and Lawrence, who took the lead in the 1970s and 1980s.
The winery was still family-owned in 2014, when artifacts associated with the early years of the Bargetto family’s winery were donated to the museum. The donor, John E. Bargetto, with his brother and sister, are the third generation of Bargettos to operate the family’s wine business in the Central Coast region of California.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 1940s
ID Number
2014.3130.03
catalog number
2014.3130.03
nonaccession number
2014.3130
This shipping crate held Golden Palomino brand fruit that was distributed by Donald R. Bones of Littlerock, California during the early 20th century. The wooden shipping crate side has black text.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate held Golden Palomino brand fruit that was distributed by Donald R. Bones of Littlerock, California during the early 20th century. The wooden shipping crate side has black text.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Donald R. Bones
ID Number
1979.0441.156
catalog number
1979.0441.156
accession number
1979.0441
AFC’s second generation box of tubed grated wasabi.The front side of the green box includes the Southern Tsunami logo, which is the trademark registered to AFC Corp. in 2003.
Description
AFC’s second generation box of tubed grated wasabi.
The front side of the green box includes the Southern Tsunami logo, which is the trademark registered to AFC Corp. in 2003. Underneath reads “Prepared Genuine Wasabi in a Tube”, and “Grated Sushi Wasabi” is printed over an image of a wasabi root. There is an image of an assortment of nigiri sushi below, indicating what the product is to be used for. At the very bottom, NET WT. 1.59 OZ (45g) is printed in white lettering. The backside of the box is identical to the front, though the image of the nigiri sushi is replaced by an image of California rolls. The left side of the box lists the ingredients, nutrition facts, the distributor and the barcode. The plastic tube contained in the box has the same Southern Tsunami logo and the product name “Prepared Genuine Wasabi in a Tube, Grated Sushi Wasabi” printed in large lettering. The tube has a green plastic top.
Wasabi is a plant root of the Brassicaceae family. It is grated and used as a sushi condiment to enhance flavor. It has a potent flavor and therefore only a small amount is necessary to bring out the flavor of the fish. Customers who purchase this tube of wasabi will have an ample amount to season both their take-out sushi orders and homemade sushi.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
unknown
maker
Advanced Fresh Concepts Franchise Corp.
ID Number
2012.3099.22
catalog number
2012.3099.22
nonaccession number
2012.3099

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