The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History announces the formation of the Kitchen Cabinet, an advisory board made up of leaders in food scholarship, culinary history and food-related businesses in America to help the museum shape and expand its research, collections, programs and exhibitions related to food and beverage history. The inaugural meeting of the Kitchen Cabinet took place on April 30.
The museum, as part of its American Food History Project, has formed the Kitchen Cabinet to assist staff to expand its thinking, grow its audiences and take a new approach to telling the story of American history through food.
“Together with the Kitchen Cabinet and our visitors, we will explore how our shared experiences with food can help us understand what it means to be American” said John Gray, director of the museum.
The Kitchen Cabinet
Dr. Warren Belasco- Food Historian,University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Lydia Botham- Executive Director,
Land O’Lakes Foundation
Lynne Breaux- President, Restaurant
Association Metropolitan Washington
(2001-12)
Warren Brown, Cookbook Author,
Food Television Host, Founder of CakeLove
Llewellyn Correia, Regional Executive Chef,
Wegmans Food Markets, Va.
Darrell Corti, Corti Brothers, Sacramento, Calif.
Michael Dellar, Co-founder, President, &
CEO Lark Creek Restaurant Group
Ben Franz-Knight, Executive Director,
Pike Place Market, Seattle
Michelle Gowdy, Director, Community and
Academic Relations, Dupont Pioneer
Jessica B. Harris, Ph.D. Food Historian,
Queens College/CUNY
Pati Jinich, Chef, Host of Pati’s Mexican Table
Kim Jordan, Co-founder and CEO,
New Belgium Brewing Company
Ris Lacoste- Chef/Owner of RIS,
Washington, D.C.
Linda Lovejoy,Community Relations Manager,
Wegmans Food Markets
Doug Margerum, Owner/Director of
Winemaking at Margerum Wines
Libby H. O’Connell, Chief Historian,
Senior VP Corporate Outreach, A+E Networks
Linda Novick O’Keefe,
Founding Chief Executive Officer,
Common Threads
Molly O’Neill, Author; Founder of
cookNscribble; Founder and Creative Director,
The LongHouse Food Revival
Todd Schulkin, Executive Director,
The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy
and the Culinary Arts
Eric W. Spivey, Chairman,
The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy
and the Culinary Arts
Tanya Wenman Steel, CEO, Cooking Up Big
Dreams; Special Projects Contributor, Epicurious.com
Taylor Cocalis Suarez- Founder,
Good Food Jobs
Susan Westmoreland, Food Director,
Good Housekeeping
Izabela Wojcik, Director of House
Programming James Beard Foundation
Exhibitions and programs
The Smithsonian’s first major exhibition on food history, “FOOD: Transforming the American Table 1950–2000,” opened November 2012 and explores some of the major changes in food and eating in postwar America. Among the topics on the 3,800-square-foot exhibition’s menu are changes in food production and processing, in who cooks and why, where and when meals are consumed and what people know (or think they know) about what is good for them. Julia Child’s kitchen, which she donated to the museum in 2001 along with its hundreds of tools, appliances and furnishings, serves as the opening story of “FOOD,” demonstrating her influence on the culinary field, food television and the ways many Americans think about food and cooking. The companion website is at https://americanhistory.si.edu/food.
FOOD in the Garden: Waterways & Foodways 1814-2014, Thursday evenings in September
Also tied to the 200th anniversary of the writing of the national anthem, “FOOD in the Garden” 2014 will look at four maritime regions affected by conflicts during the War of 1812: Long Island Sound, the Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico. The program will look at 200 years of connections between land and water, people and food. Patrons will enjoy evenings of food, drinks, and dynamic conversation in a relaxed garden atmosphere. The second annual “FOOD in the Garden” produced in cooperation with SI Gardens.
The first roster of programs developed with the Kitchen Cabinet is scheduled to be announced in Fall of 2014. To stay in touch with the museum and to find out about all things food, the public may sign up for the food newsletter at http://bit.ly/1jFkSHe.
Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History explores the infinite richness and complexity of American history. The museum helps people understand the past in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future. It is currently renovating its West exhibition wing, developing galleries on business, democracy and culture. For more information, visit https://americanhistory.si.edu. The museum is located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W., and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free.
Valeska Hilbig
(202) 633-3129
hilbigv@si.edu
Melinda Machado
(202) 633-3129
machadom@si.edu