On Saturday, Deanna Pucciarelli, assistant professor of family and consumer sciences at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., took the lid off her research into community canning programs.Īs she described it, with the help of businesses - notably the then-Muncie-based glass manufacturer Ball Bros., as well as church groups, women's clubs and the Junior Red Cross - efforts were made during those dire times to preserve excess farm food and distribute it to the needy.Īccording to Pucciarelli, those early relief networks eventually "solidified" into today's food relief programs.įeeding America, formerly known as America's Second Harvest, she said, "is an outgrowth of the initial organization of relief efforts of the Depression." He also pointed out that members of the black community "basically ate the same as before the Depression" because hard times and unemployment were felt in this population as early as 1926. "I'm pretty sure this food was tasty, but it wasn't healthy," noted Reed. And they were almost always cooked - and cooked - with salt pork. He began by asking how many people in the audience had eaten pigs' ears.Ī few hands went up, and Reed mentioned that this once-humble flap of food has become trendy and is being served now at "tony restaurants."īut back in the 1930s, inexpensive parcels of meat such as beef necks or pork liver would have been part of the frugal fare for African-Americans, especially in Chicago with its many stockyards.Īnd, oh yes, there was chicken - as in chicken feet, he said.īoth beans and greens of various descriptions were popular. The conference got going with a talk on urban, African-American food during the Depression by Christopher Robert Reed, professor emeritus of history at Roosevelt University and general secretary to the Black Chicago History Forum. The Friday dinner was prepared by chef Mitch Cavanah of Kendall College. The purpose of the 1938 meal, sponsored by the Illinois Workers Alliance of Cook County, was to "point to the asserted need for more funds for its members, all on relief," according to a story in the Chicago Daily Tribune at the time.įast forward to April of this year, Catherine Lambrecht, a founding member of Midwest Foodways who helped organize this event, figured that a similar meal would cost about $1.79 per head in today's dollars. Instead, they were treated to an 8-cent relief banquet modeled on a dinner - beef stew and a piece of apple - that was served to the Chicago mayor and other dignitaries on May 7, 1938, in the Gold Room of the Congress Hotel. Charles, Ill.Īnd, no, symposium-goers didn't forget the woes of the world by going out to a fancy dinner on Friday. On the third day, attendees could choose between a walking tour of Chicago's Maxwell Street Market and a wood-fired stove cooking class at Primrose Farm, which is a restored 1930s working farm in St. About 100 food experts and enthusiasts attended the event at Kendall College in Chicago.ĭuring the first two days of the symposium, the presenters - including anthropologists, museum professionals, food writers and historians - chewed on topics ranging from the depiction of food in Depression-era films to the formation of community canning programs. Savor the fresh ingredients of a farm-to-table restaurant like Braise or the buzzing energy of a food hall like the Milwaukee Public Market, sample otherworldly street food at one of the roving food trucks or get your fill of the squeaky golden nuggets known as cheese curds.Kraig is president of the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance, the group that hosted a weekend symposium, from April 29 to May 1, on the food and the food culture of the Great Depression. Discover the delightful fusion of cuisines that have resulted in the curious sushi burrito, flavors of Spain and Brazil in the pork alentejana at Amilinda, and culinary creations by the 2022 James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in the Midwest, Dane Baldwin of The Diplomat. Spanning cultures and cuisines, the hundreds of restaurants throughout the area offer inspired dishes from the delectable to the downright mouthwatering. In 2022 alone, the James Beard Foundation recognized 9 local chefs and restaurants for their contributions to the flourishing culinary scene in Milwaukee. You’ll find everything from classic Midwestern staples to James Beard Award-recognized chefs and restaurants. ![]() Yeah, we’re a sausage sanctuary, a custard oasis, and a kingdom of cheese curds, but the Cream City is home to a culinary scene that challenges these regional stereotypes with a complex array of dining options. Earlier this month, Midwest Living named Milwaukee the Best Culinary City in the publication’s annual Best of the Midwest list for 2023. ![]() We hope you have an appetite for good news! Milwaukee, the Cream City, Brew City, the Good Land, the Gathering Place, is adding yet another title: the Culinary Capital of the Midwest.
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