Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
j_levine@culinary.edu
Hyde Park, NY – Culinary historian Michael W. Twitty takes
a look at the lives of colonial and
antebellum-era African-American cooks during a lecture at The Culinary
Institute of America (CIA) on Thursday, January 9. "Dining from a Haunted
Plate: Becoming an 18th and 19th Century Black Chef," takes place at 2
p.m. in the Danny Kaye Theatre. The public is invited to attend the talk, which
is part of the college's .
Mr. Twitty will show how African food traditions met and melded
with each other and with the traditions of indigenous peoples and Western
Europe. He explains how the cooking techniques and flavors of West and Central African
cuisines were transformed by early African-American chefs into the Western food
culture and tradition with which we are familiar.
Michael W. Twitty is a scholar
focusing on historic African-American food and folk culture and the culinary
traditions of historic Africa and the diaspora. He recently spoke at the MAD3
Symposium in Copenhagen regarding culinary injustice. His television appearances
include Bizarre Foods America with
Andrew Zimmern and the PBS documentary Many Rivers to Cross with Dr. Henry
Louis Gates. Twitty's blog, , earned
him the honor of "One of Five Food Writers to Watch in 2012," by the Chicago Tribune and "20 Greatest
(American) Food Bloggers of All Time" by First
We Feast.
The Danny Kaye Theatre is located in the Conrad N. Hilton
Library on the CIA campus, on Route 9 in Hyde Park. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The brings food industry leaders, as well as experts on international
relations and other interesting luminaries, to The Culinary Institute of America. It is named for Carroll F.
Dooley, the first director of the college's food preparation division in 1946.
His daughter, Patricia Dooley Fortenbaugh, has been
funding the series since its inception in 2002.
Photo Caption
Michael W. Twitty (Photo provided)
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent,
not-for-profit college offering associate and bachelor's degrees with majors in
culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, and culinary science, as well as
certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the
world's premier culinary college, the CIA provides thought leadership in the
areas of health & wellness, sustainability, and world cuisines &
cultures through research and conferences. The CIA has a network of 46,000
alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz,
Anthony Bourdain, Roy Choi, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The CIA also offers courses for
professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services in support of
innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The college has
campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore.
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