Event

The Midwest: How Sweet It Is! A Journey through Midwestern Dessert Traditions

Join us for a program about the history of sweets in the Midwest, including the important dessert traditions that started here and continue here in small towns and big cities alike. Enjoy a day learning about:

* The influential role of the railroad and immigrant populations in bringing new desserts to the Midwest and establishing them as traditions
* Abraham Lincolns favorite dessert
* The blue-ribbon pie traditions of county fairs, including unusual, lost recipes such as bean pie and sugar-cream pie
* The cooking of late 19th-century Michigan, as described in the autobiography of Della Lutes
* The role of Midwestern food companies in creating much-loved home dessert recipes such as the French Silk Pie, Tunnel of Love cake and Princess Brownies
* The humble Midwest origins of many internationally known candies, candy bars and other treats, such as the Heath Bar
* Dessert traditions completely unique to the Midwest, including the Wisconsin Kringle and the Mennonite-German Pfeffernusse
* Relatively recent, significant developments in Midwest sweets, such as the rise of boutique chocolates and the resurgence of local, artisanal dessert ingredients such as heirloom fruit and nuts and handcrafted cheeses

Featured speakers are Robyn Mather Jenkins and Donna Pierce from the Chicago Tribune, in addition to a host of other dynamic Midwest food academics, culinary historians and cookbook authors.

Lectures, interactive discussions and of course, delicious tastings throughout the day that will help illustrate the lessons learned. Refreshments and lunch are included.

The symposium is sponsored by the Culinary Historians of Chicago, Kendall College and the Almond Board of California.

Updated information available at www.GreaterMidwestFoodways.com