Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance presents:

The Midwest: How Sweet It Is!

Featured Speakers
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.

Saturday, April 5, 2008
10 AM
Kendall College
900 North Branch Street, Chicago
(West of Halsted Street, North of Chicago Avenue)
Free Parking

Join us for a program about the history of sweets in the Midwest, including the important dessert traditions that began in small towns and big cities here in the Midwest. 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 Lincoln's 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

    Lectures, interactive discussions - and of course, delicious tastings throughout the day that will help illustrate the ideas discussed. The cost is $50 in advance, or $60 at the door, with refreshments and lunch included.

    To register, call (847) 432-8255, visit Greater Midwest Foodways or by credit card: Brown Paper Tickets.

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

    Program schedule can be seen here: Schedule

    Application available later Monday here: Application