Welcome to
Culinary Historians of Northern Illinois
Our Mission Statement: The Culinary Historians of Northern Illinois seek to understand social and cultural history through the study and celebration of food and drink.
​
​
​
​
Saturday January 18, 2024
Cook Library, Aspen Drive Branch
701 Aspen Drive
Vernon Hills, Illinois 60061
​
Taking Grandma's Recipes to the Roadshow
​
Recipes can tell us about family origins and traditions. Bring your family recipes and learn more from the Culinary Historians of Northern Illinois. Then, contribute a recipe to their growing archive!
**In-person registration and attendance is required for those who hope to participate in PART 2: Historic Recipe Roadshow.**
*In-person registrants will receive a link to schedule their road show appointment a few days before the event.*
​
PART 1: What Grandma Said: Recipes as Historical Documents
(1-2 pm) - Hybrid
Old family recipes are the stories that women told each other about themselves, their lives, their families and friends, and the times in which they lived. Collections of these are original sources for historians to use in studies of the past in more detail than, say, a historical narrative. Come learn more from the Culinary Historians of Northern Illinois (CHNI).
CHNI was founded to collect manuscripts of recipes originating in Northern Illinois and then expand to eventually collect recipes from the entire state of Illinois and then the Midwest region of the United States. This initiative is part of a larger national project that originated during a conference held at New York University in 2016.
The CHNI will create an organized digitized collection of historic cookery manuscripts. The collection will be made available to scholars and researchers as well as the general public. The Culinary Historians of Northern Illinois is sending out a call for cookery manuscripts, more specifically, historical, heirloom, and old family recipes, at least 50 years old. We invite you to participate by submitting your recipes.
​
PART 2: Historic Recipe Roadshow
(2-4 pm) - In Person ONLY
Bring your family recipes and learn more about your family and the recipe! The Culinary Historians of Northern Illinois (CHNI) will share information and reveal special details about your favorite foods. The Historic Recipe Roadshow will take place directly after the "What Grandma Said" presentation and will only be offered in person.
​
Here is the link to register: https://cooklib.libnet.info/event/11841511
​
Here is a link for directions to the Library:
Cook Library Aspen Drive Branch 701 Aspen Dr, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
​
"Tasting the Past: Culinary Historians Archive Old Recipes, Preserve Our Culinary Heritage"
An article about us by food historian and author Cynthia Clampit in the April 2024 issue of Newcity Magazine.
Read the full article HERE