You're Invited! We hope you can join us from 6-8 p.m. March 10 for the Toast of New Orleans opening at the Louisiana State Museum Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans. Also opening will be Galatoire's Restaurant: Celebrating 100 Years, a retrospective on one of New Orleans' most beloved culinary destinations. The opening, hosted by Friends of the Cabildo, will feature signature cocktails and hors d'oeuvres from Galatoire's as well as drinks and refreshments from Southern Comfort, Abita Brewery, Napoleon House and other featured beverages. Highlights of the Toast of New Orleans exhibit include Sazerac bottles from the turn of the century, an absinthe dispenser from the mid-1800s, WPA photos of New Orleans, vintage advertisements, ingredients such as the chicory, and promotional artifacts. Toast of New Orleans curator Elizabeth Pearce, stresses the importance of understanding the history of beverages in New Orleans, the city where the cocktail is said to have been invented. "Drinks can be taken for granted: they wash down a po' boy or keep us cool inside a sticky, sultry jazz club, and they are as important as the food, music and architecture in making New Orleans unique." The Galatoire's exhibit will feature photographs from the last century, a peek into early ledgers, vintage menus, tableware, memorabilia from the restaurant's 100th anniversary celebration and even original hand-written recipes for a few signature dishes. The legendary restaurant first opened its doors at its current location in 1905. Guests have been willing to endure long lines ever since for Oysters Rockerfeller, Trout Meuniére Amandine and other favorites. In the last century Galatoire's not only attracted a historic list of loyal patrons but has also become an important part of New Orleans culture. The Louisiana State Museum has designed the exhibit not just to tell the story of the famous dining establishment but the story of the family that operates it and the city itself. The Old U.S. Mint is located at 400 Esplanade Ave. For more information visit http ://www.southernfood.org or http://lsm.crt.state.l a.us or call (504)-568-6968 to make reservations .
| Wanted: Recipes, Menus, Stories, Artifacts and Lore |  |  We continue to grow, thanks to all of you for your support. Acquisitions and inquiries about acquisitions are increasing in quantity as well as in quality. Remember that we collect artifacts and works on paper. If you have old business records, menus, letters or other materials from a business related to food - that means a farm, fishing, processing or other manufacturing , grocery or restaurant - don't throw them out. Help us in our efforts to maintain a rich trove of information about food and eating by donating those documents, ads, letters and other papers to us. Remember we want to see your recipes that use sugar cane products. If you send us your recipes and the stories that go with them, you just might find your recipe and story featured in an upcoming newsletter. We look forward to hearing from you. |
| Newsletter Archives Now Online | | We've gone back and added all of our previous newsletters to the website. There's a treasure trove of information in there, and now it's all online and easy to find. |
| News & Notes | | Cocktail Museum Opens
Congratulations to our friends, neighbors and fellow drink enthusiasts who recently opened the Museum of the American Cocktail here in New Orleans. The Museum is the brainchild of renowned bartender Dale DeGroff and friends. The museum displays historic artifacts and publications. Plans call for an annual scholarly journal, a library and monthly mixology seminars. For more info visit www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org Speaking of Cocktails ...
The Southern Foodways Alliance is producing an oral history project on the bartenders of New Orleans. If you know any bartenders -- working or retired -- in New Orleans or elsewhere in the South, who would have a few good stories to tell, send their information to Amy Evans at amy_evans@usa.net or (662) 915-5993. The SFA also is planning a sugar-fueled Field Trip to New Orleans and environs July 7-10. For info, see www.sou thernfoodways.com/. Symposium on Culinary History
The Longone Center for American Culinary Research at the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor will hold the First Biennial Symposium on American Culinary History May 13-15.
The May event will introduce the Archive to the public with a three-day symposium and exhibition. The archive contains thousands of items from the 16th to 20th centuries -- books, ephemera, menus, magazines, graphics, maps, manuscripts, diaries, letters, catalogues, advertisements, and reference works. Registration forms and brochures for the symposium are available at www.clements.umic h.edu. Ray Charles' Gift to Cuisine
Dillard University in New Orleans is seeking to fill a chair in black culinary studies and other aspects of black material culture. The position was created when Ray Charles donated $1 million to the historically black private institution. To read more, visit the New York Times |
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