PreserveCast

The Search for the “Lost” Heritage Apples with Tom Brown

One a day keeps the doctor away. Join us on this week’s PreserveCast, as we talk with Tom Brown who is on the search for “Lost” heritage apple varieties. Listen in as Tom shares his decades-long journey to rediscover heritage apples and what it takes to preserve these “Lost” breeds.

A Delicious History of Food with Dr. Ashley Rose Young

We hope you brought your appetite, because on this week’s PreserveCast, we are talking with Dr. Ashley Rose Young from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History about American food, history, and culture. Dr. Young will share how she got started researching the intersection of race, ethnicity, and gender in American food culture and economy and where that work is taking her in this post-COVID world.

Dr. Ashley Rose Young is a cultural and social historian working at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Her research explores the intersection of race, ethnicity, and gender in American food culture and economy. Young earned a Ph.D. in History from Duke University (2017), an M.A. in History from Duke University (2013), a B.A. in History from Yale College (2010), and was a visiting scholar at Oxford University (2009).

Learn more: https://americanhistory.si.edu/profile/1342

Cooking Up History:  https://americanhistory.si.edu/topics/food/pages/cooking-history

Talking Pretzel History with Tim Snyder of Julius Sturgis Pretzels

Pretzels. Few words are as synonymous with snacking – and they are ubiquitous on tables across the nation, no matter the region. Today’s guest, Tim Snyder, leads one of America’s oldest pretzel brands – where the history of the twisted treat is almost equally as important as the taste. Connecting food and history is a theme this year on PreserveCast, and this is a great place to start with an icon in the food industry.

As a part of our historic foods series – where we’re diving into preserving some of the most iconic foods and brands, we sat down with Tim Snyder, President of the Julius Sturgis Pretzel company, America’s oldest pretzel bakery, based in historic Lititz, Pennsylvania to talk about preserving the history and charting the future of one of America’s favorite snacks.

More About Our Guest

Since 2006, Tim Snynder has been the President and majority owner of the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, based in historic Lititz, Pennsylvania. A former educator, Tim has worked in the food industry for the past four decades representing and selling iconic brands across the region. Tim has also served Lititz on the Town Council  from 1998 to 2005 and as Mayor since 2012.

Learn more at: https://juliussturgis.com/

A Big Slice of History: Pizza, Preservation and Culture

As a part of our historic foods series – where we’re diving into preserving some of the most iconic foods and brands, we sat down with pizza historian Alexander Hughes to discuss his work chronicling the history of pizza in the United States and Canada and what is being done to preserve this slice of our history. Pizza, history and preservation are three of my favorite things – and it’s rare that they come together under one PreserveCast episode – but that’s what we’ve got in store this week; a topic and conversation made even sweeter by the fact that it is set in my hometown of Buffalo, New York where pizza historian Alexander Hughes conducted much of his research.

Get ready for a big bite of food history on this week’s PreserveCast.

More About Our Guest

Alexander Hughes is a sixth year PhD Candidate in the Department of History at York University.  His soon to be defended dissertation, “Lake Effect Pizza: Pizza Culture and Consumption in Toronto, Ontario and Buffalo, New York 1945-1990” explores the commodification of pizza in two regional cities.  He served as the Curator of the History of Pizza Exhibit at the Canadian Pizza Museum. He has a Masters from Wilfrid Laurier University, where his thesis examined representations of US History in Disneyland Park.  His research interests include postwar Canada and the United States, urban, food, business, and cultural history. 

Learn more at: https://mralexhughes.com/

[RE-RELEASE] Rich History Of Food With Brent Rosen Of The Southern Food And Beverage Museum

Food is powerful. It has the ability to transcend artificial divisions and to unite – and it can speak to our history and heritage if we’re willing to listen, or think with our tastebuds. For this episode's guest, using food to tell a story is all a part of his daily work. Brent Rosen is the President and CEO of NatFAB, the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans, Louisiana. So, pack your bag, but don’t bring any food – we’ve got that covered on this episode of PreserveCast.

More About Our Guest

Brent Rosen, President & CEO, oversees the programming of NatFAB, the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans. He also works with affiliate museums such as the Pacific Food and Beverage Museum in Los Angeles. Brent’s job descriptions have varied, but his work as an attorney and consultant has involved coalition building, business development, marketing, fundraising, and developing and executing strategic plans. His experience in those areas, combined with his passion for food and culture, have led him to create a number of successful culinary experiences, publications, restaurants, festivals, and promotional activations before beginning at NatFAB. Brent and his wife Caroline Nabors Rosen live in a restored Creole Cottage in New Orleans.

Exploring Maryland Foodways with Old Line Plate‘s Kara Harris

On this week's episode of PreserveCast, we are excited to be talking with Kara Harris, a blogger, historian and Maryland food lover. Kara Harris is the blogger and historian behind "Old Line Plate," a fantastic Maryland based food history website that I personally love, and something that I knew we had to bring to this week's episode of PreserveCast. The blog "Old Line Plate," a play on Maryland's historic state nickname "Old Line State," seeks to tell the story of Maryland's historic foodways and cooking traditions.

Let's sink our teeth into today's episode of PreserveCast!

Expertly Weaving History and Food Together with Christina Tkacik

Yep, you guessed it, I connected with Christina on Twitter – where she learned about a historic rehabilitation project Preservation Maryland was undertaking. Since then, I’ve become a huge fan of her work and the way in which she expertly weaves history and food together – two of my biggest passions. For anyone with an appetite, this is the interview for you.

Christina Tkacik has spent her career telling important stories – and has a talent for weaving history and food together as the dining reporter for the Baltimore Sun. From crabcakes to sno-balls to log cabins, Christina is doing her part to preserve our past in the pages of the Baltimore Sun and is serving up a tasty helping on this week’s PreserveCast. 

Gastroegyptology with Xbox Creator Seamus Blackley

It’s been roughly a year since the world was plunged into a COVID lockdown – and many of those quarantining turned to baking and cooking as a way to pass the time. For Seamus Blackley, particle physicist, inventor of the Xbox and fermentation expert, he was able to resurrect and recreate Egyptian bread using traditional tools, techniques and yeast dating back 4,000 years. This week, we’re talking about preserving the craft of historic bread baking with a renaissance figure in this unique and fascinating field of yeasty experimentation.