CHAA Meetings
The Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor generally meet on the third Sunday of the month at 4 p.m. Eastern, September through May. Meeting invitations are sent to members and other interested individuals, but all are welcome to attend. Our monthly talks are hybrid: an in-person audience gathers at the Ann Arbor District Library, and a virtual audience gathers online via the library’s YouTube channel. Please check this website for the date and location and format of each meeting, as these will vary.
Members receive emailed information regarding meetings in advance and a reminder on the day of each meeting.
Next program
Sunday, March 16, 2025, 4 p.m.
Ann Arbor District Library
315 S. Fifth St., Ann Arbor MI
Fourth Floor Meeting Room and Online here.
Register to receive a reminder a few days before the event.
Reading Between the Lines: American Cookbooks of the Interwar Period
Santa Cruz, CA, cookbook collector and CHAA member Thomas Gordon presents choice items from the U.S. period between World Wars I and II, including general interest cookbooks, some of the earliest regional and ethnic cookbooks, and pamphlets marketing specific products. These materials reflect at least two trends in American food history: the beginning of diversification of what had been a largely English-based cuisine, and the increasingly symbiotic relationship between “home cooking” and the industrialization of food. In the face of the growing standardization imposed by global food conglomerates, such collections highlight how each national or regional food culture has evolved under a unique set of circumstances.
About the Speaker:
Thomas Gordon’s cookbook collecting began not as a hobby but as a practical attempt to learn how to cook. His interest in food history probably would not have developed without his browsing through shelves and bins, mostly in junk shops, where he found wondrous items by serendipity. The books and pamphlets that he discovered led him not only to a rudimentary knowledge of cooking, but also to the development of his own taste palette and to an appreciation of the context of modern American cuisine.
Upcoming programs and links to past programs.
Join Us!
Our membership year runs from September to September. The annual membership is $25. You can print out the membership form here. We also accept membership dues via credit card (with or without PayPal). Click on the membership link at the top of this page for more information.
The Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor (CHAA), founded in 1983 by Jan Longone and friends, is an organization of scholars, cooks, food writers, nutritionists, collectors, students, and others interested in the study of culinary history and gastronomy.
The mission of the group is to promote the study of culinary history through regular programs open to members and guests, through the quarterly publication Repast, and through exchanges of information with other such organizations.
Monthly meetings of the CHAA are normally held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from September through May on the third Sunday of the month at 4 p.m. (unless otherwise announced).
Membership in CHAA is open to anyone interested in culinary history. Dues are $25.00 for an individual or couple and include a subscription to Repast. The membership year is from September to September. For those who cannot attend meetings, a yearly subscription to Repast is $20.00.
Repast is the official quarterly publication of CHAA. Besides announcements of future meetings and reports of past meetings, it also contains feature articles, book reviews, a calendar of upcoming events of culinary interest, and special events. For information about contributing articles, placing information, announcements, or other regular features, contact the Editor.