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.
See upcoming programs and links to past programs.
Next program
Sunday, September 20, 2026, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Ann Arbor District Library
Lower Level Program Room
343 South Fifth St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Register to receive a reminder of the event
Bacon: The History of America’s Most (Un)Desirable Food
How has bacon overcome centuries of religious prohibition, cultural contempt, and dietary advice to become a 21st-Century culinary and cultural powerhouse? Starting in early modern Britain and tracing the story of bacon through the colonial era, the Civil War, the Progressive Era, modern fad diets, and the emerging craft bacon industry, this talk will give a new perspective on some familiar American narratives. The story of bacon’s transition from “most dangerous food in the supermarket” to pop culture and gastronomic phenomenon reflects the cultural values of a nation.
About the speaker
Mark A. Johnson, who last April published the book American Bacon: The History of a Food Phenomenon, teaches at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His earlier books include An Irresistible History of Alabama Barbecue: From Wood Pit to White Sauce (2017) and Rough Tactics: Black Performance in Political Spectacles, 1877-1932 (2021). Originally from Milwaukee, Dr. Johnson earned a PhD in history from the University of Alabama and previous degrees at Purdue University and the University of Maryland.
Copies of Mark’s book will be available for sale at the talk.
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.
