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, October 18, 5:00-6:30 pm (Note time)
Ann Arbor District Library
4th floor meeting room
343 South Fifth St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Stream online here
Register to receive a reminder of the event
Nourishing Networks: A Street Food History of New Orleans
Historian and curator Ashley Rose Young brings the vibrant, surprising story of the Crescent City’s food culture in a lively talk based on her new book, Nourishing Networks: The Public Culture of Food in New Orleans. For centuries, New Orleans has been nourished not just by recipes, but by an intricate web of food vendors and their customers— who together shaped what people ate, how they ate, and ultimately co-created the city’s unique Creole cuisine. From the rhythmic chop of butchers’ cleavers in public markets to the cries of roaming food sellers at dawn, Dr. Young reveals how everyday food exchange became a powerful engine of culture, conflict, and community. Her talk uncovers the hidden negotiations over race, gender, labor, and power that unfolded through food in public spaces— and how ordinary people helped shape the city’s food economy and culture with every purchase.
About the speaker
Ashley Rose Young, PhD, is a curator and public historian whose research and writing have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other outlets. She is the author of Nourishing Networks: The Public Culture of Food in New Orleans (Oxford University Press, 2025). Dr. Young serves as an American History Curator in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress. She is also a Smithsonian Research Associate and was formerly the Historian of the Smithsonian Food History Project at the National Museum of American History. Dr. Young grew up working alongside her mother, aunts, siblings, and cousins at their Pittsburgh-based family business, McGinnis Sisters Special Food Stores.
Join Us!
Our membership year runs from September to September. The annual membership is $35. 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 $35.00 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 $30.00.
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.
