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, November 17, 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.
Countering the Effects of Domicide through Food: The Za‘atari Camp Syrian Refugee Cookbook
Can you imagine fleeing the brutality of the Syrian War to live in a refugee camp surrounded by desert? Cooking without modern conveniences, not knowing your future, drawing on centuries-old knowledge to survive? At Za‘atari Camp, a haven on the Jordanian border, the refugees have brought many of the old desert ways of cooking and surviving, preserving Syria’s cultural knowledge and renowned food practices for the world. Dr. Karen Fisher of the University of Washington, an embedded ethnographer at the camp, is your guide to cooking alongside the women of Za‘atari as they prepare regional foods for all occasions.
About the speaker
Dr. Karen E. Fisher is a Professor at the Information School, University of Washington (Seattle, USA) and an Embedded Field Researcher with UNHCR Jordan (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). She has worked with the people of Za‘atari Camp since 2015 to produce Za‘atari: Culinary Traditions of the World’s Largest Syrian Refugee Camp. Her expertise lies in using design ethnography to understand and support communities. A 1999 postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, she has found her second home at Za‘atari Camp.
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.