We owe endless gratitude to the many people who have supported us, patiently or otherwise, as we hibernated during the last 18 months to revamp and retool. We’re pleased as punch to announce that, as of June 2021, Culinary Historians of Northern California (CHNorCal) operates as a social purpose corporation, with generous funding. Our mission remains unchanged. Much as Professors Erica J. Peters and Sally Scully have done since they founded the organization in 2004, CHNorCal continues to promote and advance the study of food and drink in human history. Our work amplifies diverse voices and and welcomes global and hyperlocal perspectives.
In honor of Black History Month, which commences today, CHNorCal is proud to celebrate and champion BIPOC authors in food. To that end, we have purchased ten copies of EACH of the following BIPOC-authored titles at Omnivore Books in San Francisco:
CHNorCal and Omnivore Books wish to show our deep appreciation for everyone in the SF Bay Area food service industry—from cooks and servers, to grocery clerks, culinary students, and farmers—who have endured great difficulty during these last two years. If you work in the food industry, these books are for YOU. Please see Omnivore’s latest newsletter for the terms of this giveaway promo in full.
Funding and planning for projects and partnerships in 2022 (and beyond) are well underway. Stay tuned for more by following us on Facebook or Twitter. Be sure to subscribe to our free newsletter, Hangtown Fry.
And while you’re here, feel free to drop us a line. Comments are open to the public.
Wishing you and your loved ones an auspicious, healthy, and peaceful Year of the Tiger!
I appreciate that you have taken a hiatus to retool and revamp the organization and that you kindly mentioned my name. I will subscribe to stay in touch with the organization, however, I’ve always felt that those of us outside the SF Bay Area have been excluded from participation and made to feel the bastard stepchild. The SF Bay Area and its nine counties have contributed greatly to our regions rich culinary history, but 39 other counties exist in Northern California. We provide most of the food that fills our larders and boast the fastest growth in California. Northern California extends from Monterey to the border and has a megaregion that includes four geographic designations including the Monterey Bay, Sacramento, San Francisco Bay and Northern San Joaquin Valley regions. The Shasta Cascade region also contributes greatly to Northern California’s rich culinary history and should not be excluded either. Especially when technology allows us to connect in so many ways outside the confines of a newsletter or urban bookstore. Some of the most exciting work being done today in food history is occurring at UC Davis, for example. Faculty, librarians, students, researchers, and food historians have contributed greatly to our understanding of the linkages between food, identity, politics, power, gender, race, and socio-economic status. Food professionals throughout the foothills are changing the way we cook, grow, and feed the world -- many who have escaped the Bay Area to find more fulfillment and success. Which is my very long way of saying – I hope you find a way to be more inclusive this go around and encourage our participation. Maryellen Burns.
PS -- the Hangtown Fry was cooked up first, here in the hinterlands, before it became a mainstay of San Francisco restaurants.
April,
I appreciate that you have taken a hiatus to retool and revamp the organization and that you kindly mentioned my name. I will subscribe to stay in touch with the organization, however, I’ve always felt that those of us outside the SF Bay Area have been excluded from participation and made to feel the bastard stepchild. The SF Bay Area and its nine counties have contributed greatly to our regions rich culinary history, but 39 other counties exist in Northern California. We provide most of the food that fills our larders and boast the fastest growth in California. Northern California extends from Monterey to the border and has a megaregion that includes four geographic designations including the Monterey Bay, Sacramento, San Francisco Bay and Northern San Joaquin Valley regions. The Shasta Cascade region also contributes greatly to Northern California’s rich culinary history and should not be excluded either. Especially when technology allows us to connect in so many ways outside the confines of a newsletter or urban bookstore. Some of the most exciting work being done today in food history is occurring at UC Davis, for example. Faculty, librarians, students, researchers, and food historians have contributed greatly to our understanding of the linkages between food, identity, politics, power, gender, race, and socio-economic status. Food professionals throughout the foothills are changing the way we cook, grow, and feed the world -- many who have escaped the Bay Area to find more fulfillment and success. Which is my very long way of saying – I hope you find a way to be more inclusive this go around and encourage our participation. Maryellen Burns.
PS -- the Hangtown Fry was cooked up first, here in the hinterlands, before it became a mainstay of San Francisco restaurants.