This special event, held in conjunction with the Peabody’s current exhibition Big Food: Health, Culture and the Evolution of Eating, celebrates local food and features three prominent local chefs: Claire Criscuolo, owner of Claire’s Corner Copia on Chapel Street; Tagan Engel, Chair of the New Haven Food Policy Council; and Jason Sobocinski, owner of Caseus Fromagerie & Bistro on Whitney Avenue.
The evening begins with the chefs participating in a panel discussion moderated by Jeannette Ickovics, Ph.D., Professor at the Yale School of Public Health, Director of Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE), and lead curator of Big Food. The panelists, all cookbook authors, will discuss their cuisine in relation to the exhibition, referencing their cookbooks and cooking philosophy as well as the local food environment and access to fresh, healthy food. Following the discussion, you’ll have a chance to sample recipes from each of the chefs’ new cookbooks. A book signing, with books available for sale, will also take place.
Claire Criscuolo’s newest release – Welcome to Claire’s: 35 Years of Recipes and Reflections from the Landmark Vegetarian Restaurant (2012) – joins her three prior cookbooks in sharing hundreds of recipes along with stories and remembrances from Claire’s Corner Copia.
Tagan Engel developed New Haven Cooks/Cocina New Haven, a project of CitySeed, which includes the Peabody-inspired trail mix recipe, Torosaurus Crunch! Her blog, Tagan’s Kitchen, is a fun and recipe-filled romp through seasonal and local foods.
Jason Sobocinski, host of the Cooking Channel’s The Big Cheese, opened Caseus Fromagerie & Bistro a little over four years ago, but it has quickly made its mark on the New Haven scene. His book, Caseus Fromagerie Bistro Cookbook: Every Cheese Has a Story, has dozens of signature recipes, tantalizing photos, and information on where to find unique ingredients.
The program is $10 per person, $5 for Museum members, with advance registration required at peabody.events@yale.edu.
Big Food: Health, Culture and the Evolution of Eating is a collaboration between the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, CARE: Community Alliance for Research and Engagement at the Yale School of Public Health, and the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
Presenting Sponsor: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation
We would also like to thank the following organizations for their generous support of this exhibition: The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation, General Electric healthymagination, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Yale-New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, The Anna Fitch Ardenghi Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, Blue State Coffee, and the Yale University Department of Anthropology.
