Culinary Historians of Chicago

The Legacy and Impact of the Farm-to-Table Movement in Chicago Chef Jason Hammel Come join us as one of Chicago’s most iconic chefs, Jason Hammel, takes us back to the 1990s, tracing his journey from East Coast outsider to one of the Midwest’s most passionate advocates for hyper-local sourcing. He’ll recount the early days of the farm-to-table movement, the founding of Green City Market, and the rise of restaurants dedicated to local ingredients. Lula Café, his restaurant of 25 years, has grown in parallel step to this movement, and through stories from its early days, he’ll highlight the challenges and resistance that once stood in its way. But this conversation isn’t just about the past—it’s about the economic and ethical decisions chefs face when choosing where and how to source their ingredients. As Hammel enters his third decade in the industry, he’ll reflect on the movement’s impact: What has changed in the restaurant world and beyond? What progress has been made for local, organic producers? And what does the future hold for Lula, for chefs across the Midwest, and for the next evolution of farm-to-table dining? BIOGRAPHY: Jason Hammel is the executive chef and owner of Lula Cafe in Chicago, the Logan Square eatery known for its seasonal cuisine. His debut cookbook, The Lula Cafe Cookbook: Collected Recipes and Stories, was published by Phaidon in 2024. Growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, Hammel aspired to be a writer, not a chef. After graduating in 1994 with a degree in English, he traveled to Italy, where an accidental stay across the street from Florence’s central market foresaw his career as a chef dedicated to seasonality. In 2017 the Museum of Contemporary Art named Chef Hammel as executive chef/culinary curator for the museum’s new restaurant, Marisol, Hammel himself was named the Jean Banchet 2019 Chef of the Year, and in 2024 Lula Cafe was awarded for Outstanding Hospitality by the James Beard Foundation. Today Hammel splits his time between Lula, Marisol, and the non-profit food education group Pilot Light, which he co-founded in 2010. jasonhammel@lulacafe.com / instagram Recorded via Zoom on April 16, 2025 CONNECT WITH CULINARY HISTORIANS OF CHICAGO ✔ MEMBERSHIP https://culinaryhistorians.org/membership/ ✔ EMAIL LIST http://culinaryhistorians.org/join-our-email-list/ ✔ S U B S C R I B E https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ F A C E B O O K https://www.facebook.com/CulinaryHistoriansOfChicago ✔ PODCAST 2008 to Present https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts/ By Presenter https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts-by-presenter/ ✔ YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ W E B S I T E https://www.CulinaryHistorians.org

Two Great Chefs: Chicago’s Evolution as a Food Mecca John Hogan and Tony Mantuano Come join us as two of Chicago’s most acclaimed chefs, John Hogan and Tony Mantuano, look back on their 40+ year careers in Europe and Chicago, and reveal how our city has evolved as a world class food destination since the 1980’s, the significant changes in the restaurant industry, the farm-to-table movement, and their vision of restaurants in the future. BIOS Chef John Hogan began his career in the 1979 learning the craft of French cuisine in some of Chicago’s finest restaurants. In 1987 he was contacted by Chef Jean Joho at the four-star Everest. Chef Joho took Hogan under his tutelage and groomed him to run the kitchen. Later Chef Joho recommended Hogan to Georges “Kiki” Cuiance, where he spent the next five years developing his style of French food. Kiki’s Bistro is where he earned many accolades in both local and national press, He then was tapped by David Burke to run the Chicago outpost of Park Avenue. Later he fulfilled his dream of opening his own French restaurant, Savarin. When he opened Savarin, the Chicago Tribune named Hogan as one of the “Top 10 Chefs in Chicago. Following Savarin, Hogan joined Glenn Keefer, who was a well-regarded Chicago steak house legend and opened Keefer’s. After a successful thirteen year run, Hogan took a trip to London with his longtime friend, Tony Mantuano, where they together created the idea of a English style Roast House, River Roast, on the Chicago River. The eatery features whole roasted meats, and a charcuterie program. After being named Chef of the year in 2018 and inducted in to the Chicago Chef Hall of Fame, Hogan decided it was time to move on. He is currently pursuing his vision for the production and distribution of charcuterie, as well as a blues based television show, Chef Tony Mantuano has been credited as being among the first to bring fine Italian dining to Chicago at Spiaggia, one of the country’s most decorated Italian restaurants. He is respected as a mentor to others and has received 12 nominations from The James Beard Foundation, winning Best Chef Midwest in 2005. He was also honored by President Obama for his culinary contributions to diplomacy (and cooked at the White House as well!) Most recently he served as Food and Beverage Partner at Yolan, an Italian restaurant in Nashville that was voted the #1 restaurant in America by Food & Wine readers. He is also the co-author of Wine Bar Food, a celebration of the Mediterranean. Recorded via Zoom on February 19, 2025 CONNECT WITH CULINARY HISTORIANS OF CHICAGO ✔ MEMBERSHIP https://culinaryhistorians.org/membership/ ✔ EMAIL LIST http://culinaryhistorians.org/join-our-email-list/ ✔ S U B S C R I B E https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ F A C E B O O K https://www.facebook.com/CulinaryHistoriansOfChicago ✔ PODCAST 2008 to Present https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts/ By Presenter https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts-by-presenter/ ✔ YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ W E B S I T E https://www.CulinaryHistorians.org

How Vienna Changed Baking Everywhere Rick Rodgers’ book, Kaffeehause: Exquisite Desserts from Vienna, Budapest, and Prague, has been in print for over two decades. Its longevity is primarily due to the luscious recipes, which are so different from those in the Franco-Italo canon. Also, readers are fascinated by the interesting story of the coffeehouse culture. In his presentation, Rick will discuss how the Viennese (it was not Marie Antoinette) brought the crescent roll (kipferl) to Paris, its transformation into the croissant, and subsequent conquering of the pastry world. In Europe, what we Americans call Danish are called Viennoiserie, but do you know the story behind the discrepancy? What famous dessert was the basis of a long and expensive lawsuit to determine the legal owner of the recipe? What is the difference between “masculine/feminine” and “sugar/flour” desserts on Viennese menu? Rick will also tell how he researched his book, and his work as a ghostwriter with many celebrities, chefs, and social media influencers. Rick Rodgers is the sole author, co-author, ghostwriters, or editor of over a hundred cookbooks, many of which have been nominated for Beard, IACP, and Gourmand Awards. He is also the recipient of Bon Appétit Magazine’s Food & Entertaining Award for Outstanding Culinary Teacher. He is currently consulting social media influencers as they transition to cookbook writing. Recorded via Zoom on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 CONNECT WITH CULINARY HISTORIANS OF CHICAGO ✔ MEMBERSHIP https://culinaryhistorians.org/membership/ ✔ EMAIL LIST http://culinaryhistorians.org/join-our-email-list/ ✔ S U B S C R I B E https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ F A C E B O O K https://www.facebook.com/CulinaryHistoriansOfChicago ✔ PODCAST 2008 to Present https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts/ By Presenter https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts-by-presenter/ ✔ YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ W E B S I T E https://www.CulinaryHistorians.org

How Vienna Changed Baking Everywhere Rick Rodgers’ book, Kaffeehause: Exquisite Desserts from Vienna, Budapest, and Prague, has been in print for over two decades. Its longevity is primarily due to the luscious recipes, which are so different from those in the Franco-Italo canon. Also, readers are fascinated by the interesting story of the coffeehouse culture. In his presentation, Rick will discuss how the Viennese (it was not Marie Antoinette) brought the crescent roll (kipferl) to Paris, its transformation into the croissant, and subsequent conquering of the pastry world. In Europe, what we Americans call Danish are called Viennoiserie, but do you know the story behind the discrepancy? What famous dessert was the basis of a long and expensive lawsuit to determine the legal owner of the recipe? What is the difference between “masculine/feminine” and “sugar/flour” desserts on Viennese menu? Rick will also tell how he researched his book, and his work as a ghostwriter with many celebrities, chefs, and social media influencers. Rick Rodgers is the sole author, co-author, ghostwriters, or editor of over a hundred cookbooks, many of which have been nominated for Beard, IACP, and Gourmand Awards. He is also the recipient of Bon Appétit Magazine’s Food & Entertaining Award for Outstanding Culinary Teacher. He is currently consulting social media influencers as they transition to cookbook writing. Recorded via Zoom on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 CONNECT WITH CULINARY HISTORIANS OF CHICAGO ✔ MEMBERSHIP https://culinaryhistorians.org/membership/ ✔ EMAIL LIST http://culinaryhistorians.org/join-our-email-list/ ✔ S U B S C R I B E https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ F A C E B O O K https://www.facebook.com/CulinaryHistoriansOfChicago ✔ PODCAST 2008 to Present https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts/ By Presenter https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts-by-presenter/ ✔ YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ W E B S I T E https://www.CulinaryHistorians.org

Chicago’s Astounding Food Evolution: 1990 ’til Now Chef Dean Zanella Founder and instructor, Tutore Italian Cooking School The past 35 years have seen a sea change in Chicago dining. And who better than to take us on a voyage through this period than a master chef who has sailed through this time? Come join us as chef Dean Zanella takes us from the local culinary world of 1990 to the present; where fine dining no longer requires white tablecloths; where non-European cuisine has been elevated; where chefs are the main focus of the restaurant; and where chefs work with local farmers. And he’ll dish on the impact of TV’s Food Network on our dining experience. Chef Zanella will also give his take on some of Chicago’s key chef influencers, like Charlie Trotter, Rick Bayless, and more recently, Erik Williams. “They held their standards high and made people expand their palates,” he says. Bio: Chef Dean Zanella is a founder and instructor at Chicago’s Tutore Italian Cooking School. He has worked at some of Chicago’s finest restaurants, including Charlie Trotter’s and Gordon, in addition to helming such notable eateries as 312 Chicago, and Rhapsody Restaurant at the Chicago Symphony Center. He is a strong supporter of Chicago’s Green City Market. Recorded via Zoom on December 16, 2024 CONNECT WITH CULINARY HISTORIANS OF CHICAGO ✔ MEMBERSHIP https://culinaryhistorians.org/membership/ ✔ EMAIL LIST http://culinaryhistorians.org/join-our-email-list/ ✔ S U B S C R I B E https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ F A C E B O O K https://www.facebook.com/CulinaryHistoriansOfChicago ✔ PODCAST 2008 to Present https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts/ By Presenter https://culinaryhistorians.org/podcasts-by-presenter/ ✔ YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Y0-9lTi1-JYu22Bt4_-9w ✔ W E B S I T E https://www.CulinaryHistorians.org