Bay Area Culinary Historians
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to re-eat it” is the slogan for the Bay Area Culinary Historians (BACH), a new(ish) dues-free club that gathers around shared interests in culinary history of the Bay Area and beyond.
“We’ve put together some truly amazing, shouldn’t-be-missed events for the rest of this year,” says BACH’s co-founder, Carolyn Tillie, who, along with Andrew Sigal, resurrected the group during the pandemic when the Culinary Historians of Northern California officially folded.
Tillie says they started in January 2022, with monthly Zoom presentations by historians from all over the world, and before long started adding potlucks and curated in-person events to the schedule.
“I worked with the chef at Sam’s Grill to recreate a prix fixe meal of dishes that would have been available circa 1900. We have had very large potlucks like a Roman feast where all who attended cooked something out of Apicius [a fifth century CE cookery collection], or an 18-course Dickensian Holiday Feast where everyone cooked out of Isabella Beeton’s 1850s cookbook.”
BACH’s lineup for the rest of the year includes a mix of online presentations and in-person gatherings that celebrate California’s gastronomic history, luminaries, restaurants, products, and more. Events include:
May 25— The Spanish Cook Without Equal: My Adventures in Translating Encarnación Pinedo’s 1898 Cookbook, an online presentation by Tracy Johnston, an avid foodie, food history buff, and longtime food blogger.
June 22— Food at the Fair: A Culinary History of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, an in-person presentation by Celia Sack held at her San Francisco bookstore, Omnivore Books on Food.
July 19—Culinary Rummage Sale in partnership with Les Dames d’Escoffier San Francisco being held at Prospect Restaurant.
July 27—An online conversation with Joyce Goldstein—owner of legendary San Francisco restaurant Square One and author of 30 books—in celebration of her 90th birthday.
August 9—A recreation of a 1950s meal at Trader Vic’s in Emeryville coupled with a presentation by George Geary, author of Made in California. (Note: You’ll need to hurry to the online sign-up button to secure a spot.)
September 28—History of California Cheese, a presentation and tasting with Sue Conley of Cowgirl Creamery and Vivien Straus of Straus Family Creamery.
For full details on these events and others, visit bayareaculinaryhistorians.org
