Who’s Coming to Dinner?
WHAT: “Who’s Coming to Dinner?: Cooking for Different Audiences” is an exhibit on display at the Rosenwald Gallery, 6th floor, Van-Pelt Dietrich Library Center, through Dec. 18.
WHY: The exhibit displays artifacts from the Rare Book & Manuscript Library’s Chef Fritz Blank Culinary Archive and Library, the Esther B. Aresty Collection of Rare Books on the Culinary Arts, and the Laurie Burrows Grad Cookbook Collection. Lynne Farrington, curator of printed books at the RB&M Library, says the exhibition explores “the interaction between cookbooks and their uses.”
RESTAURANT ROW: Before retiring to Thailand in 2007, Fritz Blank was the chef and owner of Deux Cheminées in Center City. He also taught non-credit cooking classes at Penn through the College of Liberal and Professional Studies. Upon his retirement, he donated his 10,000-piece cookery and book collection to the University.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: Co-curators Caitlin Anderson, the printed book assistant, and Catherine Turcich-Kealey, the exhibitions assistant, divided the show into different categories, with something for everyone.
SMÖRGÅSBORD: The case titled “Invalids/Dieters/Vegetarians” includes the book “Cooking for Life: A Guide to Nutrition and Food Safety for the HIV-Positive Community,” by Robert H. Lehmann. The case titled “Adventurous Eating,” showcases recipes for Mealworm Spaghetti and Hushed Puppies (made with actual dog, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions and celery). Cooking for “A Crowd” contains a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Weekly Menu and the U.S. Army’s “Manual for Army Bakers” and “Manuel for Army Cooks.”
OLD & NEW: Farrington says the exhibit shows the wide range of ways in which cooking collections can be perceived. “Sometimes you get a sense that things aren’t so different now than they used to be,” she says.
CARRY OUT: Turcich-Kealey hopes people who visit the exhibit write down the recipes and try them at home. “It’s something that’s interactive on some level because you can go home and make use of the exhibit yourself,” she says.
KITCHEN TABLE: Andrea Gottschalk, exhibitions coordinator & designer at the RB&M Library, says cookbooks from different eras offer researchers a unique perspective on the kitchen and family. “I just think it adds a dimension to the lives that we maybe don’t always think about,” she says.
RETURN OF THE CHEF: Blank returns to Penn for Homecoming Weekend and hosts “Ask the Chef” on Nov. 6, where he will answer questions on cuisine, collecting cookbooks and running a restaurant.
SECONDS: For more information, call 800-390-1829.
Originally published on Sept. 17, 2009
