10 Restaurants That Changed America and American Cuisine
Friday, January 10 | 4:30pm
**This lecture will be held at St. Andrew's Church located at 390 Gilchrist Avenue, Boca Grande**
Paul Freedman Professor of History, Yale
Join us for an engaging lecture by historian Paul Freedman as he explores the cultural and social impact of dining establishments in his book, Ten Restaurants That Changed America. Freedman combines historical insights with culinary appreciation to show how iconic restaurants reflect broader American themes of race, class, immigration, and assimilation. From the rise of Chinese cuisine at San Francisco’s Mandarin to the nostalgic significance of Howard Johnson’s and the trailblazing Schrafft’s, which catered to women’s tastes, this lecture will reveal the profound stories behind these transformative eateries and their influence on American society.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Paul Freedman has been a Professor of History at Yale since 1997. Before that he taught at Vanderbilt University. His teaching and research have concentrated on the history of the Middle Ages (particularly in Catalonia). The history of food and cuisine is a relatively recent interest. Freedman is the author of Out of the East: Spices and the Medieval Imagination (2008); Ten Restaurants that Changed America, (2016), American Cuisine and How It Got This Way, (2019) and Why Food Matters (2021). He is co-author of a children’s book (ages 10 and up) entitled Bite by Bite: American History through Feasts, Food and Side Dishes, published in May 2024.
Ticket Pricing
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$200
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per lecture
($150 Charitable/$50 ticket) -
$85
Reserved
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$50
General Admission
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$50
Livestream
per lecture
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