The Food Historian

Sarah Wassberg Johnson, M.A.

Studying the intersecting histories of food, agriculture,
women, ethnicity, and rural communities in America.

Upcoming Programs & Events

The Food Historian is currently accepting requests for speaking engagements for 2020 and 2021, including for virtual talks. Make a request.

Friday, October 2, 2020 | 8:00 PM EST | Livestream on Facebook: "Food History Happy Hour" Pumpkins & Pumpkin Pie Spice

Tuesday, October 20, 2020 | 6:00 PM EST | Rye Public Reading Room, Rye, NY - VIRTUAL TALK - "When Sugar Was Good For You: The Development of Nutrition Science in America" Register here >>>

Wednesday, October 21, 2020 | 7:00 PM EST | New Castle Historical Society, Chappaqua, NY - VIRTUAL TALK - "Cooking by the Book: Celebrity Chefs, Cookbookery, and the Changing Landscape of American Cuisine" Register here >>>

Friday, October 30, 2020 | 8:00 PM EST | Livestream on Facebook: "Food History Happy Hour" Halloween food!

Wednesday, November 4, 2020 | 7:00 PM | Nyack Public Library, Nyack, NY - VIRTUAL TALK - "Cooking by the Book: Celebrity Chefs, Cookbookery, and the Changing Landscape of American Cuisine" Register here >>>

Monday, November 9, 2020 | 6:00 PM | The Field Library, Peekskill, NY and the Mahopac Public Library, Mahopac, NY - VIRTUAL TALK - "Apples in America: A History" Register here >>>

Thursday, November 12, 2020 | 7:00 PM | Poughkeepsie Library, Poughkeepsie, NY - VIRTUAL TALK - "Apples in America: A History" Register here >>>

Tuesday, November 17, 2020 | 6:30 PM | Poughkeepsie Library, Poughkeepsie, NY - VIRTUAL COOKING DEMONSTRATION & TALK - "As American as Pumpkin Pie: From Colonial New England to PSL" - featuring a scratch cooking demo on pumpkin pie with real roasted pumpkin. Register here >>>

Wednesday, December 3, 2020 | 7:00 PM | New Paltz Historical Society, New Paltz, NY - VIRTUAL TALK - "Cooking by the Book: Celebrity Chefs, Cookbookery, and the Changing Landscape of American Cuisine"

Tuesday, December 8, 2020 | 6:30 PM | Poughkeepsie Library, Poughkeepsie, NY - VIRTUAL COOKING DEMONSTRATION & TALK - "Indian Meal & Molasses: the Making of New England Cuisine" featuring a scratch cooking demonstration on Indian Pudding. Register here >>>

Wednesday, January 27, 2021 | 6:30 PM | Poughkeepsie Library, Poughkeepsie, NY - VIRTUAL COOKING DEMONSTRATION & TALK - “From Thomas Jefferson to Kraft: A History of Macaroni and Cheese” featuring a scratch cooking demonstration of macaroni and cheese.

Thursday, February 11, 2021 | 6:30 PM | Poughkeepsie Library, Poughkeepsie, NY - VIRTUAL COOKING DEMONSTRATION & TALK - “Hot Chocolate: From Indigenous American Rituals to Victorian Children’s Breakfast” featuring scratch cooking demonstration of hot chocolate and hot cocoa.

In the Media

Sarah Wassberg Johnson has been interviewed and featured on the following television shows:

"The Food That Built America" miniseries, The History Channel
"The Rise and Fall of Jello" Business Insider

In the following articles:

"How did vanilla come to mean boring? Blame colonialism" Mic.com
"Which hot dog are you? The enduring appeal of regional food in the global digital age" Salon.com
"22 Things You Didn't Know About Jell-O" Cheapism
"Just Cook From the Back of the Box" Eater
"In 1950, Americans Had Aspic. Now We Have Dalgona Coffee" The Atlantic
"How Banana Bread Became the Unofficial Baked Good of COVID-19" Well + Good
"Looking for Blood" Eater.com
"Why President Coolidge Never Ate His Thanksgiving Raccoon" Atlas Obscura
"After WWII, Mutton Fell Out Of Favor In The U.S. Can It Make A Comeback?" NPR
"American History as Told By 7 Vintage Pies" Matador Network
"Pass Along Traditions With a Family Cookbook" NextAvenue
"The New Definition of American Cuisine" Well+Good
"Why Bear Fat Makes for Better Baking" Atlas Obscura
"I tried vintage recipes from a '50s cookbook and I see why Jell-O salads aren't popular anymore" Insider.com
"Why Lunch Is Even More Important Than Dinner for Healthy Eaters" Well + Good
"How an Accidental Invention Changed What Americans Eat for Breakfast" History.com
"What the 'milkshaking' zeitgeist says about our relationship to politics" Abc.net.au
"It's 7/11 Day" CNN.com
"In Memoriam: The Trashy Mall Food Court Smoothie of the 90s" Vice
"Is Alt-Milk Still Milk? Inside the Food Lexicon Debate the FDA has Final Ruling On" Well+Good
"An Oral History of Iconic American Fast Food Chains" Fashionbeans.com
"Why We Love Avocado Toast: How a Healthy Food Trend Gets Made" Well+Good

On the following podcast/radio programs:

"What Makes Midwestern Food Unique?" - Eat Your Heartland Out, Heritage Radio Network
"Eggs vs. milkshakes - the history of protest foods" - Blueprint for Living, Radio National Australia

"The Pretty Big Problem of Ugly Food" - Proof, America's Test Kitchen

Latest Episode of History Bites

Book Reviews

Canned: The Rise and Fall of Consumer Confidence in the American Food Industry by Anna Zeide

Capitalist Pigs: Pigs, Pork, and Power in America by J.L. Anderson

Sowing the Seeds of Victory: American Gardening Programs of World War I by Rose Hayden-Smith

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food & Longing by Anya von Bremzen

Thesis

Sarah Wassberg's Master's thesis: "Preserve or Perish: The Orange County Food Preservation Battalion and Food Conservation Efforts in New York State During the Great War, 1917-1919" is now available on Proquest.com for purchase or you may interlibrary loan a hard copy from the University at Albany library.