Sarah Lohman

60-90 min Keynotes

Endangered Eating Book Talk

• In Endangered Eating, culinary historian Sarah Lohman draws inspiration from the Ark of Taste, a list compiled by Slow Food International that catalogs important regional foods. Lohman travels the country learning about the distinct ingredients at risk of being lost. This talk will give an overview of the book with a focus on one chapter geographically connected to the region where your venue is located. I will also do a reading and Q&A.

Activism through Cookbooks

• Food has often been a way for activist communities to fundraise, connect, and spread the word about their cause. We’ll look at the origins of the link between food and activism with the abolitionist food writers of the Civil War. We’ll unpack suffrage cookbooks from the turn of the 20th century and the earliest LGBTQ cooking pamphlets from the 1906s. Finally, we’ll analyze the People’s Cookbook of Philadelphia, a community of organizers depicted through recipes.

Bodegas & Bodega Cats

• Explore the history of bodegas and their connection to the origins of New York City itself. Hear how wave after wave of immigrants – Germans, Dominicans, Koreans, and more – each left their mark upon this New York institution. And bodega cats. Lots of bodega cats.

Candy: Ancient History to the Modern Day

• A world history of candy, beginning with the botanic roots of sugarcane and the development of the sugar refining process. We’ll look at early sweets of India and Persia, and trace sugar’s path to the magical candy medicines of medieval Europe. Then we’ll hit on some 20th century candy favorites. This talk can optionally include a history of Halloween & Halloween or a look at the history of sugar refining in New York City.

Chocolate: A History

• Together we’ll uncover the history of chocolate, from its roots as an ancient Meso-American beverage to a contemporary melt-in-your-mouth chocolate bar. You’ll learn how a yellow, football-shaped tropical fruit transforms into high-end dark chocolate and what “Mexican Hot Chocolate” actually has in common with what Montezuma drank. We’ll cover botany, “Chocolate Wars,” and what makes Hershey’s distinctive flavor.

Christmas & New Years: Feasting Festivals

• Did you know Christmas was once a rowdy holiday for pagans? In this talk, you’ll learn about the very New York origins of Santa Claus, how many Victorian holiday games involved actual fire, and how New Year’s Day in NYC was a thinly veiled bar crawl. And of course we’ll talk about all the symbolic feasting from Plum Pudding and New Years Cakes to Turkeys and Swans!

A History of Cookbooks and Recipes

• We’ll trace the evolution of cookbooks over 1,000 years from the first written recipes on cuneiform tablets, to visceral delights of eating in the ancient Muslim world, to the legacy of Black cookbook writers in America.

Eating our Emotions: A Culinary History Funeral Food

• Although mourning traditions have changed over time, and vary from place to place, what they have in common is food and drink. We’ll look at the culinary traditions surrounding funerals throughout American history, from Midas’s tomb to funeral cakes, and Mormon funeral potatoes.

The Eight Flavors of Cocktail History

• Uses eight different ingredients as a path to explore the history of mixology, from the 18th century to the present day. This talk will explore the histories of juniper, citrus, nutmeg, ice, anise, grenadine, cola, and flavored vodka, with brief digressions into tea, bitters, eggs, hay, the “no flavor” push of the vodka era and Red Bull.

Food History Horror Stories: Witches, Poisoners, and Puritans

• Lean in to the macabre with three scary stories from food history. Sarah investigates the fungus that many scholars believe caused the Salem Witch Trials, how brewers became the archetype for classic witches, and when women murder why they choose poison–along with stories of some of the most infamous poisoners of the 19th century!

Food Porn: a History of Images in Cooking

• From the earliest drawn diagrams of elaborate feasts to how Instagram changed the food world, we’ll explore how imagery affects our perspective on what is delicious.

Hawai’ian Sugar Cane and Rhum Agricole

• Journey with me as we trace the story of sugar’s imperialist takeover of Hawai’i. Then, we’ll talk about a series of new distilleries that make rhum agricole, a process that distills from the pressed juice of heirloom sugar cane.
  

The Hunt for Endangered Apples

• Apples have been called the country’s “most endangered food.” Currently, 86% of apple varieties grown in the US have vanished, and four out of five are on the brink of extinction. But thanks to the hard cider revival, rare apples are being saved. In this class, we’ll cover the history of apples and hard cider in America, and trace the stories of three revived rare apples.

Ice Cream

• We’ll unearth the stories behind our favorite ice cream treats and share some of history’s wildest bygone flavors – flavors that may be due for a revival. By the end of the night, you’ll be able to answer questions like: which came first, chocolate or vanilla? The ice cream sandwich or the ice cream cone? Neapolitan or liquid nitrogen?

A Brief History Irish Food

• The surprisingly complicated – and heartbreaking – backstory of Irish food, from dinner in the homeland, to the diets of Irish-American immigrants.

Maple Syrup

• Sarah will walk you through the tree-to-pancake pipeline of Maple Syrup making, then introduce you to the slow-growing maple trees of Nova Scotia, the Quebecois tradition of Cabane à Sucres, and the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.

Pie: A History! 

• Pop in for some Thanksgiving PIE inspiration! In this fun talk, culinary historian Sarah Lohman will walk you through the origins of holiday pies, from elaborate wild game pies to extra strong pie crusts called. “coffins.” Then, we’ll delve deep into the history of pumpkin pie, using it as a guide for how pie has changed over time, ending in an exploration of the pumpkin spice flavor craze.

Prohibition & Gin

• Explores the history of gin and why it was the alcohol of choice during Prohibition. Talk can include an optional cocktail demo.

Ranji Smile: America’s First Celebrity Chef

• Long before NYC had Danny Meyer, the charismatic chef J. Ranji Smile took the city by storm. Arriving in NYC in 1899, Smile introduced Indian cuisine to the well-to-do, ushering curry into America’s foodie lexicon. In this talk, we’ll explore the history of Indian cuisine in America, as well as the lasting legacy of Smile.

Sorry, No Sugar Today: WWII Rationing

• Rationing explained! What challenges did Americans faced throughout WWII as a result of wartime rationing? We’ll analyze wartime recipes with necessary ingredient substitutions using real ration books and explore the ins and outs of the ration system.

Sushi: An American History

• Learn why we eat sushi inside out, the origins of perennial favorites the California and Philadelphia rolls, and the history behind soy sauce and wasabi!

Theodore Roosevelt, Upton Sinclair, and the Poison Squad: The Great 20th-Century Food Battle

• Roosevelt helped create modern food policy and laid the groundwork for the FDA. This talk paints the scene of the sometimes horrific food world at the turn of the 20th century and tells stories behind the somewhat eccentric advocates for change.

30-45 min Keynotes

Dry January and the History of the Temperance Movement

• We’ll explore how this movement came about and just how drunk America was in the 1820s.Then, we’ll see how they descended into the alarmist propaganda that brought about Prohibition. Finally, we’ll take a look at how the modern temperance movement has led to the rapid spread of dry January. Tasty temperance drink recipes included!

From Thick to Thin

• In this history of dieting,  we’ll explore “reducing” in all its forms From William Banting’s “Letter on Corpulence,” to “Fletcherizing” with John Harvey Kellogg. We’ll also look at how male and female body image has changed over time, from plump to lean and back again.

Peanut Butter Popularity

• A history of the peanut butter sandwich, from the origins of peanut butter, to the rise of white sliced bread, to the ingredients that make each sandwich unique (like pickles, bananas, milk, chili sauce  and jelly).  With advice on sandwich making pulled from 19th century texts.

Soda Fountain Favorites

• A brief history on the rise of the soda fountains, focusing on their history in New York.  Also includes the stories behind three fountain favorites: the egg cream (with a look at the popularity of seltzer), Dr. Brown’s Soda (particularly Cel-Ray), and the Lime Rickey. Recipes included so you can drink along! 

Three Martini Lunch: The History of a Cocktail in Three Glasses

• We’ll trace how the favorite cocktail of Power Lunches evolved. Recipes included, so you can try them yourself!

90-120 min Workshops

Food Writing

• This class will be based in discussion and practice to get you thinking about the particular skills required for a food writer. We’ll study narrative arcs and techniques for non-fiction writing that are important for food writers. Then we’ll expand your vocabulary and tighten your writing to make your pieces come alive. And we’ll also focus on practical aspects: how to find ideas, where to pitch them, and what rates you should expect.

How to Freelance for Creatives

• I’ll walk you through the steps of launching your own self-employed career from setting prices & getting paid to setting boundaries with clients, as well as the low down on insurance and taxes.

How to Research

• In this class, you’ll learn all the skills you need to research non-fiction, look up information for your next novel, and even how to find the truth behind a suspicious social media post.

Non-Fiction Book Proposals and the Publishing Process

• Wherever you are on your path to publishing, join Sarah for an in-depth class about the non-fiction publishing world. Sarah will provide guidance on developing your ideas, writing a proposal, finding an agent and much more.

Recipe Writing

• We’ll briefly look at the evolution of the written recipe before diving into recipe composition, including the introduction, formatting, weights and measurements, common writing mistakes, the importance of descriptive language, and the process of recipe testing.

Smartphone Food Photography

• Whether participants want to start a food blog or blow up their Instagram, this class will help them take better food photographs using their smartphone