The Culinary Arts Museum will be closed during the holiday break

The winter break at Johnson & Wales begins at the conclusion of the work day on Friday, December17, 2010 and runs through Monday, January 3, 2011.  We will be closed for business during that time.  

The staff here at the Culinary Arts Museum wishes you a safe and happy holiday season. 

See you in 2011!

The "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year" postcards pictured above are from the collection of the Culinary Arts Museum

Local harvest at the Culinary Arts Museum

Local foods were on the table and consumed with relish when The Southside Community Land Trust held their annual Harvesting Hope Breakfast at the Culinary Arts Museum on November 10, 2010.

The SCLT will be celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2011 - three decades of partnership with community gardeners and neighbors who are committed to transforming unused urban areas into productive food gardens in Providence's Southside and West End.

750 families are now growing, eating and preserving food at over 50 community gardens across the city (including the 13 that SCLT owns and manages), the group's three-quarter acre City Farm and a larger program, the Urban Edge Farm, on 35 acres in Cranston.

At this year's Harvest Breakfast, Pranzi Catering of Providence served Rhode Island johnnycakes, along with local honey, Narragansett Creamery spreads and chutney from Marcia's Chutneys of Warwick, Barden Family Orchard apples, Zephyr Farm eggs (just gathered from the Urban Edge Farm), homemade granola from The Providence Granola Project, fresh juices, other fruit, baked goodies, and more.  Pranzi Catering is a certified green caterer, and they buy all of their produce from local farmers markets.

In honor of the breakfast, the museum mounted a temporary display of vintage seed packets, a USDA bulletin from 1930 on "The City Home Garden" and a 1911 story of the children's school farm in Thomas Jefferson Park in New York City, where a thousand children planted 7,000 seeds on the opening day of the season.

The program included tributes to the joys of growing your own food by two Providence immigrants from Liberia, Garmai Mawalo and Gbassy Brown, who also did a song and dance.

Teenage gardener Eugenio DaSilva is pictured at left, sharing his story of husk cherries. Eugenio is a student at The Met School in Providence.

Rhode Island...Small State, Big Taste! featured on NBC 10

Rhode Island...Small State, Big Taste!

On exhibit from October 4, 2010 - July 1, 2011

This image was created by Don Bousquet, solely for the purposes of this exhibit. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Our newest exhibit here at the Culinary Arts Museum is set to open in just a few weeks!
Come and explore the diversity and quirkiness that is Rhode Island food culture, where dynamites are more than just explosives, where New York System does not refer to a mode of transportation, and where quahog is not a town.

The exhibit highlights thirteen local businesses, along with the Rhode Island foods that they are known for serving.  Don't miss your chance to indulge in the eccentricities that are Rhode Island foods!!

It's that time of year again...

The salty air at the JWU Harborside Campus seems just a tad less humid these days, the mornings are cool, and the student activity around campus is beginning to pick up again.  In just a few short weeks, classes will be in session once again.  Before we know it, the sidewalks and hallways will be filled with students and instructors alike hurrying between classes and labs, perhaps with a Starbucks cup in hand to get them through the day (or at least the morning).  Yes, folks, there is a new Starbucks in town.  It's located in the Harborside Academic Center where the Culinary Events offices once were.

As for new developments at the Culinary Arts Museum, staff and student assistants here have been busy working on a brand new temporary exhibit which will open over Family Weekend in October.  "Rhode Island...Small State, Big Taste!" will open to the public on October 9, 2010.  Check our blog for more updates and details as the date gets closer!

4th of July Weekend Hours

The museum will close at 1:00 pm on 

Friday, July 2nd.  

We will also be closed Saturday, July 3rd through Monday, July 5th.  

Regular business hours will resume on 

Tuesday, July 6th.  

Have a safe and happy Independence Day!!

A Tasty Cinco de Mayo Celebration at the Culinary Arts Museum

On Wednesday May 13, 2010, Chef Elaine Cwynar's Vegetarian Cuisine class hosted and served a Cinco de Mayo-themed buffet in the diner area of the museum.

The class consisted of Juniors who are pursuing their degrees in Nutrition.  Vegetarian Cuisine was the first lab class for these students, and the dinner was a fantastic success.

Around forty-five guests were served a wide variety of Mexican foods, all prepared with a vegetarian spin.  Below are the menu and photos from the evening.

WARNING: Do not read on with an empty stomach!!

Vegetarian Cuisine Cinco de Mayo Buffet

Gazpacho (pictured below, left)

A mild cold vegetable soup made with tomatoes, peppers and a Mexican spice blend 

Plantain Soup (pictured below, right)

Puree of fresh plantains served hot with Mexican spices

Ensalada de Naranjas

Refreshing tropical citrus fruit salad with fresh oranges, grapefruits, and starfruit

Stuffed Poblano Peppers (pictured below, left)

Mild poblano peppers stuffed with fresh herbs and summer vegetables

Vegan Tamales with Chili Sauce (pictured below, right)

A vegetarian version of the Mexican classic, served wrapped in corn husks with a spicy chile sauce

Mexican Pizza

Grilled pizzas with a cornbread style crust, assorted toppings, and a black bean mole

Mexican Quinoa (pictured below, left)

Quinoa prepared with fresh peppers and other summer vegetables and Monterey Jack cheese

Roasted Sweet Potato, Squash, and Garlic Mash (pictured below, right)

Mashed sweet potato and butternut squash, with garlic and cayenne pepper

Jicama-Cactus Slaw (pictured below, left)

A refreshing slaw made with jicama and cactus leaves

Mexican Ratatouille (pictured below, right)

Fresh summer vegetables stewed with Mexican herbs and spices

Spicy Black Bean Cakes

Miniature black bean cakes with a kick

Healthy Dark Chocolate Mousse

Rich dark chocolate mousse with fresh made orange cayenne whipped cream and a cayenne cookie

New exhibition to open in April

The Culinary Arts Museum and the graduate students of the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage at Brown University are pleased to present "Food on the Move: America's Traveling Tastes." 

A meal on the Pocahontas, on the Norfolk & Western Railway, 1950s.  Image courtesy of Norfolk Southern Corporation.

This new exhibit examines changes in travel food from the late 1800s to the present.  Cruise ship, rail, automobile, and airplane dining will all be highlighted.  How have these foods transformed over the years?  What do these types of travel meals tell us about American culture?  How did travel and tourism influence the American taste for international cuisine?

Service aboard the Matson Lines, 1947.

These questions and more will be answered through this highly anticipated exhibit, so join us as we travel through over a century of eating on the go.

This exhibit opens to the public on Friday, April 16th, 2010.

Culinary Arts Museum hours:

Tuesday - Sunday: 10:00 - 5:00

Closed Mondays and major holidays

We will be closed on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010.

Image of a Pan Am flight bag, back from France in 1958. 


 








Howard Johnson's Simple Simon and the Pieman, Neon sign from Reading, PA. Circa 1963.  On loan from the Dave & Lynn Waller Collection.

Easter Holiday Hours

The Culinary Arts Museum will be closed on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010.

We will reopen on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 10:00 am for regular business hours.

Enjoy the holiday!

The menu pictured is on loan to the Culinary Arts Museum courtesy of Chef David Greeman.

It will be featured in the upcoming exhibit, "Food on the Move: America's Traveling Tastes," a collaboration between the graduate students at The John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage at Brown University and the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales.

Is the Culinary Arts Museum your favorite museum in Providence, RI?

If so, vote for us in The Phoenix Best Readers Poll 2010!

Simply follow the link below and type 
"Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales" in the space provided.

http://thephoenix.com/thebest/providence/vote/museum/

A vegetarian all-American diner! Why not?

Diners have always served the kind of food people want to eat, and there are always vegetarian options on the bill of fare.

Pictured Above: Culinary students Saul A. Hernandez and Meredith Luecker about to deliver their Vegetarian Mini Sliders to their guests.

On February 16, 2010, a group of ten Johnson & Wales culinary students in Chef Elaine Cwynar's class, Vegetarian Cuisine, took on the assignment to prepare a lacto ovo dinner (a vegetarian meal that includes dairy and eggs) for six, using high-quality food presented attractively on the plate.

The menu was to comply with the following parameters: calories between 800 and 1000; protein, 10-35%; fat: 20-35%, with less than 10% saturated fat; carbohydrates, 45-65%.

The students - Jennifer Danaux, Lei Ding, Justin M. Hall, Saul A. Hernandez, Hannah Kimanthi, Stephanie Lip, Meredith Luecker, Ashley R. McCormack, Jacquelyn R. Murphy and Kaitlin M. Russell - came up with the concept of a diner theme, using whole grains and fresh, sustainable and seasonal ingredients in all the dishes.

The Culinary Arts Museum, with its diner exhibit and vast supply of artifacts, supplied authentic mugs, glassware, paper placemats, napkin holders and more to set the stage for an outstanding meal:

BEVERAGE

Cucumber Lemonade

Fresh, crisp ice-cold lemonade with cucumber juice

  
APPETIZER

Vegetarian Mini Sliders 

Black bean and chickpea patties topped with slices of tomato and red onion and arugula, in a toasted whole grain bun, served with avocado sauce

SOUP

Tomato Soup with Popcorn Parmesan Crisp

Fresh ripe tomatoes, stewed, simmered and pureed, served with an arugula emulsion 

SALAD

Potato Slaw

Shredded potato and carrots, tossed with sprouts and herbs, served with an arugula emulsion

ENTREE

Fried "Chicken"

Crispy oven-baked seasoned tofu, breaded in nuts, seeds and oats

WHOLE GRAIN

Wild Rice Pilaf

A trio of brown rice, wild rice and barley, simmered in vegetable stock, white wine and herbs

VEGETABLES

Pea Puree and Sauteed Baby Carrots

A smooth and creamy puree of green peas and cream; Sweet baby carrots sauteed with butter and fresh herbs

DESSERT

Cherry-Apricot Yogurt Sundae

Poached dried apricots tossed with fresh cherries, served with sweetened Greek yogurt  

Diner food in a diner setting at diner prices!

Johnson & Wales University's Bridging Culinary Arts Club will be hosting "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: A Night of Burgers, Fries, and Archives" on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 in the Diner area of the museum.

The fee is $3 per person, and this includes the following: a plate of three gourmet mini-burgers served with a side of fries and a beverage, as well as a tour of the Culinary Arts Museum.  In addition, guests will have the opportunity to talk diners with director/curator Richard J.S. Gutman.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Haitian Relief Fund.

The event runs from 8:00pm-9:30pm

Space is limited and will be reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis

Please call 401-598-2805 to RSVP

The BCA Student Chapter is a multicultural food service and hospitality organization that desires to improve the respective industries, decrease the negative image and increase exposure of resources and networking to the multicultural community.  We aim to do this by: culture education, networking, mentoring, and community service.

*The image shown  is the cover of our new diner brochure