Seeds of a Nation: 18th-Century Eats in Colonial New England & Spanish Cali

What did people eat in 1776 and how different did those meals look depending on where you lived? Join culinary historians Carolyn Tillie and Richard Foss for a fascinating journey through the foods, cultures, and contradictions of the era surrounding the Declaration of Independence.

While war and political upheaval shaped life along the East Coast, communities in Spanish California were developing entirely different food traditions, largely unaware of the events unfolding across the continent. This engaging talk explores how geography, colonization, and cultural exchange influenced what people ate in both regions.

Discover how early American diets were shaped by resourcefulness, religion, and global trade, from New England baked beans and Southern rice dishes to Indigenous Californian staples like acorns and chia. Learn how African, Dutch, German, and Spanish influences helped form regional foodways, and how systems like slavery and the mission network impacted what was grown, cooked, and consumed.

This program will also examine how food reflected identity, survival, and power and how many of these early dishes and traditions still appear on our tables today.

Perfect for history lovers, food enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the stories behind what we eat. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.

Try free samples of some of the foods discussed. Limited Quantities Available.

About the Presenters:

Carolyn Tille is a culinary historian, author, artist, and curator who explores the intersections of food, art, and history. Co-founder of Bay Area Culinary Historians (BACH), she holds an MFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing, a Master Chef certification, and a Level Two certification from the Wine Spirit Education Trust. As an author, she has contributed to Gastro Obscura, Metalsmith, Hugh Johnson’s World of Fine Wine, EdibleSF, and other publications. Her books include Oysters, A Global History and Feast Your Eyes – Food Art from Apple to Zucchini, with three more books underway. A regular presenter at the Oxford Food Symposium, she shares insights into culinary heritage, aesthetics, and material culture. Carolyn is known for her food-themed artwork and jewelry, which celebrate culinary traditions through metalwork and mixed media. She frequently curates and presents integrative lectures on food, art, oysters, and the history of silversmithing.

Richard Foss has been writing professionally since 1986, when he started reviewing restaurants for a Los Angeles newspaper. Since then he has contributed to over forty different publications, including the Encyclopedia of World Food Cultures and Oxford Companion to Sweets. He taught "500 Years of American Food" “American Fermented,” at Osher Institute/UCLA Extension, and is on the board of the Culinary Historians of Southern California. His book on the history of rum was released by Reaktion Books in April 2012. “Food in the Air and Space; the surprising history of food and drink in the skies,” was released in December 2014. He is now working on a book about how each wave of immigration to California changed the way the world eats.

This event is sponsored by the

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