Family Heirloom Recipes from the Illinois State Fair

Since 2009, Catherine Lambrecht has judged Family Heirloom Recipes contests on behalf of Greater Midwest Foodways in Illinois as well as Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. This presentation offers an opportunity to follow the judging experience by providing the histories and recipes presented as submitted at the Illinois State Fair (2009-2019) with pictures of the food as presented at the fair. 

Catherine will highlight the wonderful stories she has collected over the years as an expert culinary judge. Some examples include:

• How a contestant wanted a judge to settle a long-held family argument about which is better: green or white asparagus soup?
• A right of passage as a young boy’s pet pig may be his breakfast
• Dueling pasta salads from the church and community dinner circuit
• An Italian-American family circling a cutting board mounded with polenta and meat sauce ready to dig in
• A family of mushroom collectors preserves their old country traditions

If Catherine inspires you to document a family favorite recipe to share with loved ones, then she has accomplished her mission.

All recipes are provided as presented to preserve their historical integrity. The original histories and recipes collected will be archived with the University of Michigan Library Special Collections Research Center at the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archives in Ann Arbor.

This event is being produced by the Moline Public Library in partnership with Illinois Humanities. The Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau invites Illinois authors, artists, and educators to share their expertise and enthusiasm with people throughout the state, enabling local nonprofit organizations to present free-admission cultural programs to their communities. 

Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom and the Illinois General Assembly [through the Illinois Arts Council Agency], as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations.