Thursday, April 30, 2026
From Pushcarts to Po'Boys: How Street Food Becomes American
What makes a food “American”? The answer might be sizzling on a street corner.
Join food historian and Nourishing Networks author Ashley Rose Young for a story-filled evening exploring how everyday foods—from New York hot dog carts to New Orleans gumbo—take root, evolve, and become part of the American table. In conversation with Jennifer Berg (NYU), Young will share vivid stories from her research, revealing how migration, labor, and community shape the flavors we know and love.
Come thirsty: the evening includes a tasting of a classic New Orleans drink.
Special Thanks
Museum of Food and Drink
55 Water Street 2nd floor | Brooklyn, NY 11201
Thursday, April 30, 2026
7 - 9 PM (doors open at 6)
Tickets include access to Street Food City from 6 to 7 PM and refreshments.
Courtesy of our partner bookseller Kitchen Arts & Letters, copies of Nourishing Networks: The Public Culture of Food in New Orleans, can be pre-purchased in a ticket bundle or during the program.
Museum of Food and Drink
55 Water Street 2nd floor | Brooklyn, NY 11201
Thursday, April 30, 2026
7 - 9 PM (doors open at 6)
Tickets include access to Street Food City from 6 to 7 PM and refreshments.
Courtesy of our partner bookseller Kitchen Arts & Letters, copies of Nourishing Networks: The Public Culture of Food in New Orleans, can be pre-purchased in a ticket bundle or during the program.
Ashley Rose Young
is a food historian, curator, and storyteller who explores how what we eat reveals who we are. Her work dives into the intersections of race, culture, and community in American food—from street vendors to home kitchens to iconic regional dishes—and has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post.
She is the American History Curator in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress and a Smithsonian Research Associate. Previously, she spent over seven years with the Smithsonian’s Food History Project, where she brought history to life through exhibitions and live cooking programs, hosting more than 50 demonstrations alongside chefs like Carla Hall and Aarón Sánchez.
Her first book, Nourishing Networks: The Public Culture of Food in New Orleans (Oxford University Press), uncovers the hidden systems and everyday people who shaped one of America’s most vibrant food cities.
She holds degrees from Yale and Duke.
Ashley Rose Young
is a food historian, curator, and storyteller who explores how what we eat reveals who we are. Her work dives into the intersections of race, culture, and community in American food—from street vendors to home kitchens to iconic regional dishes—and has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post.
She is the American History Curator in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress and a Smithsonian Research Associate. Previously, she spent over seven years with the Smithsonian’s Food History Project, where she brought history to life through exhibitions and live cooking programs, hosting more than 50 demonstrations alongside chefs like Carla Hall and Aarón Sánchez.
Her first book, Nourishing Networks: The Public Culture of Food in New Orleans (Oxford University Press), uncovers the hidden systems and everyday people who shaped one of America’s most vibrant food cities.
She holds degrees from Yale and Duke.
Jennifer Berg
graduated from the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University with a master's degree in Food Service Management in 1996 and a PhD in Food Studies in 2006. She has taught numerous courses in the Department since 1990 and now serves as the director for the Graduate Program in Food Studies.
With a focus on the intersection of food, culture, and identity, she conducts her own research on Jewish American foodways. Berg is a longstanding member of the Association for the Study of Food and Society, an international organization dedicated to an interdisciplinary discourse on the role of food in culture and society, and advisory board member for the American Institute of Wine and Food. She co-chair Days of Taste, a yearly farm-to-table program for 2000 New York City public school students. She is a certified Greenmarket tour guide and tour market trainer for the New York City Council on the Environment.
Jennifer Berg
graduated from the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University with a master's degree in Food Service Management in 1996 and a PhD in Food Studies in 2006. She has taught numerous courses in the Department since 1990 and now serves as the director for the Graduate Program in Food Studies.
With a focus on the intersection of food, culture, and identity, she conducts her own research on Jewish American foodways. Berg is a longstanding member of the Association for the Study of Food and Society, an international organization dedicated to an interdisciplinary discourse on the role of food in culture and society, and advisory board member for the American Institute of Wine and Food. She co-chair Days of Taste, a yearly farm-to-table program for 2000 New York City public school students. She is a certified Greenmarket tour guide and tour market trainer for the New York City Council on the Environment.
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MOFAD
What’s going on
©2025 MOFAD. All rights reserved.