Join MOFAD as we celebrate James Beard Award–winning author Anissa Helou and her eleventh book, Lebanon: Cooking the Foods of My Homeland. In conversation with food writer and restaurant critic Ligaya Mishan, Helou will take us on a journey to her late mother’s home country and the place she grew up for a deep look at the country’s culinary history and culture. She’ll share the beauty and diversity of Lebanon’s regional cuisines alongside family stories and reflections.

Nearly 13 tins of SPAM are eaten each second around the world. Born in Minnesota in 1937, SPAM has become a global food associated with many different cuisines, especially Korean foodways. The Korean War brought American soldiers with diverse foods to the Korean Peninsula, notably SPAM. US soldiers handed it out, bartered it for information, or sold it to the hungry. Such acts functioned as a form of “gastrodiplomacy,” often enabling positive and lasting impressions of the Americans and their food on the Peninsula long after hostilities had ceased. But what started out as a temporary, wartime necessity has become an ingrained element of Korean culinary tradition, impacting cookery habits for generations. The practice of eating SPAM still resonates today with those in South Korea, as well as those in the Korean diaspora. Join Kelly A. Spring (SPAM: A Global History) and Irene Yoo (Soju Party: How to Drink (and Eat!) Like a Korean) as they discuss the remarkable history of SPAM in Korea and the longevity of the canned pork product in Korean American communities in the United States. 

MOFAD is thrilled to host Chef Sheldon Simeon and writer and editor Elyse Inamine for an insightful conversation that will explore how writing a cookbook can change a chef’s culinary point of view. Chef Simeon’s new cookbook, Ohana Style: Food from Hawai’i, for Your Family, is all about cooking for your oʻhana—your family, friends, and community. But the book also came about through his oʻhana. Chef Simeon and Inamine will discuss this along with how breaking free from tradition and nostalgia led Simeon to create a book that blends community, locality, and identity.

Ceres is thrilled to return to MOFAD for an evening of film, food, and conversation. As part of the Spring 2026 Festival, Ceres will screen two short films:

Arepas en Bici follows chef Víctor Aguilera as he cycles across San Francisco, weaving together memories of immigration with his dream of sharing traditional Venezuelan cuisine.

Birria Landia offers a behind-the-scenes look at José and Jesús Moreno, brothers from Puebla, Mexico, who brought the vibrant flavors of their hometown to a beloved food truck in Queens.

From NYC to California, these films celebrate the enterprising spirit of immigrants and the powerful ways food and memory keep people connected to home.

Following the screenings, NYU Food Studies professor Krishnendu Ray, interdisciplinary artist and scholar Sarah K. Khan, and chef and culinary tour guide Esneider Arevalo will join us for a conversation exploring the intersections of food, migration, and memory.

Join us at MOFAD for a tasting and discussion of The Pickled City, which takes a glorious deep dive into the history of the iconic brined cucumber by tracing the pickle’s journey from ancient Mesopotamia to Eastern Europe to Manhattan’s Lower East Side, unearthing a hidden world of family stories and economic contributions that helped shape New York’s cultural, culinary, and literal foundations.

Join MOFAD as we host Down North Pizza Founder and We the Pizza author, Muhammad Abdul-Hadi. Muhammad will be in conversation with Kalilah Moon, CEO of Drive Change, an organization that reimagines opportunities for justice-involved youth by providing culinary and hospitality training. Come for Down North Pizza’s signature pies, stay for a meaningful discussion on second chances and how hospitality is a tool for creating communities of opportunity and care that we deserve.