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Home>Stories>Food for Thought

# Food for Thought

Historians, food journalists, poets, chefs, and farmers riff on food-related works of art in our collection. 

Read takes on art’s connection to food, consumption, and culinary creativity by authors from baker Cheryl Day to “Top Chef” finalist Adrienne Cheatham.

Introducing Food for Thought 
A welcome by the host and editor of the series, James Beard Award–winning journalist, scholar, and writer Cynthia Greenlee. 

An Expert Baker’s Take on “Cakes” by Wayne Thiebaud
The painting inspires baker and author Cheryl Day to recall the dessert’s place in her life—and in her family’s history. 

Making Pictures of the Animals We Eat
Chef and storyteller Mike Costello considers whether Dutch artist Willem van Aelst used his still life paintings to grapple with the full circle of life.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Table: Breaking Bread in Troubled Times
African American history scholar Marcia Chatelain takes a deeper look at how photography became a tool for the Civil Rights leader.

Enjoy a Poem Inspired by Emien Etting’s “Flying Fruit”
Poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil sees a love story in this print by American artist Emien Etting.

Dressing for Dinner in the Gilded Age
Fashion historian Einav Rabinovitch-Fox explains how a watercolor of a 19th-century dress gives us a glimpse of how the wealthy dressed for dinner.

Eldzier Cortor Takes Us Inside the Slaughterhouse
American studies professor Sharon P. Holland explores how the African American artist’s surrealist woodcut considers the relationship between humans and animals and tells the stories of Black bodies.

The Diner on the Edge of Civilization: Richard Misrach’s Photograph of Outdoor Dining
Ligaya Mishan, a food and travel writer for the New York Times, reflects on an image of a surreal restaurant setting.

Church Supper: Eating, Drinking, and Building Community
A print by Frank Hartley Anderson reminds chef Adrienne Cheatham of the church meals she grew up with—and of a recipe for buttered rolls.

What Did We Eat Before Colonization? A Native Chef and Artist Connect Over Plant Knowledge
Chef and Native American food historian Loretta Barett Oden reflects on her friendship with artist G. Peter Jemison.

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