Smithsonian Lecture Series: The Culture of Food
Celebrate Mardi Gras season with a taste of New Orleans history—no beads required!
Join Pittsburgh native and public historian Dr. Ashley Rose Young for the next installment of the Smithsonian Lecture Series as she shares the vibrant story of New Orleans food culture.
Drawing from her book, “Nourishing Networks: The Public Culture of Food in New Orleans,” Dr. Young will discuss how food shapes culture and community, bringing insights from her work as a Smithsonian research associate and former historian of the Smithsonian Food History Project.
In the spirit of Mardi Gras, this program invites audiences to revel in the mystery and magic of New Orleans while reflecting on its deeper struggles to feed a diverse city safely and affordably. Dr. Young will also highlight similarities between New Orleans and Pittsburgh—two river cities with rich food traditions and resilient communities shaped by migration, labor, and local enterprise.
Dr. Young brings a local perspective to the topic. She grew up in the Pittsburgh region working alongside her family at McGinnis Sisters Special Food Stores, the beloved specialty markets founded by her mother and aunts and long recognized as a cornerstone of the region’s food culture.
Admission
Tickets are $10 for non-members and $5 for members. This is a hybrid program. Attendees can participate in-person at the Heinz History Center or online.
American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be available upon request. Please contact us at [email protected] in advance to request accommodations.
About the Speaker
Dr. Ashley Rose Young is a curator and public historian whose research and writing have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other outlets. She is the author of “Nourishing Networks: The Public Culture of Food in New Orleans” (Oxford University Press, 2025).
Dr. Young serves as the American History Curator in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress. She is also a Smithsonian Research Associate and was formerly the Historian of the Smithsonian Food History Project at the National Museum of American History. Dr. Young grew up in Upper St. Clair, Pa., and was raised working alongside her mother, aunts, siblings, and cousins at their Pittsburgh-based business, McGinnis Sisters Special Food Stores.
About the Series
The Smithsonian Lecture Series brings experts from the Smithsonian Institution to Pittsburgh, presenting a unique opportunity to hear from the scholars behind the organization’s world-renowned research and museum exhibitions.
While each lecture will focus on a different topic, each expert will offer rare insights into how they preserve, collect, and interpret history at the world’s largest museum, education, and research institution.
As Western Pennsylvania’s only Smithsonian Affiliate, the Heinz History Center proudly brings world-class Smithsonian exhibitions, artifacts, and programs to the region. This special lecture series is part of that ongoing partnership.