Food for Thought

The painting inspires baker and author Cheryl Day to recall the dessert’s place in her life—and in her family’s history. 

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.

African American history scholar Marcia Chatelain takes a deeper look at how photography became a tool for the Civil Rights leader.

Poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil sees a love story in this print by American artist Emien Etting.

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.

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.

Ligaya Mishan, a food and travel writer for the New York Times, reflects on an image of a surreal restaurant setting.

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.

Chef and Native American food historian Loretta Barett Oden reflects on her friendship with artist G. Peter Jemison.