American Institute of Wine & Food

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The American Institute of Wine & Food is a non-profit organization dedicated to gastronomy and food culture. The Institute was founded in 1981 by a group of food industry professionals and enthusiasts, including Julia Child and Robert Mondavi.[1] Today, the organization includes educational programs, a bimonthly publication titled Savor This, and local chapters across the United States.

Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science Building at UC Davis in Davis, California

Mission[]

On their website, the group aims to further “the understanding, appreciation and quality of wine and food through fun educational experiences.”[2] The AIWF implements these goals by awarding scholarships to culinary programs, organizing lessons about food and health for schoolchildren, and hosting community events.

History[]

The initial concept for the AIWF was led in 1979 by John Ronsheim, as a university gastronomy program.[3] Ronsheim recruited 57 culinary experts to advise in the program’s development including Julia Child, James Beard, Robert Mondavi, Jeremiah Tower, Alice Waters, and Barbara Kafka.[3] In the following years, Ronsheim coordinated efforts to find a host university and investors for the program.[3]

In 1981, the Institute was officially formed after funding a special collection of books on the culinary arts in an agreement with the University of California at Santa Barbara.[3] Richard Graff was the first president.[4]

The organization began to hold conferences and dinners which address topics such as sustainable eating and the benefits of local ingredients.[4] The first of these was The Conference of Gastronomy held in New York City in 1985.[5] The AIWF also began publishing an academic journal, The Journal of Gastronomy, to highlight emerging and relevant research.[5] The journal was published from 1984 to 1991.[6]

The Institute eventually began local chapters across the United States, and today there are 13 regional chapters.[7] The AIWF also currently sponsors special collections at the University of California at San Diego and at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.

Notes[]

  1. ^ Barrier 1989.
  2. ^ AIWFMission, Our Mission.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Kowit 2001, pp. 29-35.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Goldstein 2013, pp. 283-285.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Chasanow-Richman 1985.
  6. ^ Smith 2012, p. 401.
  7. ^ AIWFChapters, Local Chapters.

References[]

  • Barrier, Michael (December 1989), "Food for Thought", Nation’s Business, retrieved 15 October 2015
  • "Our Mission", American Institute of Wine and Food, retrieved 15 October 2015
  • "Local Chapters", American Institute of Wine and Food, retrieved 15 October 2015
  • Goldstein, Joyce (2013), Inside the California Food Revolution, California Studies in Food and Culture, 44, University of California Press, ISBN 9780520956704
  • Kowit, Adam (2001), "Imagining the American Institute of Wine and Food: The Legacy of John Ronsheim", Gastronomica, University of California Press, 1 (4): 29–35, doi:10.1525/gfc.2001.1.4.29
  • Chasanow-Richman, Phyllis (1985-02-10), "A Scholarly Inquiry Into Culinary Pleasures", The Washington Post, retrieved 2015-10-19
  • "American Institute of Wine & Food Culinary Collection", Harvard University Library, retrieved 15 October 2015
  • "American Institute of Wine & Food Recipe Books", The Library at UC San Diego, archived from the original on 18 September 2015, retrieved 15 October 2015
  • Smith, Andrew (2012), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780199734962
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