Acclaimed writer and food historian Richard Foss to present a unique drink and dining experience about the Prohibition Era at the Catalina Island Museum. This culinary and cultural event will take place during the museum’s upcoming First Fridays at the Museum on Friday, May 3.
Through a carefully selected menu, Foss will take you and your taste buds back in time during his presentation “How Prohibition Changed America.” Eighty years after it was repealed, there are many misunderstandings about Prohibition, starting with why and when it was enacted.
Documenting why this so called “noble experiment” had more to do with sexism and hostility to immigrants than alcohol itself. This program, at times humorous, gives a look at why Prohibition was enacted, what America was like before, during, and afterward, the many ways that the law was circumvented, and how that era still affects us today. During the event, short pours of several cocktails will be served to show how America’s palate has changed over the course of seventy years.
Writing professionally since 1986, Foss has contributed to over thirty different publications, including the Encyclopedia of World Food Cultures and the Oxford Companion to Sweets. He taught culinary history at Osher Institute/UCLA Extension, and is on the board of the Culinary Historians of Southern California.
His book Rum: The Global History was released by Reaktion Books in April of 2012. Food in the Air and Space: The Surprising History of Food and Drink in the Skies, was released in December 2014. Currently, he is curating a project to document food culture for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and an exhibition called “Cooking Up A New West” that will open at the Autry Museum of the American West in 2021.
Only 60 tickets are available for this drink and dining experience. First Fridays at the Museum will take place on Friday, May 3, from 6 to 10 p.m. The museum will re-open for this event at 6 p.m. The dinner begins at 7 pm. Tickets are $80 for museum members, $85 for non-members and $42.50 for children (3-15). All children must be accompanied by an adult. All food and paired cocktails are included. Additional wine, beer, soda and water will be available for purchase. No outside food or drink allowed.
This event is expected to sell out. Purchase tickets in person at the museum, online via CatalinaMuseum.org, or by phone at 310-510-2414. Visit CatalinaMuseum.org for more information. The Catalina Island Museum offers the best in art and history exhibitions, music and dance performances, lectures by guest speakers from all over the world, and the finest in silent, documentary and international film. Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The museum’s Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building is located in the heart of Avalon at 217 Metropole Avenue. For more information, call 310-510-2414 or visit CatalinaMuseum.org.
