A Taste of the Past

Episode 106: Historic Menus

Episode Summary

On this episode of A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is joined in the studio by Rebecca Federman of the Culinary Collections at the New York Public Library. Today, they are discussing the NYPLs old menu collection and the new Whats on the Menu? program. Hear about old menus from the inauguration of President McKinley to the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. Help out the NYPL by helping to digitize some of these menus to create a searchable database! Tune in to learn about some of the more obscure NYC menu items, as well as the role of midday lunch in building the restaurant business in the city. This episode has been brought to you by White Oak Pastures. There are the everyday menus that I find very graphically beautiful and interesting. Or there are childrens menus that I find really adorable. Restaurants are such a huge part of our social history, that to not have these documents is such a loss. -- Rebecca Federman on A Taste of the Past

Episode Notes

On this episode of A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is joined in the studio by Rebecca Federman of the Culinary Collections at the New York Public Library. Today, they are discussing the NYPL’s old menu collection and the new What’s on the Menu? program. Hear about old menus from the inauguration of President McKinley to the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. Help out the NYPL by helping to digitize some of these menus to create a searchable database! Tune in to learn about some of the more obscure NYC menu items, as well as the role of midday lunch in building the restaurant business in the city. This episode has been brought to you by White Oak Pastures.



“There are the everyday menus that I find very graphically beautiful and interesting. Or there are children’s menus that I find really adorable.”

Restaurants are such a huge part of our social history, that to not have these documents is such a loss.”

Rebecca Federman on A Taste of the Past