Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin

media release:   The Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin (CHEW) present:

“Julia Lovejoy Cuniberti: The Midwesterner Who Adapted Italian Culinary Traditions for American Kitchens”

 Presented by Dr. Grazia Menechella

Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 7:00 pm

Goodman Community Center (Ironworks Building, Room Bolz A), 149 Waubesa St., Madison

Julia Lovejoy Cuniberti’s Practical Italian Recipes for American Kitchens (1917) is an important cookbook that promoted and presented the model of Italian cucina casalinga (home cookery) as an ideal model for Americans. As she states: “The housewives of the old world have much to teach us in thrift, especially in the kitchen.” She stressed that this model is simple, flexible, economical, healthy, rooted in local Italian traditions, and easily adaptable outside of Italy. A Midwesterner from Janesville, Wisconsin, Julia had a second home in Pavullo nel Frignano (Modena, Italy), her husband’s hometown, where she often traveled and collected family recipes. Julia Lovejoy was also socially engaged as a resident of the Hull House in Chicago, and, at the same time, committed to helping Italian families in need during World War I. Her collection of recipes would raise awareness of the benefits of Italian cucina casalinga in the US and funds for families of Italian soldiers in need.

Grazia Menechella is a professor of Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature and Culture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on contemporary Italian literature and culture, experimental literature, history of women, diasporas, and food studies. She regularly teaches a course on the food cultures of Italy.

This presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, see https://www.chewwisconsin.com/.