Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin

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courtesy Wisconsin Historical Society Press

A close-up of Jane Conway (left) and Randi Julia Ramsden.

Jane Conway (left) and Randi Julia Ramsden.

Newspapers used to be a primary vector for the sharing of recipes; Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! Recipes and Culinary Curiosities from Historic Wisconsin Newspapers (Wisconsin Historical Society Press) delves into many regional and historic cooking quirks as culled from newspapers from across the state. A chapter on the fad of paper bag cooking, for instance, from the early 20th century, includes a recipe for stuffed onions (cooked, naturally, in a paper bag) from the Manitowoc Pilot. Authors Jane Conway and Randi Julia Ramsden have been researching and cooking and will share stories of the process they went through in writing the book.

media release: “Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! Recipes and Culinary Curiosities from Historic Wisconsin Newspapers”

By Jane Conway and Randi Julia Ramsden

7 pm, Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa St., Madison, WI

Historically, newspapers have always been more than a medium covering current events. Many featured columns dedicated to everything related to the house and garden. While these parts of the press are largely overlooked by researchers analyzing historical events and trends, these pages hide a wealth of historic recipes just waiting to be cooked again. Covering dangerous cooking endeavors to frustrating conversions of units lost in time, Conway and Ramsden will discuss researching recipes from historic Wisconsin newspapers and the process of bringing them into the 21st century kitchen. This presentation will offer a “taste” of their new book with a dash of local culinary history through a unique lens. 

Jane Conway has a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Oregon. Randi Julia Ramsden has a master’s degree in American studies from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. For two years, Conway and Ramsden worked together on the National Digital Newspaper Program at the Wisconsin Historical Society. In 2019, they began researching, cooking, and writing for the Cooking Up History series, which appeared on the WHS website and social media platforms and which provided the basis for their book EXTRA! EXTRA! Eat All About It!

This meeting is free and open to the public. For more info, visit https://www.chewwisconsin.com/