American Institute of Wine & Food
The American Institute of Wine & Food is a non-profit organization[1] 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.[2] Today, the organization includes educational programs, a bimonthly publication titled Savor This, and local chapters across the United States.
Mission
[edit]On their website, the group aims to further “the understanding, appreciation and quality of wine and food through fun educational experiences.”[3] The AIWF implements these goals by awarding scholarships to culinary programs, organizing lessons about food and health for schoolchildren, and hosting community events.
History
[edit]The initial concept for the AIWF was led in 1979 by John Ronsheim, as a university gastronomy program.[4] 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.[4] In the following years, Ronsheim coordinated efforts to find a host university and investors for the program.[4]
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.[4] Richard Graff was the first president.[5]
The organization began to hold conferences and dinners which address topics such as sustainable eating and the benefits of local ingredients.[5] The first of these was The Conference of Gastronomy held in New York City in 1985.[6] The AIWF also began publishing an academic journal, The Journal of Gastronomy, to highlight emerging and relevant research.[6] The journal was published from 1984 to 1991.[7]
The Institute eventually began local chapters across the United States, and today there are 13 regional chapters.[8] 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
[edit]- ^ Wilson, Larry (16 August 1987). "Julia Child's Crusade". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ Barrier 1989.
- ^ AIWFMission, Our Mission.
- ^ a b c d Kowit 2001, pp. 29–35.
- ^ a b Goldstein 2013, pp. 283–285.
- ^ a b Chasanow-Richman 1985.
- ^ Smith 2012, p. 401.
- ^ AIWFChapters, Local Chapters.
References
[edit]- 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, vol. 44, University of California Press, ISBN 9780520956704
- Kowit, Adam (2001), "Imagining the American Institute of Wine and Food: The Legacy of John Ronsheim", Gastronomica, 1 (4), University of California Press: 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