Freedman's History of American Cuisine

Yale history professor Paul Freedman, speaking at YWAA in 2017, will return to Westchester (Scarsdale) to speak about his new book, American Cuisine and How It Got That Way, Dec. 11. (YWAA photos)

Paul Freedman, Yale professor of history, who has developed a reputation and following as an expert on American cuisine and restaurants will return to Westchester to speak in Scarsdale about his new book American Cuisine and How It Got This Way, Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 pm.

Yale alumni, guests and members of the community are invited to attend the event, part of the YWAA lecture series coordinated by YWAA director Rich Fabbro '76. The event will be co-sponsored by the Scarsdale Women's Club and the Scarsdale Library.

In Mar., 2017, Freedman was in Scarsdale to share research stories about his book Ten Restaurants That Changed America, a list that includes Delmonico's, the Four Seasons, Howard Johnson's and Mama Leone's.  His roster of ten didn't attempt to name the 10 best, but the 10 most influential in the last century. 

In his new book, Freedman chronicles the evolution of American cuisine from colonial times until today. He describes tastes and preferences based on regions, standards and cultures. He examines the California food revolution starting in the 1970s. He looks back at the launches of dry cereal, key lime pie and chicken Parmesan. And he celebrates the influences from immigrants and assesses the food scene in America today.  

Freedman will lecture at the Scarsdale Women's Club on 37 Drake Road in Scarsdale.  The event is free and open to the public. To register to attend, click FREEDMAN. 

In Mar., 2019, in Chappaqua, the YWAA lecture series hosted Yale psychology professor and Head of Silliman College Laurie Santos, who described why her course "Psychology and the Good Life" (the popular course on "Happiness") has attracted thousands of students at Yale and in online offerings. In May, 2018, Yale screenwriting professor Marc Lapadula discussed his six films that influenced America cinema in a YWAA-sponsored lecture in Chappaqua. 

Other YWAA-sponsored speakers have included Yale law professor Akhil Reed Amar '80, '84 JD, Yale history professor Joanne Freeman, and Yale physics professor Meg Urry. 

In his first book on American cuisine and restaurants, Freedman (above) named Delmonico's restaurant (above, R) as one of the top 10 restaurants that changed America.