Author Talk: Deborah Reinhardt: A Culinary History of Missouri

Missouri's history is best told through food, from its Native American and later French colonial roots to the country's first viticultural area. Learn about the state's vibrant barbecue culture, which stems from African American cooks, and trace the evolution of iconic dishes such as Kansas City burnt ends, St. Louis gooey butter cake, and Springfield cashew chicken. Discover how hardscrabble Ozark farmers launched a tomato canning industry and how a financially strapped widow, Irma Rombauer, would forever change how cookbooks were written. It's all in A Culinary History of Missouri by food historian Suzanne Corbett and award-winning travel and food writer Deborah Reinhardt. The program presenter will be Reinhardt, who will discuss her new book that spans more than 200 years.