Edible Food Tour – Wednesday, June 27th, 6:30 – Come back in time with us, in the comfort of the library, as the Burlington Edible History Tour connects the history of Burlington’s early ethnic groups to their food traditions, when farm to table was a way of life. During this virtual journey, you’ll hear about such topics as the first recorded food carts on Main Street in Burlington; grapevines growing in Italian and Lebanese backyards; an Irish meat company that supported a German sausage maker who desperately needed a sponsor to get through Ellis Island; the Chinese chef who became famous for his St. Patrick’s Day celebration; and one hundred years without legal breweries. Our historical heroes are the owners of small grocery stores, who kept neighbors fed during the hardest times by letting them buy with IOUs, often ripped up at the end of the year. Our heroes include the women who not only grew food and cooked for their large families, but also fed any hungry person who came to their doors.
Our presenters will be Gail Rosenberg and Carolyn Connor. Gail is co-founder, with Elise Guyette, of the Burlington Edible History Tour. During her career in communications and development for non-profits, she promoted The Big Apple Circus at Shelburne, founded a national nonprofit clearinghouse on innovative work schedules, and researched and published numerous articles about Vermont circus history, food, and culture for national and local newspapers. Her strongest childhood food memories from growing up in Brooklyn are egg creams, pizza by the slice with oil running down her arms, and pastrami sandwiches. Carolyn Connor is returning as a tour guide for her fourth season. After graduating from the University of Vermont, where she studied history, anthropology, and dance, Carolyn spent a year teaching English and traveling in South East Asia before moving back to Burlington. She works for VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, which perfectly combines her interest in travel and community. She has fallen in love with Vermont’s mountains, history and, most importantly, food!