The Culinary Historians of San Diego present “Inventing the Flying Meal: The Early Days of Food in Flight,” featuring Richard Foss, at 10:30 am May 18, 2024, in the Neil Morgan Auditorium of the San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd, San Diego. The event is free and open to the public. A tasting and book signing will follow the presentation.

Aircraft present the most challenging cooking environment that has ever existed, but cooks and engineers rose to the challenge. Zeppelins, flying boats, and some airliners featured meats roasted inflight and sauces made from scratch. Some strange things were tried, including cooking with charcoal, alcohol stoves, and the heat of the engines. Refrigeration was another problem, and even trays with precooked meals present challenges in transport and storage. After this lecture, you’ll marvel that any meal can be created in flight, much less a good one.

Want to learn more? Read all about food in the air on Richard Foss’ blog, The Foss Files.

About Richard Foss
Richard Foss has been writing professionally since 1986 when he started reviewing restaurants for a Los Angeles newspaper. He has contributed to over forty different publications, including the Encyclopedia of World Food Cultures and the Oxford Companion to Sweets. Richard has taught culinary history in extension programs, done lecture tours in the US, Australia, and New Zealand, been a culinary consultant for museums, and is on the board of Culinary Historians of Southern California. His book on the history of rum was published in 2012. Food in the Air and Space was released in December 2014. Foss is the Executive Director of Collage: A Place for Art and Culture, a nonprofit arts center located in San Pedro, California.

About the Culinary Historians of San Diego
Culinary Historians of San Diego (CHSD) is a nonprofit organization that provides the public with a history of food and drink and their roles in society, both locally and worldwide. Membership in this non-profit organization supports both CHSD activities and the culinary collection of the San Diego Public Library.