Food is more than sustenance; it carries stories, traditions, and memories that shape how communities understand identity and culture. On Friday, April 17, scholars from across the country will gather at the University of Iowa to explore those connections during a daylong symposium focused on food, culture, and memory.
Food, Culture, and Memory: Identity, Language, and Pedagogy Across Foodways Symposium
Date: Friday, April 17, 2026
Time: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (CDT)
Location: Executive Boardroom, University Capitol Centre, room 2390
The event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required.
Pre-register for the symposium
The symposium will examine food as both a cultural practice and a teaching tool. Through keynote talks and panel discussions, participants will explore how food traditions shape identity and memory, while also considering how food studies can be used in classrooms to teach culture and language.
The event will feature keynote presentations by David E. Sutton, professor of anthropology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Yong Chen, professor of history at University of California, Irvine.
Sutton’s research explores the relationship between food, memory, and everyday life. He is the author of several books, including Remembrance of Repasts: An Anthropology of Food and Memory, Secrets from the Greek Kitchen: Cooking, Skill, and Everyday Life on an Aegean Island, and Bigger Fish to Fry: A Theory of Cooking as Risk, with Greek Examples.
Chen studies immigration, Chinese American history, and the global history of food. His books include Chop Suey, USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America, which examines how Chinese cuisine became part of American cultural life.
In addition to the keynote presentations, the symposium will feature two panels with University of Iowa faculty and graduate students, as well as a Q&A session with Jamie Powers, executive pastry chef and owner of DeLuke Cake and Pastries, located in Iowa City, Iowa.
UI panelists include:
David Greenwood-Sanchez, assistant professor, political science
Andres Restrepo-Sanchez, graduate student in anthropology
Greg Valdespino, assistant professor, history
Asma Ben Romdhane, assistant professor of instruction, Arabic
Sang-Seok Yoon, assistant professor, Korean
Yumiko Nishi, associate professor, Japanese
Yanjie Li, assistant professor of instruction, Chinese
The symposium is organized by the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies and the Food Studies Group, two of International Programs’ affinity groups, and co-sponsored by the Departments of History; Anthropology; International Studies; and Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Dongwang Liu in advance at 319-335-1305 or dongwang-liu@uiowa.edu.
International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement. IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.