Southern Food and Beverage Museum

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum, SoFAB, was founded in 2004 as a place for food and culture to be studied. It is nestled in the heart of New Orleans, LA. New Orleans is known for its Cajun and most authentic southern food in the United States. The SoFAB hosts public exhibits year round which contain artifacts donated which contain history and culture with southern origin. The museum also hosts classes teaching anyone interested how to cook authentic southern food. In late 2022 the SoFAB opened a combined research center focused on culinary research which will utilized by students, researchers, and interested members of the community throughout the Gulf South^[1] .

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum was founded in 2004 and began with pop-ups around New Orleans. The first official exhibit was on the history and influences of beverages in New Orleans. This exhibit was created with borrowed artifacts. After the first exhibit people began donating family artifacts to the museum. In 2008 the museum found a new home at the Riverwalk Marketplace on the Mississippi River. Culinary classes were now offered along with the exhibits. The Museum of the American Cocktail joined the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in 2014 and contains artifacts on rare spirits, books, and examples of the cocktails' place in history. In 2011 the Southern Food and Beverage Museum relocated to a larger space in the historic Central City, New Orleans. Now the museum hosts an exhibit for each of the southern states^[2] .

Nowadays the Southern Food and Beverage Museum focuses on education through available public outreach. Not only do they offer exhibits on food history and culture, but they also provide educational culinary classes. The classes they offer include traditional Cajun and Creole recipes that include discussions on the dishes' cultural and historical origins^[3]. The SoFAB is now open 5 days a week for visitors. Adult admission is $10.50, students, military, and seniors are $5.25, and children under the age of 12 get in for free. Memberships are able to be purchased starting at $60 which allows for free admission for one year, discounted pricing, and invites to member only events. The SoFAB also offers internships under several categories such as graphic design, collections, curatorial, development, public history, and more! While these are unpaid internships the dates are flexible, and due to the small staffing at the SoFAB interns will get to work closely with everyone.

In October 2022 the SoFAB partnered with Nunez Community College to create the SoFAB Research Center and Boyd Library. This research center contains 40,000 culinary books, menus, pamphlets, and artifacts. The creation of this center allows for new opportunities for in-depth research on the history of food and drink in the South^[1] . Being able to offer access to a full service culinary research facility is unique to the region. The facility is open to students, researchers, and all those interested.

The SoFAB offers education to more than just an adult audience. They have a special focus on educating the youth as well. They offer special classes just for children to learn about dishes and their history. Along with classes they also offer field trips for nearby schools to come and participate in learning as a group^[4] .

Ali, Rasha. “Here's How Not to Celebrate Black History Month, and What You Can Do Instead.” USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, February 22, 2019. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/02/19/Black-history-month-food-how-you-should-and-shouldnt-celebrate/2869881002/. 

^[3] “Cooking Classes at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans.” Southern Food & Beverage Foundation. Accessed October 24, 2022. https://southernfood.org/cooking-classes. 

^[1] “Culinary Library at Southern Food & Beverage Foundation.” Southern Food & Beverage Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2022. https://southernfood.org/research-center-and-library. 

Haggerty, Kelly L. 2019. "The Garbage that we Eat: Metabolizing Food-Waste in New Orleans, Louisiana." Order No. 29126704, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. http://login.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/garbage-that-we-eat-metabolizing-food-waste-new/docview/2675220328/se-2.

Marshall, Shivonne. 2021. "Enhancing Urban Agriculture through Research and Outreach: Ensuring Food Security in Louisiana." Order No. 28493545, Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. http://login.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/enhancing-urban-agriculture-through-research/docview/2563807521/se-2.

^[2] SOFAB Mission & History. Southern Food & Beverage Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://southernfood.org/mission-history 

^[4] SOFAB Kids classes, camps, and events. Southern Food & Beverage Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://southernfood.org/kids-in-the-kitchen 

Steelman, Virginia Purtle. The Cultural Context of Food: A Study of Food Habits and Their Social Significance in Selected Areas of Louisiana. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development, Agricultural Experiment Station, 1974.