Browse Exhibits (3 total)

Sharing Recipes across Generations & Geographical Space

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The focus of this collection is how families share recipes, specifically looking at my own family’s history of recipe preservation. The artificats that make up this exhibit are images of family recipes across three generations written on paper, index cards, and shared via text message. The pages found on the right are organized alphabetically based on the recipe title. 

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when these recipes were written, or even who originally introduced the recipes to my family members as many recipes have been passed down and rewritten by various relatives. 

The physcial copies of the images are all housed in my mother's pantry. When I was an undergraduate student she took the time to write out the favorite recipes she made for our family so that I could recreate the food for myself. Interestingly, a majority of the recipes on fresh index cards were originally shared by a greatgrandmother and have been rewritten in order to have a ledgible copy yet to be tattered by time and use.

As you navigate through the exhibits pages you will notice changes in medium of delivery, handwritting, personal notes and the recipes themselves. It is easy to tell what recipes are truly loved by the food stains and ripped pages. Hopefully the viewer will notice the intricacies in circulation and method of sharing recipes with family. 

Family Connections

You'll notice names reappear throughout the collection. To assist in navigating family connections feel free to reference the following family connections to bettter understand the spaces these recipes have traveled and the length that they have been made within the family. 

Sidney Turner ---  Exhibit creator (1996-present)

Alex Turner --- Sidney's younger brother --- Born in Florida

Lisa Turner --- Sidney's mother --- Born in Windsor Ca, moved to Florida 1992, married Jeff Turner 1992

Pamela Grouix --- Lisa's mother --- Lived in various Canadian provinces

Roxanne Beausoleil --- Pamela's sister --- Lived in various Canadian provinces

Catherine McNamara --- Pamela's sister --- Lived in various Canadian provinces

Catherine Pelzer --- Catherine, Pamela and Roxanne's mother --- Lived in various Canadian provinces

Jeff Turner --- Sidney's father --- Born in Maine USA, raised in Windsor Ca, moved to Florida after college

Riene Shattuck --- Jeff's grandmother --- Lived in Maine USA

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Family Recipes

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When we inherit recipes from our family members so much more is passed down than just directions for cooking a dish. I first became interested in this topic when I read a cookbook that my grandmother created and left to her four children. In the introduction to this cookbook by grandmother writes to her children about why she made the decision to compose this cook book. She talks about the early inadequacies she felt about being a new wife and bit about my grandfather; a man that I would never have the opportunity to meet. She tells her children a bit about their history and a bit about the recipes in the book. Each of the recipes that she chooses, she put in the book for a specific reason. Each of these recipes she hopes will elicit a memory for her children. This book got me thinking, what memories do inherited recipes have for other people?

 With this question in mind I set out to collect recipes from others. In my call for recipes I asked participants to share any recipes that they had that had been passed down to them by members of their family. What was interesting to me is that many people without being asked shared stories about these recipes. Participants talked about, when they remembered eating these foods, cooking these foods, who passed it down, and why this particular recipe is so important to their family.

In this exhibit, you will find a picture of the recipes that participants shared, as well as, the stories that they told me about these recipes. I hope that you enjoy and that this exhibit makes you think about your own family recipes.  

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Casserole Recipes

As the weather turns cooler and the holiday season approaches, there's one dish that I start to crave: casserole. While my mother’s squash casserole is my favorite (a staple at our Thanksgiving table), I rarely encounter a casserole that I will not try. There’s something about the homemade, hot dish that strikes me as the epitome of comfort cooking. As I thought about the casserole recipes I might make this year, I began to wonder about the history of the casserole. When and where did the dish originate? How did it come to be an American culinary staple?  In looking at recipes, we might begin to better understand the iconic place of the humble casserole. To that end, this exhibit showcases a variety of casserole recipes composed and shared by everyday people.

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