What’s Cooking: Upcoming NYC Food and Drink Talks
Explore culinary arts, wine, history, and the intersection of culture and cuisine with these upcoming food and drink talks.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Guided Japanese Tea Tasting with Per Oscar Brekell
Time: 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue: Japan Society
Details: Tea specialist Per Oscar Brekell, a certified Japanese Tea Instructor, presents a curated Japanese tea tasting. Experience a range of brewing techniques and explore the world of single-origin green tea, with a focus on matcha. All attendees will receive a signed copy of Brekell’s book, A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Tea. Two sessions are available at 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM. japansociety.org
Thursday, March 20, 2025
A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Tea: Tea Talk with Per Oscar Brekell
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue: Japan Society
Details: Join Per Oscar Brekell for a lecture on the history, varieties, and culture of Japanese tea. The session will include a tea tasting and a book signing. A cup of green tea will be served at the close of the event. If you are interested in this event, please also attend Per Oscar Brekell’s small group curated tea tasting on March 19. japansociety.org
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Wine Poetic: Jeanine Leane
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Venue: Anaïs (Brooklyn)
Details: An unfiltered lens into the life and work of a noteworthy poet paired to a selection of wines (et al) from the same country of origin. For the next event, PSNY & GNOSES will highlight Wiradjuri poet, academic, and activist Jeanine Leane. Poet and educator F.M. Papaz will lead an exploration of her work, while writer and sommelier Darby Wagner will guide a tasting of Australian wines, connecting the region’s cultural and historical significance to the evening’s themes. Wine Poetic: Jeanine Leane
Image: A Kitchen by Hendrick Sorgh, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
African, Indigenous, and Dutch Foodways in 17th-Century New Amsterdam
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Venue: The Netherland Club of New York
Details: This historical discussion uncovers the diverse culinary influences shaping early New York. Experts will examine how African, Indigenous, and Dutch traditions merged, leaving a lasting impact on the city’s food culture. African, Indigenous, and Dutch Foodways in 17th-century New Amsterdam
Saturday, March 29, 2025
Tea and Transit!
Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Venue: King Manor Museum
Details: Catch a lecture on Black-owned tea rooms that served Black motorists in the 1930s, plus parlor games, tea, and light snacks. Tea and Transit!
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Taproom Tastings: Wine
Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Venue: Hendrick I. Lott House
Details: Enjoy a guided wine tasting in the historic setting of the Hendrick I. Lott House. This event highlights locally produced wines and explores their historical connections to New York’s early settlers. Taproom Tastings: Wine
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Finding Edna Lewis: Screening and Conversation with Debra Freeman and Osayi Endolyn
Time: 6:00 PM
Venue: Museum of Food and Drink
Details: Join MOFAD for a special screening of Finding Edna Lewis, the first major documentary about the pioneering chef who introduced Americans to seasonal Southern cooking. After the screening, Debra Freeman (award-winning writer, host, and producer) and Osayi Endolyn (James Beard Award-winning writer, producer, and curator) will discuss the influences that shaped Lewis’s legacy. The ticket includes access to current exhibition Flavor: The World to Your Brain, light bites inspired by Edna Lewis from Gage & Tollner, and drinks. Finding Edna Lewis: Screening and Conversation
Monday, April 14, 2025
The Valley of Wine: A Century of Italian Presence in the California Wine Industry (1850–1950)
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Venue: Calandra Institue
Details: Explore the pivotal role Italian immigrants played in shaping California’s wine industry, based on Pietro Pinna’s 2023 book La valle del vino.
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