Southern Food and Beverage Museum facts for kids
Front entrance of the museum
|
|
| Established | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1504 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 70113 |
| Type | Food museum |
The Southern Food & Beverage Museum, often called SoFAB, is a cool museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. It teaches you all about the yummy food and drinks from the Southern states. The museum shows how food connects to culture, old recipes, and even how communities come together. You can find it in Central City, New Orleans.
Contents
SoFAB's Story
The museum started in 2004. It was founded by Matt Konigsmark, Gina Warner, and Elizabeth Williams. At first, it was a small exhibit about drinks in New Orleans. With help from others, the exhibits grew bigger.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, an exhibit called "Restaurant Restorative" showed how restaurants in New Orleans were coming back. This exhibit was even featured at the James Beard Foundation Awards in 2006. Soon, the museum needed a bigger home to show food and drinks from the whole South.
In 2008, SoFAB found a home in Riverwalk Marketplace. This was a shopping mall right by the Mississippi River.
Moving to a New Home
On September 1, 2011, the museum announced it was moving. It found a much larger space on O. C. Haley Boulevard. This area is in historic Central City, New Orleans. The building used to be the Dryades Market.
The museum opened its new doors on September 29, 2014. This new spot has many cool things. It includes a special center for cooking ideas. There are exhibits for every Southern state. You can also find a Gumbo Garden and a Culinary Heritage Sign Gallery. The Museum of the American Cocktail is also here.
In May 2011, Saveur magazine named SoFAB one of the top five food museums.
What You Can See and Do
The Southern Food & Beverage Museum has many exhibits about food and drinks.
Louisiana Food Gallery
The Leah Chase Louisiana Gallery is a special part of the museum. It focuses on the food and traditions of Louisiana. This gallery is named after Leah Chase, a famous New Orleans chef. The exhibit is called "Louisiana Eats! Laissez Faire – Savoir Fare." It covers everything from beignets (a type of donut) to catching crawfish. It also shows how jambalaya recipes changed over time.
Bruning's Bar
You can see a fully restored bar from 1859. This bar was saved from the wreckage of Bruning's. That was the third oldest restaurant in New Orleans. It was damaged during Hurricane Katrina. Sometimes, this old bar is used for special events.
Cooking School
SoFAB also works with the Deelightful Roux School of Cooking. This cooking school is located right inside the museum. It's part of the Paul McIlhenny Culinary Entrepreneurship Program.
Events and Camps
The Southern Food & Beverage Museum often has events on weekends. These events can be cooking demonstrations. They might also be workshops on how to make beer or taste rum.
The museum also hosts cooking camps for kids. These camps teach children how to cook. They also help kids learn to appreciate different foods. Teachers can even find lesson plans here. These plans help them teach history and culture through food.
The Museum of the American Cocktail
The Museum of the American Cocktail is located inside SoFAB. It tells the long history of the cocktail in America. It also shares lots of information about how alcoholic beverages have affected society and culture.
SoFAB's Library
In late October 2013, SoFAB opened a special library. It is called the SoFAB Research Center. This library is now located at Nunez Community College in Chalmette, Louisiana.
This research library is open to everyone. It has over 40,000 books! These include cookbooks, magazines, and books about food history. You can also find books on food politics, nutrition, and farming.
The library also has a growing collection of old documents. These documents are helpful for people who study food and drink culture. They show how food and drinks have played a role in history. The library has information about food from all over the world, not just the American South.
