Settle into the Walnut Room, located in Wade House’s Visitor Center, and prepare to learn, discuss, and engage with captivating stories from celebrated authors and historians alike. 

The topic for this event 'Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! Recipes and Culinary Curiosities from Historic Wisconsin Newspapers.' When did oysters and coconuts become part of Wisconsin cuisine? Did the Badger State really once lead the nation in commercial pea canning? And how did bakers learn to gauge the temperature of pre-modern wood-burning stoves?

Historians Jane Conway and Randi Julia answer all of these questions and more following the publication of their Wisco-themed culinary cookbook, revealing exactly how quirky food fashions and regional traditions made their way to 1800s Wisconsin. By exploring the importance of food to Wisconsinites and highlighting historic recipes in Badger State newspapers, Conway and Ramsden offer a new look at the meals and gastronomy traditions we hold most dear—and their humble, if often strange, origins.

After the discussion, there will be a book signing—and an opportunity to visit the historic dining room of the 1850 Wade House Stagecoach Inn to sample breakfast party recipes highlighted in Extra! Extra! Eat All About It!