South Asian Cuisine with Colleen Taylor Sen
Chicago has the country’s third largest urban population of South Asians (a community that includes Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Nepalis) and a vibrant South Asian food scene.
Colleen Taylor Sen will tell the story of this community from the early 20th century, when a small community lived on the far south side, to the present. She’ll describe the evolution of the city’s South Asian grocery stores and restaurants, including the transformation of Devon Avenue on the Far North Side from a mainly Jewish shopping district in the 1960s to a mecca for South Asian shoppers from all over the Midwest. Today Chicago’s Indian food lovers can enjoy a wide range of cuisines, from the simple fare of a taxi drivers' roadside dhabas to a Michelin-starred temple of cuisine.
Colleen Taylor Sen is a Chicago-based author and culinary historian specializing in the food of the Indian Subcontinent. She is the author/coeditor of eight books, including Food Culture in India ; Curry ; Street Food Around the World ; The Chicago Food Encyclopedia ; and Feasts and Fasts ( named one of the best food books of the year by Vogue and The Smithsonian Magazine). Her articles have appeared in Chicago Tribune, Food Arts, Travel and Leisure, Yoga International and elsewhere . She has a B.A and M.A. from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Accessibility
Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.
Photo courtesy of Colleen Taylor Sen
Get Tickets
Colleen Taylor Sen will tell the story of this community from the early 20th century, when a small community lived on the far south side, to the present. She’ll describe the evolution of the city’s South Asian grocery stores and restaurants, including the transformation of Devon Avenue on the Far North Side from a mainly Jewish shopping district in the 1960s to a mecca for South Asian shoppers from all over the Midwest. Today Chicago’s Indian food lovers can enjoy a wide range of cuisines, from the simple fare of a taxi drivers' roadside dhabas to a Michelin-starred temple of cuisine.
Colleen Taylor Sen is a Chicago-based author and culinary historian specializing in the food of the Indian Subcontinent. She is the author/coeditor of eight books, including Food Culture in India ; Curry ; Street Food Around the World ; The Chicago Food Encyclopedia ; and Feasts and Fasts ( named one of the best food books of the year by Vogue and The Smithsonian Magazine). Her articles have appeared in Chicago Tribune, Food Arts, Travel and Leisure, Yoga International and elsewhere . She has a B.A and M.A. from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Accessibility
Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.
Photo courtesy of Colleen Taylor Sen
Listed by Chicago Public Library · last updated today