By: Chanda Nunez
New Orleans is a city deep in food traditions, however little is known about the museum that is dictated to preserving this culture. The Southern Food and Beverage Museum (SoFAB) was founded in 2004 by Liz Williams, Matt Konigsmark, and Gina Warner. Located in downtown New Orleans in the Riverwalk Marketplace,SoFAB was created after its three founding members decided that a museum should be created dedicated to the food of the American South.
The museum holds several dozen exhibitions highlighting the foods of New Orleans. One exhibit, Pecan Candy, chronicles the history of the praline in New Orleans. Other New Orleans-themed foods that are on display at SoFAB are local favorites: the kingcake and the muffaleta. SoFAB’s boasts the largest exhibit on absinthe, La Galerie d’Absinthe. The Sugar exhibit and Museum of the American Cocktail are also popular with museum visitors.
SoFAB offers several events throughout the year. The museum has cooking demonstrations and a steady rotation of food-related programming. Each September, the museum hosts a three-day symposium, which includes guest speakers and lunch at local restaurants. The museum is also kid-friendly, offering a cooking classes and summer camps for children.
In the spring of 2013, SoFAB will be leaving its Riverwalk location and moving to a larger location on Oretha Castle Haley boulevard. The new site will have extended exhibit space and and a kitchen auditorium.
To find out more about the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, go to www.southernfood.org.
