Episode 177: Food Obsessed Metropolis

This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda welcomes Cindy Lobel to the program. Cindy is an assistant professor of history at Lehman College, a cultural historian with interests in urban development and consumer culture as well as the history of New York. Today she and Linda discuss her book, Urban Appetites: Food and Culture in Nineteenth-Century New York. Was New York City the first in the country to have a restaurant? What was the first restaurant to open in New York City? Surprisingly, it seems as though present day New York food scene is not so different than it was in the 1800s. Tune in as Cindy takes us through the beginnings of restaurants in New York City and how the now flourishing industry evolved through the years. This program has been sponsored by Cain Vineyard and Winery. People think that New York was born with the Zagat Guide, and that of course is not the case... free standing restaurants have a history in New York. [5:40] The rise of restaurants is really tied to the growth of the city. [8:10] -- Cindy Lobel on A Taste of the Past