Virtual Presentation!
Join acclaimed food historians Keith Stavely and Kathleen Fitzgerald for a lively introduction to their new book, Northern Comfort: The New England Baking Tradition. This enticing volume draws history lovers and home cooks alike into the kitchen with fifty-two recipes for breads, pies, cookies, and cakes.
The authors’ virtual illustrated talk will feature a selection of these recipes as they prepared them in their own home—including Third Bread, Cod Pot Pie, Marlborough Pie, and Boston Cream Cake. One Connecticut culinary luminary in particular—Mrs. A. L. Webster, author of The Improved Housewife (Hartford, 1844)—figures prominently in this tale of New England baking. Stavely and Fitzgerald will discuss what they uncovered about Mrs. Webster’s life, along with the four recipes of hers that appear in adapted form in Northern Comfort.
This virtual event is free and open to the public. Get tickets to receive the Zoom link. Questions? Contact Jen Busa, Public Programs Coordinator at jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org.
GET TICKETS
Thank you to our series sponsors Camille and Gregory F. Servodidio!
About the Speakers: Keith Stavely and Kathleen Fitzgerald are the authors of three previous books on New England and American food history: America’s Founding Food (2004), Northern Hospitality (2011), and United Tastes (2017). Their work has appeared in Petits Propos Culinaires, Smithsonian Magazine, and elsewhere. America’s Founding Food was a 2005 AAUP “Best of the Best,” and United Tastes received the 2018 Bruce Fraser Award for Public History in Connecticut. Their fourth book, Northern Comfort: The New England Baking Tradition (New York University Press, 2026), blends lively culinary history with tempting historical recipes adapted for the modern kitchen, appealing to home cooks and history lovers alike.
Keith and Kathleen’s new book, Northern Comfort: The New England Baking Tradition, was published in November 2026. To purchase the book, click here. If you would like a signed bookplate, please email jbusa@connecticutmuseum.org.
