Events
Spring 2026
January
Friday, January 23-Sunday January 25
3rd Annual Writing Retreat
Apply to join us for a weekend writing retreat, with scheduled writing sessions, creative activities, and shared meals. This opportunity is open to VT faculty and graduate students. [Application has passed; stay tuned for our next retreat in January or February 2027].
February
Thursday, February 5, 6-8 PM ET, Litton-Reeves 1870
Panel on Food Policy, Science, & Federal Regulation
The Food Studies Program and the Department of Food Science & Technology will host this panel discussion about what's going on with food policy and government guidance on nutrition. Featuring Dr. Courtney Thomas and Dr. Melissa Wright.
March
Thursday, March 12, 3PM ET
Pi(e) Day celebration -- Bite the Hand (Pie) that Feeds You
Join librarians and archivists to celebrate Pi(e) Day. Pi(e) Day and the Great Library Pie Bake-off events happen on or around 3/14 of each year. The theme for 2026 is going to be "Hand Pies": hand pies, pasties, pocket pies, samosas, empanadas, meat (with meat or not) pies. We'll have some suggested recipes coming soon on our "how do I find a recipe?" tab. There's also a link to some general digital collections there now: https://guides.lib.vt.edu/pieday. There will be a moderated Zoom panel, "Bite the Hand (Pie) that Feeds You" on Thursday, March 12 from 3-4p Eastern (12-1 Pacific)--Register for that here.
Thursday, March 26
Historical Appalachian Dinner
The Maroon Door, 418 N Main St, Blacksburg, VA 24060
Chefs Justin Bailey and Stephen Doyle from The Maroon Door, along with Chef Travis Milton, Culinary Director at Nicewonder Farm and Vineyard, present a historical Appalachian dinner. Foods will be seasonally appropriate and focus on dishes historically made and eaten in Appalachia, with special reference to their own grandmothers’ cooking and food preservation practices. Our focus is on mid-century cooking, exploring how old-timey and industrially produced foods came/come together in actual Appalachian kitchens, and what that might look like in a public "fine-dining" context. Tickets at https://aimsbbis.vt.edu/appalachiadinner
April
Thursday, April 2, 5:30-7:30PM EST
Eric Kim, “Blue Blazer: Why I Left Academia to Become a Writer”
Newman Library Goodall Room
In this lecture, New York Times food columnist Eric Kim will talk about his path from dropping out of the English PhD program at Columbia University to becoming a writer for the New York Times and an author of the popular cookbook, Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home. Newman Library Goodall Room (Room 101) and Zoom (registration required). For questions and accommodations, please contact Nina Ha (nha@vt.edu)
Wednesday, April 8, 6:30-8PM EST
Food Studies Student Trivia Night
Newman Library Goodall Room
Come try your best at a night of food trivia! Students from 6 different Virginia Tech food studies classes will be submitting questions to stump and delight you. Prizes and refreshments available. Open to any Virginia Tech students. The courses/topics that the questions wil be drawn from are:
- HIST/PSCI/RLCL/SOC 1084 Intro to Food Studies
- HIST/RLCL 2394 Tofu to Tikka: Asian Food History
- HIST 2514 U.S. Food History
- SPAN 3224 Latinx Food Cultures and Traditions
- ARBC 3414 Hummus, Hospitality, and Identity: Exploring Arab Cultures Through Food
Monday, April 27, 11am-12:30pm
Food Studies Student Intern Exhibit Opening
Newman Library 1st Floor
Our fantastic food studies student intern who has been working in Special Collections & University Archives this semester will be showcasing her exhibit on the history of cheese! See a VT News story about this here: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2026/05/univlib-cheese-exhibit.html
Monday, May 4, 12pm
Lunch for Food, Agriculture, & Society Pathways Minors
Email for location and details!
We welcome declared and prospective Food, Agriculture, & Society Pathways minors, along with faculty who teach in the program, to join us for an end-of-semester lunch. Email zeide@vt.edu for location and other details.
Friday, May 8, 8:30-9:30am
Food Studies course poster session
TORG 1060
All of the students in the Introduction to Food Studies course wrote final papers and are producing research posters after completing literature reviews and research proposals. Join this session to se their incredible research posters! At least some of the students will be on hand to show off their posters. Contact Dr. Courtney Thomas with any questions: cipthomas@vt.edu .
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Stay tuned for more events!
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In addition to these one-off events, we are also working to build a durable community within the Food Studies program. The anchor of this is a biweekly Food Studies Breakfast Discussion Series. Please contact Anna Zeide, zeide@vt.edu, for more details or if you would like to join. We'd love to have you there, and at all our events.
Contact Anna Zeide with input or proposals for future events.