Food Fest

Join us for a fun-packed weekend celebrating the science and culture of food & our new exhibit, Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture. There will be loads of fun, inside and out, for the whole family!

Grab lunch from one of our visiting food trucks, learn about the latest innovations in food science, explore diverse cultural connections in Minnesota foodways , and get hands-on throughout the museum with University scientists and students whose work spans from farm to table.

Talks: Fascinating Food Innovations

The Future of Flavor — 11:30am, Saturday
Three-time TED-speaker and microbial researcher Dr. Anne Madden (NC State) will share how she’s harnessing the power of microbes to create tasty foods and beverages. Dr. Madden’s mission is to reveal the utility of the microorganisms that live in, on, and around us. She has done this by characterizing the microscopic life on our clothing, in our foods, and in our dust bunnies. More than just providing insights into the life that exists around us, Dr. Madden wrangles these life forms to create new technology. In the process she has named a new species, discovered novel antibiotics, and recently invented and commercialized technology that revolutionizes how barrel-aged beers are produced. When not investigating the life around us she is revealing the utility of these creatures as a science communicator. Following the release of her viral TED talk, she has been presenting at corporations and conferences across the globe. She was recently featured in the award-winning science documentary “The Kingdom: How Fungi Made the World.”

Show and Share: Kernza — 1:00pm, Saturday
Graduate Students from the UMN Department of Food Science and Nutrition will illuminate the perennial wheatgrass, Kernza.

Entomophagy — 11:30am, Sunday
Dr. Sujaya Rao, UMN Department of Entomology, inspects insects as the new source of protein to feed the world.

Meet the Scientists

Dr. Anne Madden, Scientist, inventor, and science communicator (NC State) – Saturday, 1-4pm. Further explore the future of flavor through hands-on activities (including sniff tests of new beers in development).

Dr. George Annor, General Mills Land-Grant Professorship in Cereal Chemistry and Technology, Dept of Food Science and Nutrition – 11am-3pm, Saturday and Sunday. Forever Green Initiative, exploring cereal grains from around the world including new perennial wheatgrass Kernza

Dr. Jim Luby, Professor of Horticultural Science, UMN — On developing new apple breeds, including UMN’s most recent apple, First Kiss. 11am-1pm, Saturday

Dr. Gary Reineccius, Professor of Food Science and Nutrition, UMN, Chemistry of flavor, 11am-3pm Sunday

Culture Connections

Pickles of Yore

Wangensteen Historical Library and Premodern Food Lab, Sat and Sun, 11am-2pm
Learn about historical methods of food preservation, examine pickling recipes from the past, and assemble your own spice pack to make your own medieval pickles at home.

Gifts of Many Cultures

Midwest Food Connection, Saturday 11am-2pm
Get a taste of the diverse food traditions that new immigrants have brought to Minnesota. Activity stations will include pasta making, beans, and global fruit.

Food Art

Bell Museum, Sat and Sun, 10am-5pm
Examine the insides of fruits and vegetables. Make and take your own unique print.

What’s That Fungus & Can I Eat It?

Saturday, 2-4pm; Sunday 1-4pm
Join the authors of Untamed Mushrooms: From Field to Table to learn how to begin exploring the woods and fields for delicious wild mushrooms. Being prepared to hunt, what to look for, and how to gather and cook the amazing natural bounty just waiting for you to discover will be part of this naturalist outpost. Presenters: Michael Karns, Lisa Golden Schroeder, Dennis Becker

Hands-on in Horizon Hall

Market Science

Applied Plant Sciences grad students who use drones to conduct agricultural research will showcase their techniques – Saturday, 10am-5pm

Bee Lab researcher Morgan Carr-Markell will share observations on honeybee communication, including the waggle dance – Saturday and Sunday, 10am-4pm

Frenatae

Entomology Graduate Students – Saturday and Sunday, 10am-4pm

UMN Mycology Club

Mushroom cultivation – Saturday and Sunday, 10am-4pm

Ramsey County Master Gardeners

Get the answers to all your burning questions about growing fruits and vegetables — Saturday and Sunday, 10am-4pm

Culinary Collections

Meet Bell Museum curators and graduate students and explore connections between our scientific research collections and food.

 

The Bell Museum is a proud member of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences – better known as CFANS. The college consists of 13 academic departments and 10 research and outreach centers across Minnesota, plus the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and dozens of interdisciplinary centers that span the college, the university, and the globe.