Foodways are the meals, recipes, and traditions that connect people to their culture and to one another. Over-the-Rhine has long been a place where cultures meet through food—from 19th-century beer gardens and home cooking to today’s bustling markets and international restaurants. For this special edition of Three Acts, we invite you to explore some of the neighborhood’s rich foodways! 

Beginning at 6:00pm, the evening will feature a food tasting that reflects the neighborhood’s diverse past and present, followed at 6:30 by three short talks on the history, culture, and evolution of food in Over-the-Rhine. Northern Kentucky University graduate student James Tecco will provide an overview of foodways in Over-the-Rhine including German, Appalachian, African American, and others; German immigrant Olaf Scheil will talk about his modern take on the German foods that have been a mainstay of Over-the-Rhine for generations; and Nghiep Ho will discuss the Vietnamese foods that you might not associate with Over-the-Rhine, but that have been part of the neighborhood for 50 years.