The Future of Food? It's in the Kitchen

Join the New York Public Library for the World Literature and Arts Festival at the Mulberry Street Library for a  panel and writing workshop reclaiming the future of food for home cooking!

No one knows better than home cooks that the best place to find innovation in cooking technique and flavor is the kitchen—and cookbooks. But for the last decade, the phrase “the future of food” has become a shorthand for technological interventions into the food system, like lab-made meats, faux-bloody soy burgers, and modified seeds.

Despite this pervasive narrative, cookbook authors like Lesley Enston, Alicia Kennedy, Hetty Lui McKinnon, Lukas Volger, and Joe Yonan are showing readers that sustainable, delicious food can be made from scratch using whole ingredients, and that even when there are little to no animal products on the ingredient list, there don’t need to be sacrifices when it comes to experiencing a wide diversity of cuisines. In this panel, we will discuss how to reclaim the future of food for home cooking. Lukas Volger will also host a recipe workshop to teach attendees how to document and share their own dishes.

To join in person | Please be sure to register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins.

For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. If you register for multiple tickets, please provide the name of each person who will be attending the event or arrive with your entire party present. Only registered patrons will be granted entry into the event space. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or suspect you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please stay home.

To join online | On the day of the event, registrants will receive a Zoom link to join the program. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register!

The online event will be streamed on Zoom. You must register with your email address in order to receive the link to participate. Please check your email shortly before the event to receive the link. Captions for this event will be provided.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The New York Public Library’s World Literature & Arts Festival (April 14–30, 2025) brings together trailblazers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to celebrate storytelling and spotlight NYC’s vibrant communities. Join us for free events, programs, book recommendations, and resources for all ages.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS 

Alicia Kennedy is a food and culture writer from Long Island. She's the author of No Meat Required: The Cultural History and Culinary Future of Plant-Based Eating and the forthcoming memoir On Eating: The Making and Unmaking of My Appetites. Her weekly newsletter, From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy, has around 40,000 readers.

Joe Yonan is the author of "Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking" (Ten Speed Press, Sept. 3, 2024): 500 pages and more than 300 recipes aimed at helping anyone learn to cook vegan cuisine, whether it's for one meal or a lifetime. His previous books include the bestselling "Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking With the World's Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein" (Ten Speed Press, 2020). He is the two-time James Beard Award-winning food and dining editor at The Washington Post.

Hetty Lui McKinnon is a James Beard Foundation Award and IACP winning cookbook author and food writer, with a passion for vegetables and community. She has written five bestselling cookbooks, including the acclaimed Tenderheart, the much-loved To Asia, With Love, and the genre-defining Community. Hetty is a regular recipe contributor to New York Times Cooking and other major publications including The Washington Post, and ABC Lifestyle. She also currently writes the popular newsletter To Vegetables, With Love. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Lukas Volger is the author of six cookbooks, including Start Simple and most recently The Bread Machine Book. Previously he created the boutique line of veggie burgers Made by Lukas, and cofounded the award-winning queer food journal Jarry. He lives in Brooklyn.

Lesley Enston is a Food Writer, Recipe Developer and author of Belly Full: Exploring Caribbean Cuisine Through 11 Fundamental Ingredients. Cooking in her Brooklyn kitchen has always been a way to connect to her Caribbean roots. You can find Lesley’s recipes in Bon Appetit, Food52 and the New York Times.  

BOOKS AND MORE

If you have a NYPL library card, you can borrow books related this event with our e-reader app SimplyE, available for iOS and Android devices.

Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!

ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person

• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org.


• This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

Online

• Live captioning will be provided.


• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org.

CONNECT

For general questions, please email adultprogramming@nypl.org.

Please submit all press inquiries at least 48 hours before the event: email press@nypl.org.