Event news from EVPL Foundation
Cookbook author, magazine/TV editor, and food journalist Toni Tipton-Martin to close EVPL’s 2026 SPEAK series next month
Evansville, IN – Award-winning food and nutrition journalist. Cookbook author. Editor-in-Chief of Cook’s Country Magazine and its PBS television show. Recipient of the Julia Child Foundation Award. These are only some of Toni Tipton-Martin’s many titles, roles and accolades, and she’ll be discussing her work and other culinary and culture topics at EVPL’s final SPEAK 2026 event on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church.
A ticketed reception with Tipton-Martin at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 22, just before the free event, will be hosted by EVPL and program partner Urban Seeds. The VIP reception will feature appetizers prepared by Urban Seeds, the opportunity for autographs and a meet-and-greet with the author, and reserved seating at the main event.
Tipton-Martin’s background as a writer, publisher, and culinary expert is reflected in her broad body of work and recognitions. She is the author of Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking, which won the 2020 James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook; Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs and Juice: Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks; and The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks, which won the 2016 James Beard Award for Research and Scholarship.
“Much of Toni Tipton-Martin’s career has focused on celebrating cultural heritage, role models, and ancestral recipes,” said Erika Qualls, Director of Programming & Outreach, EVPL. “Food not only nourishes the body, but also relationships, shared memories and community.”
Tipton-Martin is also a co-author or contributor to several highly acclaimed books that celebrate America’s Black and female cooks. Most recently, she shepherded When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes with Contributions from 70 Women Writers, a first-of-its-kind cookbook for America’s Test Kitchen. She is a co-author of A Taste of Heritage: New African-American Cuisine, which was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame. She published a historic reprint of an early 20th-century cookbook, The Blue Grass Cook Book, by Minnie C. Fox, and authored the chapter on the South for Culinaria: The Food of the United States. She is a contributor to multiple anthologies: Southern Women: More Than 100 Stories of Innovators, Artists, and Icons; America The Great Cookbook: The Food We Make For The People We Love; Edna Lewis: At the Table with an American Original; and One Big Table: A Portrait of American Cooking.
In anticipation of the SPEAK event, EVPL will host three related programs, including Roots & Recipes on Oct. 2, featuring mocktails and food samples from Tipton-Martin’s books; Countertop Kitchen Gardens on Oct. 15, demonstrating how to create a mini kitchen garden; and the What’s Cooking? Book Club will discuss When Southern Women Cook, also on Oct. 15.
More information about Tipton-Martin, her free SPEAK event, related program details, and ticket purchases for the VIP reception are available at evpl.org/SPEAK2026.
Due to the generosity of the EVPL Foundation, this Literary Arts Experience is free to attend, and tickets are not required. Following Tipton-Martin’s formal presentation, she will participate in a Q&A and book signing. Several of her titles will be available for purchase at the event.
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SPEAK: An Explorative Lecture Series is a featured Literary Arts Experience, part of The Arts at EVPL series. Funded by the EVPL Foundation, The Arts at EVPL supports and encourages art experiences in four areas: Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Performing Arts, and Culinary Arts. SPEAK brings authors and thought leaders to Evansville to further our vision of communities united through shared exploration and understanding. More information about SPEAK is available at evpl.org/SPEAK2026
The Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization established to support EVPL. Foundation Board Members are engaged and activated community members. Working in partnership with Library Leadership and Library Trustees, Foundation Board Members support EVPL through fundraising, volunteering, and advocacy. More information about the Foundation and supporting SPEAK is available at evpl.org/foundation.