Monday, May 18, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“Numbers written on restaurant checks within the confines of restaurants do not follow the same mathematical laws as numbers written on any other pieces of paper in any other parts of the Universe.”
Douglas Adams
FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• National Cheese Soufflé Day (Recipe) • I love Reese’s Day ?? (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups) • St. Theodotus' Day, patron of innkeepers. • International Heritage Breeds Week (May 17-23, 2026) [Livestock Conservancy] • UK: [National Doughnut Week] (May 16-24, 2026) participating bakers across the UK will be helping to raise money for The Children's Trust by donating money for every doughnut they sell.
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1808 Elijah Craig died. A Baptist minister in Kentucky, he is an important figure in the invention of Bourbon Whiskey. He ran a paper mill and started a distillery in 1789. Legend credits him with being the first to use new charred oak barrels to age corn whiskey, which is a key step in making bourbon.
(Bourbon Trivia & Facts) 1897 The Dow Chemical Company incorporated to sell bleach on commercial scale. 1906 Louis Bignon died (born June 26, 1816). French agriculturist, restaurateur and chef. His Cafe Riche became the most famous in Paris and was known worldwide. He invested in farms and vineyards and was awarded the Legion of Honor for his agricultural work. 1933 Congress created the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to provide flood control and economic development in the Tennessee Valley. 1935 Allan Burns was born. Screenwriter and producer, co-creator of ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ and Rhoda. He also created the character Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch for Quaker Oats 'Cap'n Crunch' breakfast cereal. 1953 T.W.A. made the fist nonstop transcontinental flight from Los Angeles to New York City in a DC-7. 1955 Chow Yun-Fat was born. Internationally famous Hong Kong actor. 1988 Charles Dawson ('Daws') Butler died (born Nov 16, 1916). Voice actor. He was the original voice of Cap'n Crunch, mascot of the Quaker Oats cereal of the same name. Also the voice of Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear and dozens of other cartoon characters. 1994 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared the first genetically engineered tomato, the 'Flavr Savr' was safe for human consumption. It was not a commercial success and production ended in 1997. (Tomato Trivia & Facts) 1995 Elisha Cook Jr. died. A well known character actor in films and TV. I remember him mainly in his role as Wilmer, in the 'Maltese Falcon'. 2001 Hong Kong ordered more than 1 million chickens and other poultry killed to halt the spread of another bird flu epidemic. 2005 Reminiscent of Hitchcock’s movie 'The Birds,' large black grackles attacked pedestrians in downtown Houston, Texas after a young bird had fallen from its nest.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** April 23-June 21, 2026 Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival - Williamsburg, Virginia May 21-24, 2026 59th Annual Jambalaya Festival
Gonzales, Louisiana May 22-24, 2026 Blue Crab Festival - Palatka, Florida May 22-24, 2026 Worlds Largest Brat Fest
Madison, Wisconsin May 23-24, 2026 Annual Chuck Wagon Festival
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (SEE ALL FOOD FESTIVALS and OTHER FOOD EVENTS)
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** FOOD TRIVIA QUIZ (new DAILY questions)1) All of the following events took place in the same year. What year is it?
· In England, Peter Durand was granted the first patent for preserving food in tin cans.
· Lewis Mills Norton of Goshen, Connecticut was issued the first U.S. patent for ‘pineapple cheese’.
· The first Oktoberfest is celebrated in Munich, Germany.
· The first State Fair (The Berkshire Cattle Fair) was held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
· The first steam powered flour mill began operating in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 2) Ground black cherry pits used as flavoring in the Middle East. Name this flavoring. 3) What is a cross between a blackberry & raspberry, developed in 1881 in Santa Cruz, California? 4) Small bushy deciduous tree native to Asia and North Africa having pretty pink blossoms and highly prized edible nuts enclosed in a hard green hull; cultivated in southern Australia and California. Name this tree and its nuts.
Click Here for Today’s Quiz Answers
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Read an article about Chef James and the FoodReference.com website published in the Winona Daily News, Minneapolis StarTribune, and numerous other newspapers: Click here for the Article
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Dedication
This website is dedicated to:
· Gladys Ehler, my mother, who taught me patience and how to make Sauerbraten (it is still my favorite)
· Edward Ehler, my father, who taught me a love of books and history.
· Barbara Saba, my sister, who taught me how to dance.
· Cpl. Thomas E. Saba, my nephew. Died in action on Feb. 7, 2007 in Iraq. He was 30 yrs. young. Chef James
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