Sunday, October 18, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.” Dave Barry
FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS: National Chocolate Cupcake Day
(Cupcake Recipes --- Cupcake Trivia) National Meatloaf Appreciation Day
(Meatloaf Recipes) National Mashed Potato Day
(Mashed Potato Recipes) St. Luke's Day, patron of butchers. Canada: National Family Week (week before Thanksgiving Day - Oct 12-18, 2026) UK: National Baking Week (always Oct 14-20) UK: Seed Gathering Season (Sept 21-Oct 21, 2026)
[The Tree Council] Gather seeds, fruits and nuts which can be nurtured to grow the trees of the future.
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1616 Nicholas Culpeper was born (died Jan 10, 1654). English botanist and herbalist. He published the 'Complete Herbal' (1653) containing a comprehensive list of English medicinal herbs and their uses. 1753 Jean Jacques Regis de Cambaceres was born. A French politician and gourmet. A gastronomic contemporary and rival of Talleyrand and Carκme. The dinners he gave were famous, and Cambaceres closely supervised the food preparation. He refused to admit late-comers, and was also said to have demanded complete silence while dining. 1871 Charles Babbage died. He invented the adding machine, and among his other inventions is the cowcatcher, the V shaped front end on locomotives. 1878 Thomas Edison made electricity available for household usage. 1892 The first long distance telephone line between Chicago and New York City was put in service. 1915 Victor Sen Yung was born (died Nov 1, 1980). American character actor, he played the cook Hop Sing on the TV show 'Bonanza'. He also played Charlie Chan's son, Jimmy Chan in numerous Charlie Chan movies. 1919 William Waldorf Astor Born. William Waldorf Astor was a cousin of John Jacob Astor IV, the great grandson of John Jacob Astor. He built the Waldorf section (1893) of what would become the Waldorf Astoria (1897). The Empire State Building (1929) now stands on the site. 1931 Thomas Alva Edison, "the wizard of Menlo Park" died. 1945 James T. Ehler was born. That’s me - Chef and food writer and the author of this Culinary Calendar and the Food Reference Website. 1966 S.S. Kresge died (born July 31, 1867). An American merchant who started a chain of variety stores. Renamed Kmart Corp. in 1977, which evolved into Sears Holdings Corp, parent of Sears and Kmart stores. 1969 Cyclamate, a non-caloric sweetener, was banned. Discovered in 1937, and widely used in the food industry, cyclamate was found to cause cancer in laboratory rats. Cyclamate is still used in many countries around the world. 1998 The 3,000 room Bellagio Hotel and Casino opened in Las Vegas, Nevada. 2024 Giulia Manfrini, 36, was surfing in the Mentawai Islands off the coast of West Sumatra, Indonesia, when a swordfish unexpectedly jumped and struck her in the chest. She was taken to a local health center, but she died from her wounds after arriving.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** October 1-November 1, 2026 Arizona State Fair
Phoenix, Arizona October 20-25, 2026 Baker County Fair
Macclenny, Florida October 21-24, 2026 Circleville Pumpkin Show
Circleville, Ohio October 22-25, 2026 Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest - Fredericksburg, Texas October 23-24, 2026 Annual Arkansas Bean Fest and Championship Outhouse Races
Mountain View, Arkansas October 23-24, 2026 Shrimp & Grits Festival
Jekyll Island, Georgia October 24-25, 2026 The Chocolate Expo
Timonium, Maryland (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?
· Upton Sinclair writes “The Jungle”, an expose of conditions in the Chicago stockyards.
· The term 'filet mignon' is first used by O. Henry in his book 'The Four Million'
· San Francisco was hit by a devastating earthquake.
· The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 100 for the first time.
· An 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck Valparaiso, Chile, destroying much of the city. 2) These fungi are common on plant leaves and in the intestinal tracts of warm blooded animals. They are also found in the soil and in saltwater. Some are also used in food and vegetable production.
Name this fungi. 3) The seeds and leaves of these evergreen trees and shrubs contain poisonous alkaloids that stop the heart of an animal so quickly that no symptoms are seen; the animal just drops dead. The flesh of the berries are the least poisonous parts. These trees were sacred to the Druids, and wood from the trees was formerly used to make long bows. Name this tree. 4) What is a deep dish (casserole or souffle dish) fruit pie (peach is most common) with only a top biscuit dough crust? 5) What is Homogenization? 6) How many bees can be in a single hive?
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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