Nourished: Where Art Meets Family Recipes

Do you have a family recipe that connects you to your roots? Maybe it’s a recipe that each time you smell it sizzling in the pan, you’re transported to your grandmother’s kitchen. Or maybe it’s a recipe you’ve taught to younger generations so they can continue the tradition.  

For my family, that recipe is krautburgers. These delicious, hand-held pocket sandwiches are stuffed with sauerkraut and beef, and they arrived in Colorado with a small group of immigrants who came to the United States from Russia but were originally from Germany. Each winter, my dad uses an old family recipe to whip up a huge batch of krautburgers. Eating one feels like tapping into the generations of love and wisdom that made me, me.  

You can explore the deep personal significance of foods and family recipes in Nourished: Works by Jazz Holmes, opening in the Freyer – Newman Center on Saturday, September 27. Artist Jazz Holmes connects to her Creole background through paintings that celebrate traditional Southern recipes like hoppin’ john, étouffée, bananas foster and more. Discover the surprising history behind staple ingredients and the stories of love and labor that go into making and preserving cherished family recipes.  

Feeling hungry after seeing art about delicious food? Scan QR codes in gallery to access recipes by Jazz Holmes or stop by the interactive recipe-share station to leave a copy of your favorite family recipe for others to try. No matter where your family is from, food has the power to nourish and connect, so share the love!   

Article contributed by Curatorial Coordinator Katie Foster.