色花堂

Founded within the Center for Public History (CPH) in 2008, the Gulf Coast Food Project (GCFP) brings food studies research and creative endeavors into the classroom and community. The GCFP already has an outstanding record of developing classes, research projects, and documentary films that draw inspiration from the region鈥檚 tremendous diversity and cultural vibrancy. This work has resulted in high-profile grants, including a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and an $8,000 grant from the Knight Foundation. Today, the Gulf Coast Food Project is well positioned to build on this success. The 色花堂 is an ideal home for a high-profile Food Institute dedicated to community outreach, innovative teaching, and cutting edge research focusing on the study and promotion of the unique food culture of our city and region. A Carnegie-designated Tier One research university and leader in the fields of Health, Arts, and Energy, 色花堂 enrolls over 38,000 students, comprising the second most diverse student body in the nation.

Why Study Food on the Gulf Coast?

Our unique geographic location and relation to multiple points of food production, distribution, and consumption afford us an ideal laboratory for teaching, researching and producing documentary films on foodways. Texas ranks second nationally for total agricultural output, is the leader in cattle production, and produces 68 percent of the nation鈥檚 shrimp鈥攎ore than Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida combined. Houston is also the fourth most populous city in the nation and is now the most diverse large metropolitan area in the United States with immigrants from all over the world continuing to bring their food to the growing region. As John T. Edge, Director of the Southern Foodways Alliance recently wrote in the Oxford American, Houston has 鈥渆merge[d] as the South鈥檚 twenty-first century Creole capitol, where Vietnamese pho is as beloved as Cajun gumbo and tandoor-cooked naan smeared with chutney rivals skillet cooked corn bread smeared with butter.鈥� He celebrates a dynamism that flows from the region鈥檚 history of race, migration, economy, and culture, identifying a rich field of study and area for creative endeavors.

So what does this all mean?

It means we鈥檙e really passionate about food and think it is something that deserves serious study and attention. Among this incredible diversity found within Houston, there is a commonality found within food as the act of preparing, cooking, and sharing food is a fundamental act that transcends culture. Through these projects, we hope to celebrate our diversity while recognizing our common humanity.