The kitchen alternates between a focus on coffee and chocolate, teaching visitors about the cultural significance of raising both of these ancient crops, while giving cooking samples, like chocolate mole sauces, to hungry participants.

The exhibition covers both historical and present day methods of farming as well as how food is transported, cooked and eaten all around the world. Visitors are first greeted with a futuristic scene – a floor-to-ceiling LED vertical farm. Glowing in red and blue lights, the lightweight structure supports a slew of edible plants within a massive vertical structure. An second vertical garden faces Central Park West in the museum’s windows. All of the herbs and produce grown in the museum’s gardens are used in the Global Kitchen food demonstrations, and are meant to be eaten and enjoyed by visitors.

The vertical farm leads to a series of interactive exhibits demonstrating how food can be manipulated and modified, such as growing square watermelons for easier stacking at grocery stores. Once you’ve digested some of the more scientific processes, its time to eat! The exhibition centers around a working kitchen, which is a collaboration with Whole Foods. The kitchen focuses on two of our favorite foods – coffee and chocolate – and teaches visitors about the cultural significance of raising both of these ancient crops while distributing samples to hungry participants.

To round out the exhibition, the museum has recreated dining areas throughout history, so visitors can experience the eating habits of cultures from ancient to modern.

The exhibition remains open until August 11th, and is hosting a bevy of delicious special programming. Stop in to taste how important and delicious smart growing and eating practices can be!

+ American Museum of Natural History

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