After viewing the exhibition Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen, our team at MoMA was inspired by the Frankfurt Kitchen’s impact on our modern-day experiences of preparing and sharing food in our homes. We wanted to create a program that highlighted much of the creativity inherent in today’s kitchens—both in design and cuisine—while exploring the various artistic interpretations of cooking and food in contemporary culture. Working with exhibition curator Juliet Kinchin, Art Food Café executive chef Lynn Bound, pastry chef Cristina Nastasi, and Cafe 2 general manager Tracy Wilson, we pooled our different expertise to present the Kitchen Culture event.

Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky. Frankfurt Kitchen from the Ginnheim-Höhenblick Housing Estate, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (reconstruction). 1926–27. Various materials. The Museum of Modern Art. Gift of Joan R. Brewster in memory of her Husband George W.W. Brewster, by exchange and the Architecture & Design Purchase Fund

Through a series of engaging performances and exquisite courses, we presented over 100 participants with a truly artistic culinary experience. General manager Tracy Wilson provided us with a demonstration of some innovative napkin-folding, while performance artist Nicholas Dumit Estevez employed his own body as the primary ingredient for several performative recipes. The evening ended with musician Robert Rotifer performing his musical ode to the Frankfurt Kitchen and its creator, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky. This spectacular evening of events was punctuated with several courses of delicious German cuisine, compliments of chefs Lynn and Cristina. A few weeks ago, we gave you a taste of this event with some images. Now take a look at the amazing video!
Special thanks to Beth Harris, Colleen Brogan, and Plowshares Media for creating this great video.