Chatham University’s Food Studies graduate student, Taylor Wainwright, chats with an alum of the program, Catherine Piccoli. Catherine is the Curatorial Manager for the Museum of Food and Art in New York City. Together, they navigate a fruitful conversation on how modern museums foster learning in public spaces. Food Studies graduate student, Haley Moore, worked behind the scenes editing the final interview. 

Catherine Piccoli is a historian, writer, and curator whose work focuses on the intersection of  food, culture, memory, and place. She brings a multidisciplinary approach to the Museum of  Food and Drink as curatorial director, where she oversees the creation of exhibitions and robust  public programming for adults and children. Catherine led the development of MOFAD’s major  exhibitions – African/American: Making the Nation’s Table, Chow: Making the Chinese  American Restaurant, and Flavor: Making It and Faking It – as well as gallery shows – Highlights  from the Collection, Knights of the Raj NYC, and Feasts and Festivals. She has been part of the  MOFAD team since October 2014 and served as the museum’s interim president from March  through December 2020.

In 2021, Catherine served as the juror for Dough, a national art exhibition at Hera Gallery in  Rhode Island. She holds an M.A. in Food Studies from Chatham University and a B.S. with  honors in Social and Cultural History from Carnegie Mellon University.