Kansas City's culinary style has been a matter of discussion since Sarah Coates, wife of mover-and-shaker Kersey Coates, complained about the food in the 1850s. But restaurant life in Missouri's raucous Cowtown didn't really begin to boom until the 1930s, during the Great Depression. During the economic highs and lows of the next seven decades, there have always been good places to dine in Kansas City, including legendary venues such as the Forum Cafeteria, Bretton's, Eddy's, Putsch's 210, and the Savoy Grill.

Charles Ferruzza leads a discussion of how dining tastes and culture have changed since the 1930s on Sunday, July 19, at 2 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Ferruzza has served as the restaurant critic for The Pitch since 2000. He has been nominated for a prestigious James Beard Award, and his writing has appeared in The Best Food Writing anthology for 2007 and 2008.  He has appeared regularly on The Walt Bodine Show for more than two decades and hosts Anything Goes on KKFI 90.1 FM.

This presentation is part of the Missouri Valley Speakers Series, a program of the Missouri Valley Special Collections at the Central Library. The series is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.