FOOD CITY

A 2017 James Beard Award Nominee: From the breweries of New Amsterdam to Brooklyn's Sweet'n Low, a vibrant account of four centuries of food production in New York City. New York is hailed as one of the world's ''food capitals,'' but the history of food-making in the city has been mostly lost. Since the establishment of the first Dutch brewery, the commerce and culture of food enriched New York and promoted its influence on America and the world by driving innovations in machinery and transportation, shaping international trade, and feeding sailors and soldiers at war. Food historian Joy Santlofer re-creates the texture of everyday life in a growing metropolis. Food City recovers the fruitful tradition behind today's local brewers and confectioners, recounting how food shaped a city and a nation.