Philadelphia History Meetup

The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) will hold its next book club meeting on Tuesday, November 17 at 7 pm on Zoom. The November Book Club selection will be Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution by Denise Kiernan. Obstinate Daughters finally rewrites the story of America’s birth by revealing the courageous, resourceful women whose actions shaped a nation.

Readers will meet women who armed themselves and took matters into their own hands to defend their town. A Cherokee leader who warned patriot settlements of looming attacks, risking the lives of her own people in the process. A British spy at the center of a plot to assassinate George Washington. Enslaved women who risked their lives while fighting a parallel battle for their own freedom, embodying the very ideals the revolution claimed to uphold. The only woman to have her name on the Declaration of Independence. And many more.

There is no fee to join the book club and everyone is welcome! Participants should come ready to discuss the book. The Zoom link will be sent out the week of the meeting in the APT Tour Talk email. Non-members who wish to attend should contact APT Secretary Pam Covey phillyguides@gmail.com by 5 pm the day of the meeting to get the Zoom link.

The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) has arranged for a free Zoom webinar on November 18 at 7 pm. APT member Lauren McKinney will launch a "fireside chat" webinar with award-winning author William Woys Weaver discussing themes mentioned in his newest book, Pepperpot City, followed by questions from the viewers. This promises to be an exciting session exploring new topics, old questions, and how food defines who we are.

William Woys Weaver is an internationally known food historian and award‑winning author of more than 23 books, including Heirloom Vegetable Gardening, As American as Shoofly Pie, and The Roughwood Book of Pickling. His work has received multiple International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) honors and a Julia Child Award, and he has appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air and Good Morning America.

A former contributing editor to Gourmet and adjunct professor, Weaver has curated major culinary exhibitions and advises on historical foodways. An accomplished food photographer and organic gardener, his recent titles include Flavors from the Garden (2021) and Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Tales (2022). Pepperpot City was published in 2026.

Pepperpot City: Philadelphia and the Foundation of American Cuisine, An Illustrated History is a lavishly illustrated collection of seventeen thematic essays ranging from memoir to investigative history written by veteran food writer and Philadelphian William Woys Weaver, providing an engaging and accessible tour of Old Philadelphia cuisine. For Weaver, it is pepperpot soup that evokes the dynamic at the center of Philadelphia’s culinary history, tracing how the soup’s African and Spanish heritage underwent many local adaptations that made it thoroughly Philadelphian. He also chronicles the careers of important individuals—showing how the culinary touchstones of what it means to cook American first emerged from the hands of an array of Philadelphia cooks and caterers.

From ice cream to sweet potato pie, Weaver highlights the foods created in the Philadelphia region that are now quintessential symbols of American food culture: lemon meringue pie, cream cheese, tomato catsup, the hamburger, and even bubblegum. Pepperpot City also includes recipes from Old Philadelphia as well as full-color photographs of Weaver’s modernized re-creations of historical dishes, including pepperpot soup.

Order the book at www.pennpress.org and use discount code PENN-WWWEAVER30 at checkout for a 30% discount!

Participation is free. Please RSVP on the website event description; the Zoom link will be sent out a day or two before the webinar. Contact Alex Morigi vicepresident@phillyguides.org with any questions.

The topic is fascinating and well-researched - please join us!
Photo: right - Julia Child and William Woys Weaver in the 1990s