Sip of History: Vanilla, the Edible Orchid

Join Maite Gomez-Rejón of ArtBites for an engaging conversation, a guided gallery and conservatory visit, and a hands-on cocktail-making session inspired by the rich history of the vanilla orchid.
Classes

This class will trace the history of vanilla, from its Mesoamerican origins to the billion-dollar East African industry and its place in our beloved ice cream flavor. Following a tour of the galleries and botanical center—where vanilla is grown—we will prepare two vanilla-forward cocktails and a bottle of vanilla extract.

Key Details

  • This program will be held indoors in the Ahmanson Classroom.
  • All supplies and materials included.
  • Participants must be 21 or older.

Day of Program

  • Check in with Education staff at Admission window #10 at 3:30 p.m.

For questions about this event, email Joy Yamahata or call 626-405-3457.

A vanilla plant with yellow leaves and a red flower.

About the Instructor

Maite Gomez-Rejón has been exploring the nexus of art and culinary history for over a decade, through lectures, cooking classes, and tastings presented at museums and cultural centers across the country. She has worked in the education departments of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the J. Paul Getty Museum; has taught art history at the college level; and worked as a private chef and caterer. A native of South Texas, Gomez-Rejón earned a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin, an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a grand diplôme from the French Culinary Institute in New York City. She worked in restaurant kitchens in France and Mexico before combining her two passions of art and food in 2007 when she founded ArtBites.

Class Ticketing Policies

  • Tickets are not sold at the door for this event.

  • To join the waitlist for this event, please email publicprograms@huntington.org. A space is not guaranteed, and you will be contacted if a space becomes available.

  • To receive a refund, you must cancel at least 5 days prior to the event. Cancellations made within 5 days of the event will not be refunded.