(Detroit) Local Food Industry (history) talks

Macomb Community College is hosting a trio of talks on our local food industry this Fall:

* Oct. 7, 2010 at 11 am: "Sanders Confectionery" by widely published freelance writer Greg Tasker, author of the photographic anthology Sanders Confectionery (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2006). Tasker will trace the more than 130-year history of Detroit's famous confectioner, Sanders, which at its peak had more than 50 stores and products distributed through 200 supermarkets, to its near extinction in the 1980's and its resurgence through another Detroit institution, Morley Brands.

* Oct. 24, 2010 at 2 pm: "Detroit's Drink: The Vernor's Ginger Ale Story" by Keith Wunderlich, author of the photographic anthology Vernor's Ginger Ale (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2008). Wunderlich , a collector of Vernor's Ginger Ale history, advertising and ephemera for more than 30 years, will trace the history of America's oldest continuously produced soft drink, from its creation in a small Detroit pharmacy to factory production, from entrepreneur to franchised corporation.

* Nov. 6, 2010 at 1 pm: "Fresh to Success" by Jack Aronson, Detroit restaurateur and founder/ president of Garden Fresh Gourmet (Ferndale), the nation's best-selling fresh salsa. Aronson will share the story of his company's growth, from experimenting with recipes in the backroom of his barbecue restaurant to a product line sold in 40 states and Canada.

The talks will be given at MCC's Albert L. Lorenzo Cultural Center, 44575 Garfield, Clinton Twp., MI. Pre-registration is required; for more info, call 586-445-7348 or e-mail culturalcenter@macomb.edu.