Photography Credit: FrontRoom Images.
Step back into an era of dazzling dinner parties, extravagant menus, and unforgettable culinary creations during Dining in the Gilded Age, an entertaining evening with food historian and author Becky Libourel Diamond.
The extraordinary excess of America’s Gilded Age continues to fascinate us today—but nowhere was its opulence more visible than at the dining table. Travel back in time to lavish banquet rooms filled with snow-white tablecloths, delicate china, gleaming silverware, and sparkling crystal glasses.
Discover how the Gilded Age transformed the way Americans cooked, entertained, and dined. Hear fascinating stories about celebrated families such as the Vanderbilts and Astors and explore the elegant—and sometimes wonderfully unusual—foods served at their tables, from rich soups and succulent roasts to elaborate aspics and decadent desserts.
Becky will also reveal how new inventions, changing technology, and emerging industries created exciting opportunities in the culinary world and helped shape many of the dining traditions we still enjoy today.
Whether you are fascinated by food history, Gilded Age society, historic recipes, or the extravagant lifestyles of America’s wealthiest families, this flavorful journey through the past promises to be both educational and deliciously entertaining.
About the Speaker
Becky Libourel Diamond is a food writer, librarian, and research historian specializing in culinary history. Her most recent book, The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook, combines fascinating historical details and celebrity stories with period holiday menus and recipes adapted for modern kitchens.
She is also the author of The Gilded Age Cookbook, The Thousand Dollar Dinner, and Mrs. Goodfellow: The Story of America’s First Cooking School. Becky holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Rider University and a master’s degree in library service from Rutgers University. She has worked as a business librarian at Rutgers–New Brunswick since 2020.
Her forthcoming book, City Tavern: The Founding Table, scheduled for release in August 2026, explores the important role Philadelphia’s historic City Tavern played during America’s founding era.
Event Details
📅 Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2026
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: Saratoga Springs History Museum at the Canfield Casino, Congress Park, Saratoga Springs, NY
🎟 Admission: Free for Saratoga Springs History Museum members | $10 General Admission