Opening Celebration Attendees Give Institute’s New ‘Lunchtime’ Exhibition an A+
The sold-out crowd explored the surprising history behind the school lunch with a themed food tasting, chalkboard memory wall, and curator’s talk.
The Science History Institute welcomed a sold-out crowd to the opening of our new exhibition, Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray, on view now through January 2026. Held on Friday, September 27, the lively celebration featured school lunch-themed food, drinks, and games, as well as a curator’s talk and partner meet-and-greets.
In addition to getting a first peek at Lunchtime, visitors sipped on “Principal’s Punch” and sampled such school lunch-inspired delicacies as mini grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna salad on crackers, sirloin sliders, and French bread pizza bites. While guests shared their favorite school lunch memories and ideas for future meals on our chalkboard memory wall, a special school lunch-themed round of quizzo took place, with winners taking home gift certificates to some of Philly’s favorite eateries.
Institute president and CEO David Cole introduced the night’s speakers, which included Teresa Fleming, interim COO of the School District of Philadelphia; Valerie Gay, Creative Philadelphia’s chief cultural officer; and exhibition curator Jesse Smith, who presented a behind-the-scenes look at Lunchtime. Also on site were students from local food organization Rebel Ventures, creators of Rebel Crumbles, an apple-filled healthy cake served in schools throughout the city, and Chef Mike Haracz from Foodology by Univar Solutions, whose spin on the pudding cup was a huge hit.
School Lunch Bracket
Our School Lunch Bracket is now open, and we invite you to vote for your favorite school lunch foods, past, present, and future. Fill out this short form to help us narrow down the competition and then follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X to see if your picks made the cut. The winning school lunch will be announced on Monday, October 21, 2024, following National School Lunch Week.
About Lunchtime
Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray explores the surprising story behind one of the most familiar rites of passage—eating a school lunch. Drawing from nearly 250 years of rare scientific instruments, posters, pamphlets, photographs, and period editions of books popularizing new ideas about a “proper” diet, Lunchtime delves into the history of food science and the difficulty of feeding schoolchildren nationwide.
The exhibition also highlights innovations like dehydrated and frozen foods, preservatives, and cellophane, as well as the leading role the federal government played in the development of the school lunch. Visitors will also learn about the unique and important Philadelphia connection in jumpstarting a national conversation around children’s access to food in the early 1900s.
Lunchtime is on view through January 2026 at the Science History Institute’s free museum at 315 Chestnut Street, Wednesday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm.
Media Coverage
Lunchtime was featured in the following media outlets:
Food Fight: The History of the School Lunch at Philly’s Science History Institute
WHYY | October 1, 2024
Philly Museum’s School Lunch Exhibit Shares Insights into History of Nutrition, Childhood
Chalkbeat | September 30, 2024
Here’s the Science to School Lunch
Fox29 | September 30, 2024
History of School Lunch Exhibit (watch at 19:00)
6ABC Action News at 11 | September 27, 2024
Exhibit on School Lunches Will Feature Antique Milk Testers and Nutrition Comics
PhillyVoice | September 16, 2024
Support
Support for Lunchtime has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Foodology by Univar Solutions, Quaker Houghton, and Fred and Elizabeth Weber.
About The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is a multidisciplinary grantmaker and hub for knowledge-sharing, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, dedicated to fostering a vibrant cultural community in Greater Philadelphia. The Center invests in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases the region’s cultural vitality and enhances public life, and engages in an exchange of ideas concerning artistic and interpretive practice with a broad network of cultural practitioners and leaders.
All images: Science History Institute/Meredith Edlow
More News
Institute to Host Consortium for History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Five-year agreement allows the collaborative membership organization to remain in Philadelphia.
Explore the History of Science on the School Food Tray with Institute’s New ‘Lunchtime’ Exhibition Opening September 27
Visitors will uncover the surprising story behind the school lunch.
Science History Institute Hosts 2024 Gordon Cain Conference
“Storytelling as Pedagogy” program explored using scientific biographies in the classroom and beyond.