What Happened to Horseshoes?

What Happened to Horseshoes?

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The Horseshoe, Springfield Illinois’ signature sandwich, has been inextricably linked to its political and social life since its creation in 1928. But the ‘shoes that almost inevitably are offered at Springfield’s casual eating establishments are a far cry from the original. In this talk, Julianne Glatz takes a look at Horseshoe history and how it’s morphed into its current form. 

Julianne Glatz has been the food writer for the Illinois Times, Springfield Illinois’s alternative weekly newspaper, since 2006. Prior to writing for the Illinois Times, Glatz earned a certificate in cooking principles at the Culinary Institute of America, owned a catering business, and taught cooking classes. Growing up on a produce farm provided Glatz with a knowledge of and appreciation for local ingredients and sparked her exploration of indigenous foods and their history both in her hometown of Springfield and in her travels.

This talk was part of the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance‘s fifth annual symposium, “Road Food: Exploring the Midwest One Bite at a Time.” Other events from this symposium recorded by Chicago Amplified—listed in the order they were presented—are as follows:

Marked for Life: My Travels on Route 66 in ‘53, with Terri Ryburn
State Fair Heirloom Recipe Contest, with Catherine Lambrecht
Mobile Food in 19th-Century Chicago, with Peter Engler
Food Trucks: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, with Louisa Chu
Will Success Spoil Regional Food?, with Michael Stern
The Drive-In Restaurant: Before and After the Dawn of Fast Food, Food Theater, with Mary Bergin
A Gopher Turned Badger Eats Hoosier, and Vice Versa: Midwestern Culinary Traditions in the Small-Town Cafe, with Joanne Stuttgen
What Happened to Horseshoes?, with Julianne Glatz
Pies on the Road, with Shirley Cherkasky
Ethnographic Food Writing, or How I Ate My Way Across Wisconsin and Lived to Tell About It, with Joanne Stuttgen
Culinary Tourism in the Land of Meat and Potatoes and Green Bean Casserole, with Lucy M. Long
Summer Vacations in Northern Wisconsin, with Kelly Sears
Born to be Mild: Oral Histories and Pathways of the Midwest Supper Club, with Dave Hoekstra
Farmers Markets of the Heartland, the Ultimate Road Trip, with Janine MacLachlan
On the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, with Clara Orban
Remarks by Marilyn Wilkinson of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art Curator-Led Tour

Recorded Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Kendall College.