Culinary Historians of San Diego will present “Before the Baguette: The History of French Bread,” featuring Jim Chevalier: Chevallier will explain why the iconic baguette and croissant are actually late-comers to French bread-baking; and walk his audience back to the breads that preceded those. He will also detail how the many varieties of bread which began to appear in the 17th Century have continued to evolve; and explore these on-going and intricate changes. Jim Chevallier began as a bread historian, but took a detour in recent years to write “A History of the Food of Paris: From Roast Mammoth to Steak Frites,” named by CHOICE as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2019. His most recent work is “Before the Baguette: The History of French Bread.” This follows works on the baguette and the croissant which have been widely cited both in America and in France. He is currently working on a history of early medieval French food. The event is free and open to the public.