American Food Museums

American Food Museums

The United States is scattered with niche museums for everything from buttons to miniature houses. America is home to museums paying homage to popcorn, vinegar, and many other food-inspired fares. We spoke with the founder and curator of the National Mustard Museum to discover what motivated him to open his museum and why mustard is his condiment of choice.

National Mustard Museum

Barry Levenson was an assistant attorney general for the State of Wisconsin in 1986 when he decided to begin collecting mustard. As Levenson tells it, inspiration struck when he was in a grocery store after his favorite team, the Red Sox, lost the World Series.

"I just happened to turn down the condiment aisle and decided I needed to collect something," explains Levenson, "and I was in front of the mustards. I had always liked it, and I had already started doing a little experimenting with it. I said, 'I wonder how many there are?' I bought a dozen that night, and said I'm going to start collecting mustards. There was something about mustard that resonated with me. I had no idea where that would lead me."

From those first 12 mustards, his assortment quickly grew. Levenson was promoted to head of the criminal appeals division, but that didn't slow his mustard collection in the slightest.

"It was supposed to be just a little hobby, but I guess it got out of control," explains Levenson. "I would tell friends about it and word spread, and people were showing up at my doorstep on weekends asking to see the collection. As that 10 or 12 grew to a couple hundred, I became more and more fascinated by mustard. I always wondered what would happen if I opened this as a museum open to the public."

As a successful lawyer, the career change would be drastic, but Levenson was dedicated to the idea and it didn't take long for him to make the jump.

"So I just did it," Levenson says. "I left my job. Crazy, but I did. It was scary. That really is jumping out of a plane without a parachute. But I guess, see if you bounce, right?"

Judging by the success of the National Mustard Museum since then, it's safe to say Levenson bounced pretty well.

"I opened it here in Wisconsin in 1992. Originally, we may have had 1,000 [varieties of mustard]. We have just surpassed the 6,000-mustard mark here at the museum, and we have mustards from 87 different countries."

The museum also sponsors several events that help attract tourism and draw excitement about mustard.

"The museum runs the international mustard competition every year," Levenson says. "We've been doing that since about 1995. We get mustards from all over the world that are sent here to be judged in different flavor categories."

Another event sponsored by the museum is National Mustard Day.1

Other American Food Museums

If niche food museums interest you, you're in luck – there are quite a few to choose from around the country. Below are some of the most interesting food museums we found.

The Wyandot Popcorn Museum holds a variety of antique popcorn poppers, some of which date back to the late 19th century.2 The machines are displayed under a circus tent that has been erected inside the building. Steam-powered popcorn machines, horse-drawn carriages, and popcorn trucks are just some of the displays that can be found here. The museum is in Marion, Ohio, where there is an annual popcorn festival.3

Located in Roslyn, South Dakota, the International Vinegar Museum originated when a local non-profit was looking for a way to promote tourism to the town. Lawrence Diggs, also known as The Vinegar Man, had the idea for a vinegar museum, and it was formed in 1999 in the historic Roslyn Auditorium. The museum allows visitors to taste a wide variety of vinegars and the opportunity to take some of their favorites home.4

Originally opened as the Hormel Foods First Century Museum in 1991, the SPAM Museum has undergone a name change and a move to a larger location in recent years. The new space includes family-friendly activities, games, and displays, as well as a theater and gift shop. If you want to pay homage to pre-cooked canned meats, you're in luck – the Spam Museum is admission-free.5

The Idaho Potato Museum is located in Blackfoot, Idaho, and it's exhibits include the world's largest potato chip, a history of potato consumption, and a hall of fame for impressive contributions to the potato industry.6

The Dr. Pepper Museum opened in 1989 in the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company building in Waco, Texas where Dr. Pepper was first bottled. The facility includes a recreation of Waco's Old Corner Drugstore which was operated by Dr. Wade Morrison, who lent his honorific to the drink he created. The building also houses Frosty's Soda Shop, where visitors can enjoy Dr. Pepper as well as ice cream and other food options in a 1950s-themed soda shop.7

The Hershey Museum is in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and educates visitors about the history of the company and its founder, Milton Hershey. Many of the exhibits are hands-on, giving visitors the opportunity to taste and make different varieties of chocolate.8


"We know that people are often stressed in their daily life, and we want this to be a refuge from that," says Levenson. "This is a place where people are going to learn about mustard, but they're going to have a lot of fun doing it. It's all about the fun and part of the fun is tasting because you can taste hundreds of mustards when you come here."

References

  1. National Mustard Day. National Mustard Museum. Accessed July 2022.
  2. Wyandot Popcorn Museum. Wyandot Popcorn Museum. Accessed July 2022.
  3. Marion Popcorn Festival. Marion Popcorn Festival. Accessed July 2022.
  4. International Vinegar Museum. International Vinegar Museum. Accessed July 2022.
  5. SPAM Museum. SPAM. Accessed July 2022.
  6. Idaho Potato Museum. Idaho Potato Museum. Accessed July 2022.
  7. Dr. Pepper Museum. Dr. Pepper Museum. Accessed July 2022.
  8. The Hershey Story. The Hershey Story. Accessed July 2022.