Exhibition

Memories Are Made in the Kitchen

Celebrate the stories, technologies, and cherished objects found in diverse kitchens throughout Canada.

From the memories stirred up by cooking and eating, to the traditions that are adapted over time, visitors are invited to reflect on the experiences of a wide range of communities. Through stories, photographs, artifacts, and kitchen objects, this exhibition highlights how the preparation and sharing of food can hold powerful memories and help shape new ones.

Memories Are Made in the Kitchen was developed in collaboration with over 100 community participants who shared their stories and offered a glimpse into their kitchens.

Exhibition highlights

Explore a series of beautiful photographs and meaningful stories from community participants across Canada
Experience a collection of kitchen objects that evoke your own memories and inspire new culinary discoveries
Multisensory experiences including videos, audio stories, soundscapes and even taste in the adjoining Demonstration Kitchen
Young visitors can get creative, explore new ideas, and connect with food and culture through hands-on fun in the accessible Lil’ Chefs Play Kitchen.

Included with museum admission

In the Dairy Barn, second level

A woman wearing a red checkered apron kneads dough on a table. — Hayrire kneads the dough for manti, a stuffed dough from Turkey. Photo by Akintunde Akinleye.

Multiple hands fill dough on a black table. — Multiple hands fill dough to make manti. Photo by Akintunde Akinleye.

A hand touches a hand-written recipe book. — Ralph shares his grandmother Solange’s recipe book, including the handwritten recipe for lambi creole, a Haitian conch stew. Photo by Akintunde Akinleye.

A close-up of two hands holding white rice. — Maryam rinses rice before making kabuli pulao, a rice dish from Afghanistan. Photo by Akintunde Akinleye.

A woman in a yellow jacket pours oil into a pan in the kitchen. — Ama, the host of Mets à mots d’Afrique, prepares to fry plantains for plantain pancakes. Photo by Akintunde Akinleye.

A woman pours batter from a bowl into a baking pan. — Andrea pours the batter for honey cake, a Jewish New Year tradition. Photo by Lisa Milosavljevic.

A man in a black baseball cap holds a potato in his hands while cutting it in a kitchen. — Eugene cuts potatoes for his traditional fish stew in his kitchen in Newfoundland. Photo by Heritage NL.

A close up of a hand preparing cookies. — Francisca prepares chin chin, a deep-fried cookie from Cameroon. Photo by Lisa Milosavljevic.

Two boys work at a kitchen counter rolling dough. — Karam and Hamza learn how to make Punjabi parathas. Photo by Lindsay Ralph.

A woman wearing a headscarf and a boy in a green shirt work on opposite sides of a counter preparing Punjabi parathas. — Tahira and Karam make Punjabi parathas. Photo by Lindsay Ralph.

A man in a black apron stirrs a large pot on a gas stove. — Julien, a chef from Vanier Museopark, makes traditional French Canadian pea soup. Photo by Lindsay Ralph.

An elderly woman and a young man work to roll dough. The woman is dabbing the man's forehead with a cloth. — Nicolina and Matteo make Italian casciatelli. Photo by Lisa Milosavljevic.

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Nana’s Jamaican Christmas pudding

Discover the heartwarming story of Nana’s Jamaican Christmas pudding, a cherished holiday tradition spanning over a century. Passed down through generations, this rich dessert embodies heritage and home, with its preparation involving soaked fruits, a burnt-sugar mixture, and hours of steaming for its signature texture. Mary Anne continues the tradition in Canada using her mother’s mixing bowl and wooden spoon, treasured symbols of love and connection. As a preview to the Memories Are Made in the Kitchen exhibition, this story highlights how culinary traditions preserve history, unite families, and bridge cultures.

Visit this display now on the second level of the Dairy Barn. Handed down from mother to daughter, this rich and dense pudding is more than a recipe—it’s a connection to heritage and home.

Thank you

Part of this exhibition was developed in partnership with Laurysen Kitchens

This exhibition was developed with the generous support of the Ingenium Foundation

Memories Are Made in the Kitchen

Exhibition highlights

Nana’s Jamaican Christmas pudding

Thank you

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Demonstration Kitchen

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Memories Are Made in the Kitchen

Exhibition highlights

Nana’s Jamaican Christmas pudding

Thank you

You may also be interested in

Demonstration Kitchen

Sustainable Agriculture Gallery

Aquaculture: Farming the Waters

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