See 'Sweet Inventions' at new exhibit opening Oct. 8 at Gail Borden Library

With the community's history of dairy farming, Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave. in downtown Elgin, was selected to be one of the host libraries for the "Culinary Curiosity" exhibition, which opens on Oct. 8 and continues to Jan. 5.

The exhibit is a celebration of technical innovation in the world of food drawn from the personal collections of food industry veterans Mel and Janet Mickevic.

Melvin, an MIT-educated food scientist and entrepreneur, engineered innovations in food-processing technologies and production methods. His interest in culinary arts led him to collect manually operated devices that represent technical ingenuity.

Different elements of the exhibit will be hosted simultaneously at four libraries - Gail Borden, Arlington Heights Memorial Public Library, Aurora Public Library and Schaumburg Township District Library.

The exhibit features more than 250 objects, organized according to food preparation techniques - mixing, roasting, forming, and so on.

The topics highlighted at the Gail Borden exhibit will be "Sweet Inventions," "Bakers' Secrets," and "Fire and Heat."

In "Sugar & Butter: A Taste of Elgin," sample treats from local eateries and vendors while exploring the exhibit from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24.

On Monday, Oct. 28, former "Check, Please!" host Catherine De Orio will dish up hearty food talk at 7 p.m. The former longtime host of the Emmy Award-winning dining review show now travels the country for her company Culinary Curator.

Attend in person or watch the Facebook Live stream when this top influencer in Chicago's culinary scene talks about the food-themed pieces of "Culinary Curiosity" that will be found at each of the four libraries, as well as exciting restaurants to discover in all four communities.

Download a "passport" and visit two or all four of the "Culinary Curiosity" libraries to earn prizes.

For information, visit www.gailborden.info.