Kelly A. Spring Author Event • SPAM: A Global History

Kelly A. Spring, PhD, is a food studies author, entrepreneur, researcher, and lecturer. Her work examines the impact of domestic crises and international conflict on domestic and global food systems in British and American history. Her company, The Fork Front which is based in Washington, D.C., offers services ranging from consulting, researching and writing about food history to creating curated food history narratives, courses, and menus. She founded and is the lead convener of the Institute of Historical Research’s Food History Seminar in the UK. She is also a Fellow of the Institute. Additionally, she co-hosts the monthly food history podcast, The Hungry Historians. Kelly’s latest book, SPAM: A Global History (Reaktion Press, 2025), charts how food was used by the United States to spread its culture and values in wartime, impacting people’s foodways and lifestyles around the globe. To find out more about Kelly’s current projects, as well as her food musings and adventures, you can follow her on Instagram @theforkfront.A cultural history of the celebrated (and derided) canned protein.

Gaby Maeda grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, where exposure to diverse cuisines inspired her love of cooking. She spent two years at Hiroshi’s Eurasian Tapas, realizing her passion for the culinary arts. Drawn by San Francisco’s diversity and abundant farms, vineyards, and seafood, she moved there to continue her career.

After graduating from the California Culinary Academy in 2009, Maeda completed an externship at Restaurant Gary Danko and spent five years honing her culinary skills on the line. In 2014, she joined State Bird Provisions as a line cook and worked her way up to Executive Chef, learning to blend flavors from her upbringing with evolved Californian cuisine, build strong relationships with local purveyors, and lead with respect under chefs Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski.

Maeda has been recognized as a James Beard Rising Star Chef finalist (2020) and Best Chef California semi-finalist (2025), and was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs (2021).

In 2024, she became Head Chef at Friends and Family Bar in Oakland, CA, collaborating with owner Blake Cole to create a welcoming dining experience and safe space for all.

 
 SPAM: A Global History- 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, a conflict that solidified SPAM’s place in global food culture. Created by Hormel Foods in 1937 to utilize surplus pork during the Great Depression, SPAM became an essential resource (and marker of American food culture) during the war. This book explores SPAM’s complex history, highlighting its enduring legacy in places like Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines, Okinawa, and South Korea. Kelly A. Spring demonstrates how the enduring protein in SPAM played a crucial role during wartime and continues to influence global diets.