It’s true: you are what you eat!
Inspired by the Smithsonian Institution, “FOOD — Celebrating Conch Cuisine” is a landmark exhibit that celebrates the powerful role food plays in shaping human culture, identity, and society.
The Key West Edition, which opens on Friday, February 27 and runs through January 3, 2027, at the Key West Historical Society’s Custom House Museum, brings a regional focus to the story, diving deep into the culinary traditions of the Florida Keys. It’s a totally immersive experience that reveals fascinating insights into how food has defined life in our unique island chain.
But here’s what’s really cool about FOOD: this special Key West Edition brings a regional focus to the story, diving deep into the culinary traditions of the Florida Keys. It also provides a fascinating insight into how food has defined life in our unique island chain.
FOOD explores how Indigenous know-how, our Afro-Caribbean heritage, Cuban and Bahamian migration, as well as maritime trade routes, all contributed to the bold, resourceful, and flavorful food traditions of the Keys.
From traditional seafood harvesting techniques, to the invention of Key Lime Pie and the rise of Cuban coffee stands, this delicious exhibit traces how local food ways have responded to environmental, political, and economic change over time.
Interactive displays, original artifacts, oral histories, and multi-media storytelling examine how the Keys’ isolated geography, climate and cultural diversity shaped ingredient accessibility, storage methods, and cooking innovations.
This major cultural event serves as both a local lens and a broader reflection of the Smithsonian’s mission to connect food with identity, memory, and meaning. It also inspires us to consider how what we eat tells a larger story — one of resilience, migration, adaptation, and belonging — especially in a place as historically rich and culturally diverse as the Florida Keys.
“FOOD — Celebrating Conch Cuisine” opens on Friday, February 27 with a special Opening Night Reception from 5 – 8 pm. On view daily from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm, at the Key West Art & Historical Society’s Custom House Museum, 281 Front St. Info: 305-850-8343; kwahs.org.
