The Culinary Historians of Southern California presents a Zoom accessible lecture:

“Kola Nuts & Ying Yang Twins” with Adaeze Nwanonyiri and Lenny Rosenberg on Saturday, October 11, 10:30 a.m., free, at the Los Angeles Central Library. A themed reception follows.

Igboland is an important cultural region in Southeastern Nigeria and the indigenous homeland of the Igbo tribe, one of the country’s largest ethnic groups. Agricultural abundance thrives due to its association with respect, spiritual realms, and ceremonial unity. Igbo customs often maintain identity and communal values through food. Of particular importance is the kola nut, a chewy, bitter-tasting fruit grown in Nigeria’s tropical rainforest, used as an offering to ancestors and deities in rituals. Wild cassava yam represents wealth, prosperity and masculinity. These slightly sweet vegetables have long been attributed to the high rate of twins within Igboland. Adaeze and Lenny introduce these ingredients, as well as traditional Nigerian dishes such as the rich, savory, somewhat spicy street food favorite “Ewa ati Aga Agonyin,” known to decipher one’s character.

Reservations are requested:

"Kola Nuts & Ying Yang Twins" Tickets, Sat, Oct 11, 2025 at 10:30 AM | Eventbrite

A themed reception follows.

The Presenters:

• Adaeze Nwanonyiri was born in Texas, the daughter of Nigerian parents. Her love of African foods was developed early under the guidance of relatives. As a young adult, she studied interior decorating and soon was working with local restaurants to match their food and concepts with her aesthetic vision. After moving to Los Angeles where she met Lenny, the two combined their business, baking and decorating skills.

• Lenny Rosenberg is from New York, where he took over his family’s bakery/cafe rebranding business and then moved to Southern California in 2000. Lenny met Adaeze and before long they bought and rebranded such notable California bakeries and cafes as The Nosh of Beverly Hills, 17th Street Café, Marmalade Café & Bakery in Santa Monica, Junior’s Bakery in Westwood, Bea’s Bakery in Los Angeles, and the newest acquisition, New York Bagel Deli and Bakery in Santa Monica.

Adaeze and Lenny are celebrating October 1, Nigerian Independence Day, and their new cookbook, “It’s a Sweet World: Recipes from Around the Globe at Bea’s Bakery.” The duo can be seen on Jewish Life Television (JLTV) in “It's a Sweet World,” a show focusing on the husband-and-wife team helping nonprofits and multicultural organizations successfully execute events.

Central Library parking: 524 South Flower Street Garage. Saturday $1 flat rate with validation (9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.). Take your parking ticket with you. Parking validation available at the library's Information Desk (first floor) by presenting a valid library card. Credit card or debit card payments can be made at the exit gates. Cash payments can only be made in machines at the P-1 level of the parking garage before returning to your car.

***Save the date! Our next program is Saturday, November 8, “How Vienna Changed Global Baking” with Rick Rodgers.

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About the event organizer, Culinary Historians of Southern California:

It’s our 30th anniversary! People with a passion for food beyond the knife and fork founded the Culinary Historians of Southern California in 1995 as an affiliate of the Los Angeles Public Library. Typical of library patrons, they sought an intellectual as well as gastronomic approach to food, but not at the expense of taking themselves so seriously that they would forget to have fun.

Today’s membership of 275+ men and women spans a range of ages, occupations and interests. It comprises not only food professionals ― from chefs, writers and academics to product purveyors and restaurateurs ― but also people in fields such as marketing, television, theatre, and museums. And then there are those simply intrigued by the mysteries of food and pleasures of the table.

Programs span across centuries and cultures. CHSC raises funds specifically for the downtown LA Central Library’s Culinary Collection. For more information or to join, visit chsocal.org.