Tom Hughes

Tom Hughes and his wife, Meredith Sayles Hughes, are the couple behind the world’s first Potato Museum, the Food Museum Online, and the Food Heritage Center. The museums research, collect, preserve, exhibit and explain the history and social significance of the world's foods, and bring artifacts and programs to audiences of all ages. The Hugheses are pioneers in exhibiting food history, as curators of major exhibitions at the Smithsonian, the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, DC and Canada’s National Museum of Science and Industry. They also are innovators in “pop up” exhibits, including a series of three-foot square kiosk displays in supermarkets on 15 different food topics. Tom and Meredith are the authors of many books including "Gastronomie! Food Museums and Heritage Sites of France." This was the first book to define and explain the concept of food historic sites. Tom, a teacher, did two nationwide educational tours, speaking to civic groups and as a guest on radio and tv talk shows, both national and local, including “Late Night with David Letterman, “NBC Nightly News” and “Charlie Rose.” Tom’s most recent books are "Hot Potato Capital of the World: DC Nickname Campaign" and "Food Heritage Matters.” Meredith and Tom have collaborated on a wide range of public programs and lectures, both here and abroad, as well as teacher workshops, school presentations, panels and served as consultants on a wide-range of documentary film and publishing projects. Next to accomplish: establish a permanent base for their Food Heritage Center and its proposed global network of food-themed museums and historic sites while continuing to advocate for a National Museum of Food in Washington, DC.