JULY 27, 2022 — Culinary anthropologist Diana Kennedy passed away in her home in Zitácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico on Sunday, July 24. She was 99 years old.
Kennedy, an expert on traditional Mexican cooking who self-identified as an ethno-gastronomer, became a special friend of UTSA Libraries Special Collections just a few short years ago. She built her expertise in Mexican cuisine through 50 years of travel throughout Mexico.
She graciously bestowed to the care of UTSA Libraries her life’s work, which documents her research and travels to each Mexican state; the development of her cookbooks; the publicity she received, and the awards she won throughout her career and her personal life spanning 1941-2019.
Kennedy visited with people in their homes and in local markets to conduct research on and meticulously document native ingredients, traditional recipes, and local plants and herbs. During her career, she authored nine cookbooks and is known for giving credit where credit is due. She never claimed the recipes as her own. She attributed each recipe to the individual who shared it with her.
A native of Britain, Kennedy received numerous honors over the course of her journeyings and love affair with Mexican culture and cuisine. She received an honor from the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor awarded by the Mexican government to foreign nationals, and the Order of the British Empire.
In 2019, UTSA Libraries Special Collections acquired Kennedy’s collection of 11 19th-century Mexican cookbooks. Included was the extremely rare 1828 cookbook, Arte nuevo de cocina y repostería acomodado al uso mexicano, which has now been fully digitized and is available online.
"Diana Kennedy was a trailblazer who made the traditions of Mexican culture and cuisine accessible to all, and we are deeply grateful for her commitment to sharing her knowledge and experiences through her cookbooks,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “Although Diana will be greatly missed, we will proudly uphold her legacy through her collections housed at UTSA Libraries Special Collections to ensure her stories and culture live on forever.”
Kennedy hand-delivered the antiquarian books to UTSA in February 2019. She chose UTSA as the steward of her collection due to San Antonio’s strong connection to Mexico and UTSA Special Collections’ extensive Mexican cookbook collection. “I think it seems to be a natural bridge between Mexico and the U.S., really,” said Kennedy of her collection finding its home in San Antonio. “San Antonio has always been a good crossing point, and I think it (my collection) would be used here.”
“She opened the box and took every book out and got very emotional, said they were her babies,” said Amy Rushing, assistant vice provost of UTSA Libraries Special Collections of Kennedy’s 2019 journey to San Antonio. “You could see that it was hard for her to turn them over.”
“She entrusted us with her legacy, which has and will continue to inspire chefs and researchers of Mexican cookery well into the future. It’s an honor and privilege to be stewards of her collection, preserve it and share it with the world,” Rushing added.
In addition to the rare books, Special Collections also is the home of Kennedy’s rich and extensive archives of handwritten research notes, scrapbooks, menus, photographs, publicity and awards, correspondence with key culinary individuals and friends, and material documenting the development of her cookbooks. The archives offer an intimate view and first-hand account of Kennedy’s travels and research.
“Diana lived a life of adventure, curiosity, and of course, great food. We will miss her very much,” said Dean Hendrix, UTSA vice provost and university librarian.
In 2020, Special Collections received an additional 152 books from Kennedy’s working library. These books were her personal reference library—books she would consult while researching. Some of the books contain her notes in the margins.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
The UTSA Office of Undergraduate is proud to celebrate National Undergraduate Research with an annual event sponsored by the (OUR) featuring students will showcase undergraduate student research and creative endeavors from all disciplines across campus.
Various LocationsAsian Fanfair is an event that highlights our APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander Desi American) identities on campus. The event will feature performances from our AAPI interest Student Organizations, a tabling fair, and some cultural cuisine.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusJoin us for a day dedicated to supporting and empowering our UTSA veterans! We're excited to announce our upcoming resource fair, designed specifically to ensure that our veteran students have access to the resources and networking opportunities they need to thrive in their academic and post-military lives.
Student Union Lawn, Main CampusThis workshop will introduce participants to the basics of text analysis using Python and Jupyter Notebook on the Constellate Lab platform. We will create datasets in Constellate to analyze patterns, trends, and relationships of contents and more.
John Peace Library (JPL 3.02.32), Main CampusWhat would award-winning writing professor Diane Abdo say if it were her last lecture? Join us for our annual Last Lecture series on Wednesday April 17.
Multipurpose Room (BSE 2.102), Main CampusDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza, Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair features contemporary art from more than 100 artists from across the U.S., Fiesta favorite foods, drinks, live music by local and regional performers, and a Young Artists Garden providing opportunities for budding artists to learn, explore and express their creativity.
UTSA Southwest CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.