This week, Amy Bizzarri discusses her cookbook and travelogue, Route 66 Recipes: A Culinary Cruise Along the Mother Road, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the famous highway. Bizzarri talks about the food history of the legendary road, and the diners, cafes, soda shops, and dive bars that make up the landscape. Moderated by editor and writer Erica Floyd. Discover more stories about Route 66 here!
This program was part of the 2026 American Writers Festival. Co-hosted by the American Writers Museum and Chicago Public Library, the American Writers Festival is a free literary event featuring in-depth conversations with diverse writers from across genres and backgrounds. This conversation took place June 6, 2026 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum.
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More about Route 66 Recipes:
Cook up iconic dishes from all along Route 66 in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Fuel up with the "world's best" coffee and donut holes at Lou Mitchell's in downtown Chicago and then cruise into Doc's Soda Fountain in Girard for a fizzy Green River phosphate. The tiger stripe fudge in Uranus, Missouri, doesn't disappoint, but you best save room for the Big Texan seventy-two-ounce steak challenge in Amarillo. Bop into Midpoint Café in Adrian for a slice of ugly crust pie and then ready yourself for a fiesta of flavors in New Mexico, from prickly pear margaritas to poblanos rellenos. Arizona's Hualapai Lodge serves up piñon stew, rich with tradition, just like the comforting bowl of chili you can dig into at Barney's Beanery in Santa Monica, the end of the road.
Author Amy Bizzarri serves up recipes—each paired with a side of history—that capture the essence of the classic diners, cozy chili parlors, welcoming inns, old-school soda shops, tasty burger joints, and unforgettable dive bars that have fueled generations of travelers.
AMY BIZZARRI is a Chicago-based author whose books celebrate the flavors, stories, and roadways that shaped American culture. Her work spans the country's most iconic routes and eras, from Route 66 Recipes, a culinary journey along the Mother Road, to The Civilian Conservation Corps Cookbook, which revives dishes from one of the nation's most influential New Deal programs. She has chronicled regional food traditions in Iconic Chicago Dishes, Drinks and Desserts and Iconic Hollywood Dishes, Drinks and Desserts, and explored America's legendary highways in The Best Hits on Route 66 and The Best Hits on Route 61.
ERICA FLOYD is the founder and owner of Lake Literary Center, a literary arts hub in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, offering writing workshops, author readings, literary events, books clubs, and open mics. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A former magazine editor-in-chief and marketing director, her writing appears in Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Lunch Ticket, BusinessWeek, and nonfiction books. Floyd is currently writing a second novel, essays, and translations. She lives in rural Wisconsin, where she co-owns her family’s certified organic mushroom farm.
