Helen Zoe Veit

Helen Zoe Veit is an Associate Professor at Michigan State University, affiliated with the College of Social Science. Her research focuses on American food history, exploring how food intersects with cultural, scientific, and gendered narratives. She is the author of Modern Food, Moral Food (2013) and the upcoming Picky (2026), which examines the historical roots of children’s eating habits. Veit directs major digital projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, including What America Ate (Depression-era food archives) and America in the Kitchen (historic cookbooks digitization).

Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, and academic journals. She has edited award-winning volumes on Civil War and Gilded Age foodways, and serves on the Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era’s governing council. A renowned educator, Veit received the 2024-25 College of Social Science Teaching Innovation Award and the 2018 Outstanding Teacher designation.

Veit’s research bridges history, cultural studies, and public humanities, emphasizing how food shapes identity and societal norms. Her digital initiatives democratize access to food history, while her writing engages both academic and general audiences.