Lunch & Learn - Potato Mania:
Utica's Potato Connection

Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Cost: $20 (fee will cover the program and lunch, meal tax and gratuity included)

Location: "The Gallery" at the H.A.R.P. Museum located on the second floor of the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley at 623 Columbia St., Utica

Register: https://bit.ly/49eEFgf 

Contact: Chris Hoke at (315) 733-4228 Ext. 6 or irishccmv@gmail.com

The H.A.R.P. Museum at the Irish Cultural Center continues its popular Lunch and Learn series on Wednesday, February 11th at 11 AM, with a talk on "Potato Mania: Utica's Potato Connection."

This Spud's for You-tica

Come celebrate National Potato Lover’s Month at the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley, as local historian Patrick Reynolds relates the interesting breeding history of the beloved potato, and Utica's role in the timely botanical improvements that helped save the world from malnutrition and starvation.

Enter Chauncey Goodrich

Reverend Chauncey Goodrich, known as “the patron saint of potatoes," was born in Troy, New York, in 1801. He graduated from the Princeton Theological Seminary and taught at the Oneida Institute in Whitesboro. Upon moving to Utica in 1843, he became a chaplain for the New York State Lunatic Asylum. 

When a devastating potato blight struck Ireland in the 1840s, Goodrich - also an experimental botanist – began work developing a blight-resistant potato, called the Garnet Chili; the grandfather of the modern potato. This spud went on to become the most important potato ever created and is the genetic parent of most commercially grown potatoes today.

Goodrich believed that potatoes had lost their vigor and were weakened by years of inbreeding. To address these issues, he obtained seed potatoes from South America and began crossbreeding them with local varieties. After years of research and thousands of plant trials he developed several strains that were resistant to the devastating blight. This remarkable achievement not only transformed agriculture but also nourished countless lives.  

If You Find This Teaser A-Peeling…

…you can attend this presentation at the H.A.R.P. Museum, located on the second floor of the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley, 623 Columbia St, Utica. A $20 registration fee will cover the program and lunch; meal tax and gratuity are included. And yes, there will be potatoes! Please register at https://bit.ly/49eEFgf, or leave a message at (315) 733-4228 Ext 6. All are welcome to attend this program and the museum is wheelchair accessible. 

About Our Speaker

Patrick Reynolds is the Director of Public Programs at the Oneida County History Center. He holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program and has worked in large and small museums across the nation... and he loves potatoes.

Join us for our latest “Lunch and Learn” – Where you can feed your mind and your belly! ☘️

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