INVITING DEATH TO DINNER: A Food & Death Panel + Book Release!

INVITING DEATH TO DINNER: A FOOD & DEATH PANEL

+ Book Release of To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes by Rosie Grant

From recipes carved on gravestones to funeral feasts, kitchen rituals, and meals that connect us to the dead, this thought-provoking panel explores how food helps us grieve, remember, and honor the lives that came before us.

Guided by moderator Karie Bible—film historian, official tour guide at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and host of Hollywood Kitchen—the panel brings together voices working at the crossroads of food and death, namely Rosie Grant, Darnell Larmont Walker, Sarah Chavez, and David Ferrugio.

In the spirit of celebrating panelist Rosie Grant’s new book, To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes, guests are invited to bring a copy of a recipe from a lost loved one to share (or email ahead of time to ), along with any photos or written memories connected to it. After the event, all contributions will be compiled into a digital community cookbook—a keepsake that will be sent exclusively to ticket holders, honoring the memories and meals of our past.

• A book signing of Rosie Grant’s new book To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes will follow the event. The book will be available for purchase at the PRS bookstore. 
• Beer and wine will be available for purchase before and after the panel (21+).
• Free samples of gravestone recipe cookies will also be available for guests to try throughout the evening!

Tickets: $12 (In Person & ZOOM!)

Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.

Rosie Grant: Rosie Grant is the creator behind @GhostlyArchive on TikTok and Instagram, where she researches and re-creates recipes found on gravestones. She works at the Center for the Study of Women at UCLA and is currently working on a food studies certificate at the UCLA Extension School. She received her Masters in Library Science (MLIS) at the University of Maryland with a concentration in digital archives in 2022, where she got to combine her love of food writing, cemeteries, and archival work. The gravestone recipe project first began during her digital archives internship at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.

@ghostly.archive on Instagram, @ghostlyarchive on tiktok

Karie Bible: Born a heterochromatic baby (put down the medical reference book - it means she's got two different colored eyes) with the last name "Bible" on Halloween night, Karie was destined to be nothing if not unique. Her passion for history and Hollywood's past led her to starting a cemetery tour at Hollywood Forever in 2002.

Karie has lectured at The Old Town Music Hall, The Queen Mary, The Homestead Museum and is also a "Lady in Black" to honor silent film star Rudolph Valentino. During the pandemic, she started a Facebook live / Youtube series called "Hollywood Kitchen" where she makes recipes attributed to stars from Hollywood's Golden Age.

She has appeared in segments for Turner Classic Movies, CNN, History Channel, Travel Channel, NPR, the PBS series "World's Greatest Cemeteries" and "Lost L.A". She co-authored the book "Location Filming in Los Angeles" with historians Marc Wanamaker and Harry Medved and co-authored "Hollywood Celebrates the Holidays" with Mary Mallory. This past April Karie co-presented a special event at the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival on the history of Los Angeles cemeteries.

@cemeterytourguide on Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky

Darnell Lamont Walker: Darnell Lamont Walker is a death doula, Emmy-nominated writer, and cultural anthropologist whose work moves between grief and joy, storytelling and silence, always seeking what connects us. His voice lives in children’s television, in books, and in the quiet rooms where people take their last breaths. Often, the legacy work he does with clients includes preserving their favorite recipes, ensuring families can remember them through the meals that once gathered them all at the table. His forthcoming book, Never Can Say Goodbye: The Life of a Death Doula and the Art of a Peaceful End (HarperOne), shares his journey as a death doula and the lessons learned from walking alongside the dying.

@hello.darnell on Instagram

Sarah Chavez is a former historian and museum curator who now serves as the Executive Director of the Order of the Good Death. She is a founder of the Death Positive Movement, and co-founder of anti-racist nonprofit Collective for Radical Death Studies. For over a decade Sarah has been researching and writing about the relationship between food and death in rituals, culture, religion and society, creating funeral food menus for the Getty Center, Death Salon, and Ask a Mortician. Her food and death work has been featured in Washington Post, Witchwave, Gastropod, Mic, and Globe and Mail. Her 2024 book, We Need to Talk About Death, was selected as a Best Children’s Picture Book by The Guardian.

@sarah_calavera on Instagram and @sarahcalavera.bsky.social

David Ferrugio is the host of the popular DEAD Talks Podcast, where he interviews thought leaders, celebrities, and everyday people about grief, loss, and the lessons we can learn from death. After losing his father in the World Trade Center on 9/11 when he was 12 years old, David dedicated his work to normalizing conversations around mortality and helping others find resilience, healing, and perspective in the face of loss. His storytelling blends humor, honesty, and heart, making difficult topics accessible and transformative. David has spoken with hundreds of guests—from spiritual leaders to scientists to public figures—and now brings his powerful message to audiences, inspiring people to embrace life more fully by facing death more openly.

@deadtalkspodcast across most socials, Linktree:

ACCESSIBILITY

PRS wants all guests to be able to enjoy our events safely and comfortably. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to [email protected] before showtime and we will be happy to assist you.

REFUND POLICIES

All sales are final. There are no refunds or exchanges for PRS events, except in the event of a medical emergency, including but not limited to a positive COVID-19 test.

In the event that PRS is forced to cancel an event entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers offered for a rescheduled event.

PARKING

Limited parking is available onsite at PRS in both the front lot (entry from Los Feliz Blvd. when heading east) and back lot (entry from first alley way, off Griffith Park Blvd. from intersection with Los Feliz Blvd.), as well as street parking on Griffith Park Blvd. and (after 7 PM) on Los Feliz Blvd.  We encourage attendees to consider carpooling, walking or biking to events if possible, and please be considerate of our Los Feliz neighbors when parking, many thanks.

DISCLAIMERThe views, opinions, and thoughts expressed by the presenters are solely those of the presenter and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Presentations are intended for informational and entertainment purposes.

PRS EVENT POLICIES

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• Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States