August 01, 2017

Local Favorite Knaus Berry Farm Added to National Culinary Register

The National Food & Beverage Foundation (NatFAB) is excited to announce that Knaus Berry Farm, a seasonal destination for South Florida residents for over 50 years, is the newest listing on their National Culinary Heritage Register. The Knaus family offers baked goods, vegetables, strawberries, and ice cream and is an important staple in the community.

NatFAB’s National Culinary Heritage Register is a list of culinary products, processes, inventions, traditions, and establishments that are at least fifty years old and that have contributed significantly to the development of American foodways. The first and only register of its kind, the National Culinary Heritage Register is an initiative designed to explore and preserve the complex history of food and beverage in America. “We are thrilled to have such an important national landmark on the Culinary Heritage Register,” says Liz Williams, President of National Food & Beverage Foundation.

Food and beverage practices not only play a major role in America’s cultural identity, but they also offer valuable insights into the country’s past and present environment, economy, and social structures. Thus, understanding when, where, and how American food and beverage practices have developed allows for a more complete understanding of America’s culture and history. Mapping the origins and development of America’s complex culinary traditions is a daunting task, and as of yet, there has been no concerted effort to do so. By creating the Culinary Heritage Register, NatFAB hopes to begin the important process of recording America’s extensive and flavorful foodways.

More information about the register and an application form can be found at natfab.org/national-culinary-heritage-register.

The National Food & Beverage Foundation (NatFAB) is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural enterprise. It documents and celebrates the food and drink of all cultures through exhibits, programming, and a range of media. Because everyone eats, all aspects of food and drink—culture and geography, anthropology and history, economics and politics, law and policy, media and the arts, science and technology—reveal the state of the world. NatFAB, home to the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, The Museum of the American Cocktail (MOTAC), Pacific Food & Beverage Museum, the John & Bonnie Boyd Hospitality & Culinary Library, SoFAB Media, and the National Culinary Heritage Register, is among the nation’s most comprehensive cultural institutions studying food and drink. For more information, visit natfab.org

About Knaus Berry Farm

In 1924 brothers Jess and Harley Knaus moved from Missouri to Miami. They came for the construction work, helping to build Miami's first boom. When the hurricane of 1926 ended that, they returned to their farming roots and began raising vegetables on an 80-acre farm near what is today the Homestead Air Reserve Base. By 1934 the farm was doing well enough that the brothers could build identical two-story houses a short distance from where Knaus Berry Farm (KBF) is today. Jess's sons Russell and Ray, founders of KBF, spent their childhood there. In 1942 (with the effects of WWII so close to the Florida coast) the Knauses decided they were too close to the war-front and moved back to Missouri. Around 1954 Russell decided to return to the family farmlands in Florida. He began raising strawberries, and did well enough that Ray joined him in 1956. They set up a small road-side stand just a couple houses east of the current KBF location to sell their strawberries. Some of the strawberries were sold through a broker who commented to Barbara, Ray's wife, after tasting some of her cookies, that they were good enough to sell. The idea of a bakery was born. Over the years, along with the strawberries, assorted baked goods — including their popular sticky buns, vegetables, and ice cream have become part of KBF, also U-Pick strawberries and tomatoes, availability permitting. KBF has been at its current location since 1959. Ray’s daughters, Rachel and Susan with their husbands now oversee the day to day operation of KBF. Knaus Berry Farm is located at 15980 SW 248 Street, Homestead, Florida. For more information call (305) 247-0668 or visit knausberryfarm.com.