What makes food in southwest Michigan unique?

Chef Daysha Amster of Olfactory Hue Bistro in Niles will explore that question at the Dowagiac Area History Museum at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday with her program, “Southwest Michigan Eats: Food and Culture of Southwest Michigan.” The program is free for museum members and $5 for non-members.

As a part of the Fruit Belt along Lake Michigan, southwest Michigan is well known for its abundant fruits. Amster, however, will look beyond the Fruit Belt to examine other offerings from our part of the state. Chef Daysha Amster, a graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle, has an artistic approach to serving her community with food prepared from scratch and with only the best ingredients, locally sourced and organic whenever possible.

After honing her craft in the Pacific Northwest, Chef Daysha moved back to her hometown of Niles to open Olfactory Hue Bistro in downtown Niles. She also reaches out to the community to share her passion of cooking during a local summer program with school agers.

The program was intended to help close the museum’s hosting of the Michigan State University Museum exhibit “Michigan Eats: Regional Food and Culture.” Unfortunately, a water leak forced the museum to close the exhibit one month early.

Don Lyons of the Heddon Museum closes out the Spring Lecture Series on June 1 with his program “More Than Lures: The Heddons of Dowagiac.”

The Dowagiac Area History Museum is located at the corner of Division and West Railroad streets. For more information, call the Dowagiac Area History Museum at (269) 783-2560 or visit www.dowagiacmuseum.info.