Join Chicago based historian Anthony Rubano for an exploration of the Suburban Barbecue. This well-illustrated presentation explores the history of the American backyard barbecue, from its rustic roots to its suburban-modern apotheosis. The ranch house kitchen regularly adjoined it, the backyard was often organized around it, and social gatherings and family meals frequently focused on it. Barbecues offered casual, gracious, outdoor living, where everything was up-to-date for a stylish, suburban lifestyle. Anthony Rubano is a Project Designer at the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. He has worked extensively with the Illinois Main Street Program within IHPA, where he provides architectural services to almost 70 historic Main Street communities throughout the State. He reviews proposed changes to historic Illinois properties under a variety of state and national programs, and he has consulted across the country on preservation and Main Street design issues. In 2006 and 2007, his work, along with that of his 4 colleagues, garnered awards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, and the Illinois chapter of the American Institute of Architects. A part-time faculty member at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he has taught the history of American architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Anthony earned a Master of Architecture with an emphasis on architectural history and preservation from the University of Illinois.