PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Johnson & Wales University is bringing to campus a Jamaican-born chef with a well-known dessert bar in Boston to discuss the history of soul food.

The school says Wheeler del Torro's lecture at its Culinary Arts Museum will offer an anthropological look at soul food. The speech is called "Slavery to Freedom at the Kitchen Table: A Historical Look at Soul Food from 1830-1975."

Del Torro says he began his study of food while growing up in Jamaica and cooking with his father. He says he's been fascinated with the way food serves as a vehicle "to prompt connections between people and to communicate history, values and relationships."

The lecture, which is scheduled for Feb. 12, is free and open to the public.