Uploaded December 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Chat from the Old Cap is a series of virtual engagement sessions featuring Iowa alumni and friends sharing stories from their careers, backgrounds, and the university that unites us. To learn about upcoming events, visit foriowa.org/events.
Join Dr. Lee Scott Theisen (63BA, 66MA), a chocolate connoisseur and lecturer, who travels the globe to trace the history of the world’s most craved food.
He has visited cacao growers across Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Pacific—and serves as a chocolate judge at festivals around the world. Theisen teaches the history, science, and economics of chocolate through UCLA’s continuing education program.
He recently served as the historical consultant and a writer for the documentary The Chocolate Road, which shows how craft chocolate is made.
Gaining political science and history degrees at Iowa, Theisen has also served on the staff of a U.S. congressman, worked at the National Archives, and trained at the Smithsonian Institute and the Library of Congress.
Derek Harrigan (11BA), an associate director of alumni engagement at the UI Center for Advancement, will host the online session.
Chat from the Old Cap is a series of virtual engagement sessions featuring Iowa alumni and friends sharing stories from their careers, backgrounds, and the university that unites us. To learn about upcoming events, visit foriowa.org/events.
Join Dr. Lee Scott Theisen (63BA, 66MA), a chocolate connoisseur and lecturer, who travels the globe to trace the history of the world’s most craved food.
He has visited cacao growers across Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Pacific—and serves as a chocolate judge at festivals around the world. Theisen teaches the history, science, and economics of chocolate through UCLA’s continuing education program.
He recently served as the historical consultant and a writer for the documentary The Chocolate Road, which shows how craft chocolate is made.
Gaining political science and history degrees at Iowa, Theisen has also served on the staff of a U.S. congressman, worked at the National Archives, and trained at the Smithsonian Institute and the Library of Congress.
Derek Harrigan (11BA), an associate director of alumni engagement at the UI Center for Advancement, will host the online session.
