Kelly was president of the Boston Culinary Historians and editor of their newsletter for over 20 years. The Boston Culinary Historians established in the early 1980’s concentrated on studying and teaching food history. Kelly was an avid researcher of food and was devoted to learning and passing along as much knowledge about global cuisine as possible to others. She helped establish the culinary programs at Essex Agricultural School, later known as North Shore Community College. Patricia Kelly’s work can be found in her published works, Luncheonette: Ice Cream, Beverage and Sandwich Recipes from the Golden Age at the Soda Fountain and Bibliography of Culinary History Food Resources in Eastern Massachusetts: Food Resources in Eastern Massachusetts, with Barbara Ketcham Wheaton. She also assisted Julia Child with the indexing for her book, The Way to Cook.
