The Perrot Memorial Library, in collaboration with The Foodshed Forum, announces Historical Foodways: Seed, Hearth & Taste, a three-part series of book discussions featuring stories of heirloom seeds, hearth cooking and how taste connects us to land and culture.
A facilitated discussion will follow each presentation exploring how historical foodways inform our present and future food systems.
Join these thoughtful conversations with culinary historians, food writers, seed savers, cooks and thought leaders who are dedicated to sharing the ways in which food brings meaning, value and connection to our lives.
Part one of the series will feature culinary historian and author of A General’s Cook, Ramin Ganeshram, and will be held on Wednesday, April 24 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich, Conn. The event is free, and all are welcome.
Attendees are asked to register in advance here.
Ganeshram will talk about her book, A General’s Cook, the tale of Hercules the enslaved chef to George Washington, whose story is well-known, especially to those who watched “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America” on Netflix.
Hercules set a standard of excellence for the President that was considered important for a new nation and his legacy can be seen in diplomatic dinners even today.
“Exploring historic foodways allows us to understand the people, events, and social movements that made up our current culinary environment. We can access the complexity of history through the stories of real people and their times—and, in so doing, understand more about our own. The current foodways landscape wasn’t created in a vacuum—it is a tapestry of all that has gone before. Understanding that lets us understand ourselves.” – Ramin Ganeshram
Following the talk, Ali Ghiorse, co-founder of The Foodshed Forum, will facilitate a discussion with Ganeshram connecting elements of Hercules’ story to current culinary landscapes and food systems.
Ramin Ganeshram is a veteran journalist, who has written features for the New York Times and for New York Newsday. She is a celebrated food columnist who has been awarded seven Society of Professional Journalist awards for her work and an IACP Cookbook of The Year Award.
A professionally trained chef, Ganeshram is the author of several cookbooks. She specializes in writing about multicultural communities as a news reporter and about food from the perspective of history and culture. Born and raised in New York City, she lives in Westport, Conn., where she is currently the executive director of the Westport Museum for History and Culture.
Part two of this series will be a discussion of The Ark of Taste with guest speaker Dieon Jones the Director of Network Engagement at Slow Food USA. The discussion will take place on Wednesday, July 17, at 7:00 pm, at the Perrot Library.
Click here for more information and to RSVP
To view the invitation click here
More information about The Foodshed Forum is available online.