What would have been on the desk at George Washington’s Mount Vernon? Chef Sandy confirmed us tips on how to put together a traditional New Year’s Day dish of the American South—hoppin’ John.
Our demonstration kitchen supervisor, Kathy Phung, and Smithsonian meals historian Ashley Rose Young mentioned this chapter in American culinary historical past while preparing chocolate desserts that mirrored the ethos of the Good Food Movement. Chef Lohman discussed how they represented and contributed to necessary shifts within the region’s financial and cultural panorama. Their advanced story was emblazoned in the American creativeness when Judy Garland starred in The Harvey Girls , bringing to life the bustling tourism business in New Mexico.
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Museum guests joined us as we dug into the food historical past behind this film, whereas additionally discussing broader changes in American transportation and tourism historical past. This demo pertains to a case in the FOOD exhibition entitled, “The Mexican Food Revolution,” which explores the influence of Mexican and Mexican American meals entrepreneurs on the culinary tradition of the U.S. from 1950 to the current. Guest Chef Carlos Salgado shared his culinary journey and the way he expresses the “traditions transplanted into Southern California’s multicultural soils” in his celebrated restaurant, Taco María. He prepared masa on stage, demonstrating the nixtamalization course of, and made tacos de aire, a dish that illuminates the history and present-day culture of Mexican regional foodways within the U.S.
We explored the history of this Southern culinary treasure and touched on how totally different meals have turn out to be important symbols and parts of New Years’ celebrations around the country. For this program, we welcomed Amelia Morán Ceja, the president of Ceja Vineyards from Napa, California.
In November, Massachusetts is remembered for Thanksgiving feasts, however what have been New Englanders fishing for and consuming the rest of the 12 months? Codfishing drove the regional economy, whereas salt cod exports influenced delicacies each around the globe and at New England tables. Ris Lacoste, DC chef and a local of New Bedford, MA, cooked with this iconic fish throughout this “Cooking Up History” program.
Jennifer was joined by long-time Folklife Festival researcher and presenter Camila Bryce-LaPorte, who is also the last person in her family to continue her personal Caribbean and Panamanian fruitcake traditions. We learned how the Caribbean group of Washington, DC builds community through meals and fellowship, particularly through the holidays. February’s program featured the roots of the Good Food Movement in 1960s and 1970s California and explored the rise of artisan chocolate making as part of that motion, in addition to its current strong expression across the country.
Amelia shared with us the signature flavors and types of cooking that she first learned from her grandmother in Jalisco, Mexico, including the artwork of making tortillas and salsa from scratch. What occurs when conventional dishes from the Basque lands of Europe are brought to the American West through migration? To be a part of within the celebration of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, we welcomed L’Academie de Cuisine chef Brian Patterson to help us discover Basque history and tradition via meals. What is the relationship between food, jazz, and American history?
During the demo, we shared new research about one man’s history on the working waterfront in 18th century Massachusetts from the museum’s exhibitWithin These Walls. We celebrated the holidays and the 50th Anniversary of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival with a trip to the Caribbean. Jennifer Selman, chef/proprietor of Crown Bakery in Washington, DC, shattered any negative notions you could have about fruitcake together with her Trinidadian model. She also brewed up the healthful and tangy vacation drink, sorrel.
In the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries, jazz unfold into American life, blending many influences and discovering distinct forms in each group it was played, from New Orleans to Harlem to Kansas City. We had been joined by guest chef Rock Harper, who ready a couple of dishes from America’s main jazz communities.
