The 12:20 p.m. presentation, “Half-French, Half-Virginian: Foodways at Jefferson’s Monticello” will be given by Leni A. Sorensen, African-American research historian at Monticello. Sorensen earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in American studies at the College of William and Mary. Since 1983, she has lectured and written about 18th- and 19th-century rural history, the lives of women, and food and garden traditions.

Sorensen’s talk will address the skills and lives of the Monticello cooks who for 54 years prepared foods that have become a hallmark of elite dining. Several of the African-American cooks learned their craft from French chefs, and then returned to Piedmont Virginia to continue the tradition of fine cuisine in Jefferson’s kitchen, said Suzanne McDowell, curator at the Mountain Heritage Center.

Sorensen’s presentation is being held in conjunction with an exhibit exploring Southern food traditions at the Mountain Heritage Center. “Southern Stews: Traditions of One-Pot Cooking” is a traveling exhibit developed by the University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum. The exhibit will be on display in Gallery B at the center through Monday, March 31.

For more information about the Jan. 15 presentation or the “Southern Stews” exhibit, contact the Mountain Heritage Center at (828) 227-7129 or online at http://www.wcu.edu/mhc.

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Last modified: Monday, Jan. 7, 2007