Sunday Supper

Join us for a ticketed supper exploring how Black culinary influence shaped the foundations of American cuisine through a story-driven, multi-course menu. It’s about recognizing that Black chefs didn’t just cook food—they built American cuisine. James Hemings gave us technique. Edna Lewis gave us dignity. Black cooks gave us flavor, structure, and soul. This supper is our way of saying: we are still building on that foundation.

James Hemings & French Technique Through a Southern Lens

James Hemings, the first formally trained Black chef in America, studied in France and returned to the South carrying techniques that would permanently shape American cooking. He served as the personal chef to President Thomas Jefferson, bringing classical French methods into the highest levels of American dining and in doing so, into Southern kitchens more broadly. His work introduced French culinary foundations into what would become American cuisine long before the country ever claimed a culinary identity of its own.

Tomato-Braised Chicken over Dirty Rice

This dish draws directly from that legacy. The slow-braised chicken echoes French stews like coq au vin, translated through Southern flavors. Tomato-based braising reflects both Creole influence and French foundational sauces. Dirty rice grounds the dish in Black Southern tradition, transforming humble ingredients into something deeply soulful and refined. This plate represents where technique meets tradition not French, not Southern, but American because of Black cooks.

Edna Lewis & the Soul of Seasonal Southern Cooking

Edna Lewis championed the idea that Southern food deserved respect, seasonality, and elegance long before “farm-to-table” became fashionable. Her work reframed Southern cuisine as thoughtful, produce-driven, and deeply rooted in Black agrarian knowledge.

Hoppin’ John with Carolina Gold Rice & Pickled Fried Okra (Vegetarian Main)

This dish honors that philosophy directly. Carolina Gold rice is historically tied to enslaved West African rice cultivation being the backbone of Southern agriculture. Hoppin’ John symbolizes survival, sustenance, and celebration in Black foodways. Pickled fried okra balances preservation with indulgence, nodding to Southern resourcefulness and flavor layering. It’s a dish about restraint, intention, and respect for ingredients core to Edna Lewis’s legacy.

Maryland Identity & Black Chesapeake Cooking

Pickled Fried Green Tomatoes with Maryland-Style Crab Salad

This opener bridges Black Southern traditions with local Black Chesapeake cooking. Fried green tomatoes speak to preservation, seasonality, and rural Southern foodways, while the crab salad honors Black watermen and cooks along the Chesapeake often uncredited, always foundational. This dish anchors the menu in place, not just history.

Sides as Cultural Anchors

Collard Greens – A direct line to West African greens and the Black Southern table, representing endurance, nourishment, and continuity.

Buttermilk Biscuits with House Jams & Whipped Butter – A cornerstone of Southern baking, elevated through technique and care; simple food made intentional.

Dessert: A Story of Adaptation & Celebration

Peach Cobbler with Bourbon Anglaise

Cobbler is a dessert born from limitation, no ovens, no pastry tools, just ingenuity. We refine it without erasing its roots. Bourbon ties in Southern agriculture, Black distilling history, and American craftsmanship, closing the meal on a note of transformation.

Also check out other Food & Drink events in Washington, Workshops in Washington.