Learn how Colonial culinary tastes were shaped and American cuisine started to define itself at the screening of James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen. This 2022 documentary explores the life, contributions, and eventual erasure of perhaps the most influential American chef of all time. Credited with introducing staples such as ice cream, French fries, and macaroni and cheese to American palates, Hemings was both a relative and the property of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello before traveling to Paris with Jefferson. Hear from chef Ashbell McElveen and a host of historians, chefs, and experts on race and the African American diaspora as the true story of Hemings’ life in servitude and culinary service unfolds.
Tuesday 2/18. Free, 6pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org
