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Three Centuries of Stirring the Pot: African American Foodways

Poster for "Dining from a Haunted Plate" talk, to be given by Michael W. Twitty on October 8.

Culinary historian, food blogger, and Chef Michael W. Twitty will visit campus through the Mellon Tri-College Creative Residencies program from October 5th-11th.

"Dining from a Haunted Plate"
A lecture by Michael W. Twitty
10/8 7pm 
Science Center 199

"To the African-Americans, the first question was usually, 'Where are your people from?' My answer was always, 'Yonder'...The food told them I was kin.  The food was pointing in the direction where I was, where I belonged, what I was a part of, and what I brought to the table.  My terroir was not the asphalt and parkland, green space and rooftop gardens and honeybee laced urban air-it was the fields and farms of the past, the scary scary past-the colonial and antebellum past-with its bayous, backwoods, creeks, swamps, mountainsides, Black Belts, sandy bottomlands and sweeping subtropical valleys.  My terroir was my enslaved past-and the enslaved past of us all." 

Michael W. Twitty illuminates the connection between the nation's history and its foodways. His lecture takes us on a culinary history tour designed to restore knowledge of the culture, language and skills of people who work created southern and American cuisine. 
Reception to follow


"Food Justice, Social Justice, Culinary Justice: Food Issues in Communities of Color from the Outside Looking In"
A Panel with Michael W. Twitty and Tina Johnson of the Chester Co-op
10/9 4:30pm
Bond Memorial Hall

Culinary Historian Michael W. Twitty and local food activist and founder of the Chester Co-op Tina Johnson will discuss issues related to equality of access to high quality food for communities of color in the United States. The two panelists will address questions focused on where and how food is grown, distributed and efforts to insure availability of sufficient food for people in urban communities. Twitty and Johnson will share their insights about foodways in communities of color and the need for respectful engagement by concerned outsiders.
Reception to follow


Mellon Creative Residency: A Kosher Soul Feast - Michael W. Twitty's Community Dinner
10/10 6pm

Join us for the concluding event of Michael W. Twitty's Mellon Tri-College Creative Residency. Michael Twitty and volunteers will prepared a menu of seasonal delights for student members of Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore colleges. 


You can follow him on Twitter @koshersoul and @antebellumchef and find him on Facebook as Michael W. Twitty.

Questions? Email history@swarthmore.edu.