Michael Twitty Presents Living History Dinner at Historic Stagville

At the beginning of September, Durham's Historic Stagville will team up with a world-renowned food expert for a dinner of historic proportions.

Lauded in the culinary world as expert food historian, Michael Twitty is often quoted and referenced in articles about southern food, culture and culinary traditions as he authentically shares the stories of the history of the South. On September 7, Michael Twitty will be creating an historic dinner to celebrate the true roots of Southern Food at Historic Stagville in Durham NC.

Historic Stagville is a major part of Durham and Orange county history. Now a state run historic site, a 501c3 non-profit foundation that oversees educational programs, events for the Triangle and Piedmont community as well as the surrounding communities; many of whom are descendants of the over 900 enslaved people who worked across the plantation's 30,000 acres.

In order to raise donations for the upkeep and uplift of the site and build community connections,  Michael Twitty will be preparing a 19th century meal drawn from the slave narratives of North Carolina. Michael will be joined in the kitchen by Chef Hugh Acheson, most of the cooking will be done on open firewood pits and the highlight will be a sapling barbecue pit where the chefs will slowly cook chicken and pork overnight using several antebellum methods dictated by enslaved people themselves.

Seating for the dinner is for  65 guests.  90% of the food will be  sourced from NC with as much as is possible being provided by NC's farmers of color.  The meal will be presented by seasoned living history interpreters long experienced in interpreting African American foodways creating a long overdue moment in the history of Southern food that will connect the history of Stagville with the stories of those who carry on that legacy today.  

More information about this event is available online. Learn more about Durham here.