[SUMMER 2018] historic locust grove GROVE GAZETTE A Week With Michael Twitty — Insightful, Fascinating, and Absolutely Delicious “ e’ve put the dead sheep on ice. Where’s the saw?” is probably a On Tuesday evening, a crowd of southern food fans delighted in Wquestion you rarely have uttered yourself . but we embraced his hearth supper and talk. They feasted on sautéed greens, kush (a the unusual during culinary historian Michael Twitty’s week-long delicious cornbread dish), Country Captain (a flavorful chicken dish with residency at Locust Grove in late May. influences from Caribbean ancestors), rice, sweet potato pie, all washed Michael Twitty is an authority down with sweet tea. on African American foodways But the show-stopper was and their influence on the sheep roast on Thursday. American cuisine, particularly Volunteers dug a 4-foot by in the South. His book, The 6-foot pit near the wood Cooking Gene, recently won shop, filled the bottom with two James Beard awards for firewood, and placed saplings food writing. as slats over the top. The sheep was sourced from the nearby His book and his blog organic Rootbound Farm. Afroculinaria are deeply researched in several “All day long, Michael ways — through written mop-basted the meat in the documentation, oral tradition, cooking tradition he learned in and practical experimentation. Senegal,” says Brian Cushing, He grows heirloom varieties Locust Grove’s program or works with farmers to grow director. “He has established them. He then cooks and serves a clear correlation between the food according to traditional ways. the barbecue styles in Senegal and those in Kentucky. It was a long, hot, smoky, fascinating day.” Beyond the food itself, Twitty honors the lives of “the ancestors” by cooking in the garb and persona of the enslaved and free black The barbecued sheep was the centerpiece of Thursday evening’s food cooks of early America. He’s researched and explored their lives and experience, with accompaniments of rice, greens, and a sweet potato contributions to what we now take for granted as simply American food. salad. “That delicious salad clearly was a hit because there was not a single morsel left,” declares Cushing. “When I cook on a plantation, before I do anything else, I put on the representative clothes,” Twitty says. “They call this a costume but it is The week ended with a talk by Twitty about the central themes of his my transformative historical drag; my makeup is a dusting of pot rust, work to an appreciative audience, who also were surprised to be served red clay, and the ghost smells of meals past.” a full meal afterwards – all the delicious leftovers from a generous week of cooking. During his time at Locust Grove, Twitty gave two presentations about Twitty Week was hot, a bit chaotic, aromatic, mouth-watering, smoky, cooking in Africa and America for our staff and volunteers, along with and insightful — and one of the most meaningful programs we’ve ever invited guests from other local historic sites. He reflected on the ways experienced at Locust Grove. that the lives of the enslaved in places like Locust Grove are presented to the public. Kudos to ‘Twitty Week’ Volunteers He’s spent time at plantations and farms in the south, cooking and Essential to the week’s success are the many Locust Grove volunteers who talking. He’s seen the many ways that slavery is presented and how it is helped Twitty bake, cook, dish up, perceived. “Traditionally, the plantation is a place where architecture and deliver the foods that the guests and windows and wallpaper are lauded — but the bodies who put them devoured. The ones not pictured in up are not,” Twitty says. the photo include: Heather, Jason, In The Cooking Gene, Twitty takes readers on a “journey through African Jocelyn, and Noah Hiner; Marlan American culinary history in the Old South” as he traces his ancestry – Ingram; Amy Liebert; Irene both black and white – through food. He did the same for those fortunate Rawlings; Rosalind Scott; Diane enough to participate in the events at Locust Grove that week in May. Statler; Keith, Kelly, and Tom Stevenson; Lori Stahlgren; Sarah Twitty – assisted by several Locust Grove volunteers – cooked in our With Michael Twitty are intrepid hearth kitchen and was filmed by a popular TV travel show while doing Sutherland; Jeannie Vezeau; and volunteers (from the left) Judy Chang, so. (We’re sworn to secrecy on the details – but when the show airs, Paula Wolf. Thank you. Sharron Hilbrecht, intern Sidney we’ll reveal all on our website: www.locustgrove.org.) Edwards, and Jane Sterner. [SUMMER 2018] Grove Gazette is published quarterly by Historic Locust Grove, Inc. for members, volunteers and supporters of Historic Locust Grove. © 2018 561 Blankenbaker Lane (502) 897-9845 Louisville, KY 40207 (502) 896-2433 Director’s Letter Carol Ely, Ph.D. Spirit Award Winner: Irene Rawlings www.locustgrove.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert After retiring from two careers — 23 years Executive Committee in the Army, active and reserve, and more Hunter Louis, President du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, was Kate Boyer, VP than 40 years as a registered dietician Joy Gleason Carew, VP usually known as just “Lafayette.” for hospitals and nursing homes — Irene Barbie Tafel, Secretary So much simpler that way. He was such an extraordinary Shawn Clark, Treasurer Rawlings looked to volunteering at Locust figure in American history that he seems almost fictional. Members at Large Grove to keep her busy. No problem there. Sally Van Winkle Campbell How and why could one man have made such a difference, Chris Chappell across the wide Atlantic from his home in Auvergne in “I’d been attending the Wednesday lectures Jill Cooper Elizabeth Dieruf rural France? for years, whenever I was off duty,” Irene Mark Gaston Born into a very wealthy aristocratic family and orphaned says. “And before I retired, I also began Christopher Green Engraving in Farm Office Celebrates at a young age, he married young and became a father helping at weekend events — grilling, Bill Grover Croghan’s Ties to Lafayette Frances Lee Jasper young. And — still in his teens — he became so enthralled admissions, even clean up. I enjoy being Ken Herrington — Mary Beth Williams, by the rebellion in Britain’s American colonies that he at Locust Grove so much that I usually Alex Kepnes Curator of Collections & Education Alan Lodge defied his family, abandoned wife and child, and jumped volunteer for nearly everything!” she laughs. George Plager ship for the Revolution. Susan Reigler On his grand tour in 1824–25, the Marquis Upon retirement, she trained as a docent Rosalind Streeter Begging the Continental Congress and its military leader de Lafayette visited all 24 states, stopping in Tyler Thompson to give tours and learned the process of Louisville in 1825. Lucy Croghan was able to see Brenda Tuckson for a role in the fight, he was wounded at Brandywine, Gina Wainscott wintered at Valley Forge (spending time with Washington, turning wool and flax into yarn so she could this acclaimed figure in person, and he almost Betsy Wall Hamilton, and Major William Croghan), before realizing demonstrate spinning for school groups. Her love of books led her to Locust Grove’s visited Locust Grove, as Lucy’s eldest son John Members Ex-Officio that his best role was as a negotiator of French military Used Book Sales, where she sorts books and helps at all the sales. She also served on Croghan wrote to his brother-in-law, T. S. Jesup, Susan Norris (Volunteer Steering Committee) in May 1825: John Hamilton (Metro Parks) and financial support for the rebels. A commemorative banner from Lafayette’s “victory the Volunteer Steering Committee for two years. Cynthia E. Johnson (Metro Preservation Officer) lap” tour of the U. S. in 1824-25. France, always England’s staunchest enemy, responded “Irene’s dedication to our volunteers led her to creating the ‘George Awards’ which “You will perceive through the medium of the Directors Emeriti with “guns, and ships, and so the balance shifts.” (I’m public print our reception of LaFayette. It Roberta Dickson we handed out at the Volunteer Appreciation party for several years,” says Mary was creditable to our town and gratifying to Shirley R. Dumesnil quoting the musical Hamilton here). With the strong fleet of France’s Count Rochambeau in the Beth Williams, curator of collections and education. “She also created our LaMar Gaston Jr. Chesapeake, British forces at Yorktown didn’t stand a chance. The dual strike on British barricades our illustrious guest. The ladies of the town & Mary C. Hancock Volunteer Accomplishments binder as a way to fully recognize the myriad of ways by the Continentals — led by Hamilton and Lafayette — broke the siege and led to the surrender at country generally waited on him and among Nancy Lee our volunteers have contributed over the years.” Jean D. Miller Yorktown. Major Croghan, on parole, watched and huzzah’d from the sidelines. them were Aunt Anderson & my Mother. I regret Nancy Stablein Irene, on the board of Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville for 12 years, saw an that he had not time to visit Locust Grove, in as John H. Stites III Returning home to France, Lafayette worked with Thomas Jefferson to reduce America’s debts to opportunity to teach about sustainability when she joined the Gardener’s Fair much as he promised to do so, but so limited Advisory Council France and to encourage the abolition of slavery. An early leader of the French Revolution, inspired was his stay, & so worried was he by parades & Mrs.