UNC Press - Dining with the Washingtons

<SPAN STYLE= "" >Dining with the Washingtons</SPAN>

Approx. 224 pp., 10 x 10, 230 color illus., notes, index

Cloth

ISBN 978-0-8078-3526-5

Published: November 2011

Dining with the Washingtons

Historic Recipes, Entertaining, and Hospitality from Mount Vernon

Edited By Stephen A. McLeod

Foreword by Walter Scheib

Combining vivid photography with engaging essays, Dining with the Washingtons explores the menus, diet, and styles of entertaining that characterized the beloved home of the nation's principal founding father.

Compelling accounts, historic artwork, and images of gardens, table settings, prepared food, and objects from the Mount Vernon collection blend to shed fresh light on the daily lives of George and Martha Washington, on their ceaseless stream of household guests and those who served them, and on the ways food and drink reflected the culture of eighteenth-century America. Featuring a foreword by former White House executive chef Walter Scheib and more than 90 historic recipes adapted for today's kitchens by renowned culinary historian Nancy Carter Crump, this book is ideal for veteran and novice cooks alike as well as for those wishing to learn about both formal and everyday dining at Mount Vernon. Drawing from a wide range of sources, including memoirs, diaries, plantation documents, archaeological research, and the personal correspondence of the Washington family and their visitors, this charming volume brings the household of America's first president and his wife vividly to life for modern-day readers.

The contributors are:

Steven T. Bashore, Manager of Historic Trades, Mount Vernon

Carol Borchert Cadou, Robert H. Smith Senior Curator and Vice President for Collections, Mount Vernon

Nancy Carter Crump, author and founder, Culinary Historians of Virginia

J. Dean Norton, Director of Horticulture, Mount Vernon

Dennis J. Pogue, Vice President of Preservation, Mount Vernon

Walter Scheib, former executive chef, The White House

Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian, Mount Vernon

Esther White, Director of Archaeology, Mount Vernon

About the Author

Stephen A. McLeod is assistant to the president and CEO at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens. He is editor of The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association: 150 Years of Restoring George Washington's Home.

Reviews

"Not merely a cookbook, but culinary and social history."
--Library Journal

"This handsomely illustrated volume won’t fail to please. With plenty of historical detail about the life of the Washingtons and numerous recipes from the period, it will be equally at home in the kitchen or on the coffee table."
--Library Journal

“Serving up a fascinating collection of expert essays and recipes that capture the flavors of early America, Dining with the Washingtons is a beautifully bound, lavishly illustrated work that should appeal to history buffs and cooks alike.”
--Rocky Mount Telegram

“One of the best historic cookbooks we’ve seen in years.”
--LA Weekly

“[A] beautifully illustrated and meticulously documented book, which presents new insights into the daily lives and culinary tastes of the era.”
--Tallahassee Democrat

“A handsome new cookbook.”
--Damon Lee Fowler, Savannah Morning News