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Chef Jose Andres, famous for his PBS series and Cafe Atlantico in Washington, D.C, “listened to the books” at the National Archives when he created the menu for his new restaurant, America Eats Tavern.
In an NPR interview with Neal Conan, Chef Andres explained that he closed his popular restaurant, Cafe Atlantico, to temporarily open the America Eats Tavern in partnership with the “What’s Cooking Uncle Sam” exhibit showing this summer at the National Archives. This is the kind of lesson that every teacher dreams of; delicious, social, hands on, using all the senses - these history lessons won’t be forgotten quickly.
The exhibit demonstrates the effect that the US Government has had on food choices in America. Visitors can explore records, posters, photographs and film that trace the history of Washington’s involvement on the farm, in the factory, in the kitchen and at the table.
The exhibit demonstrates the effect that the US Government has had on food choices in America. Visitors can explore records, posters, photographs and film that trace the history of Washington’s involvement on the farm, in the factory, in the kitchen and at the table.
The photographs are surreal; my favorite is “For Pep and Vigor: Vitamin Donuts” - I kid you not. If you aren’t headed to Washington this summer there is plenty to check out online in the digital exhibit.
If you are in D.C., you can go to the America Eats Tavern on 8th Street, after a day of learning and building up a good appetite and try out some of Chef Andres creations, all pulled from the historical records that he (and, I am sure, a few researchers) uncovered in the Archives. His team poured through records, menus and letters to uncover favorite dishes and rediscover some forgotten ones. There are dishes from the gold rush, Lewis and Clark’s expedition, Thomas Jefferson and even Bill Clinton.
What’s on the menu?
That’s why history matters; the stories aren’t about the food, the places, the people or the events, they are the stories of us, who we are and what we believe. If they are forgotten than our past is lost and our cupboards are bare
.
If you are in D.C., you can go to the America Eats Tavern on 8th Street, after a day of learning and building up a good appetite and try out some of Chef Andres creations, all pulled from the historical records that he (and, I am sure, a few researchers) uncovered in the Archives. His team poured through records, menus and letters to uncover favorite dishes and rediscover some forgotten ones. There are dishes from the gold rush, Lewis and Clark’s expedition, Thomas Jefferson and even Bill Clinton.
What’s on the menu?
- Peanut Soup - thanks to the inventiveness of George Washington Carver. He believed that African Americans needed more protein to get healthier and stronger.
- Hangtown Fry - Chef Andres explains, “Hangtown fry will be this perfect example of the 49ers with the Gold Rush, where eggs, bacon and, in this case, oysters were the three most expensive items that any miner that found gold could afford. So the hangtown fry become a very popular thing in mid-1800s”
- She-Crab Soup - from William Deas, of Scotland, who cooked for the mayor of Charleston and made the soup popular in South Carolina.
- Grapefruit and Shrimp Cocktail from Irma Rombauer’s Joy of Cooking (Adres felt that Irma voice was being channelled through the cookbook).
- Paw-Paws - a fruit that Lewis and Clark took with them on their great adventure across the west. Andres said, “we have reference of early 1500s, Hernando De Soto, one of the first Europeans to come to Florida. I found a peace treaty between United States of America, 1826, and the Indian tribes of Illinois talking about who was going to keep the paw-paw groves. In September, you're going to come to America Eats Tavern and you're going to find paw-paws from Ohio, from Maryland, from Virginia.”
That’s why history matters; the stories aren’t about the food, the places, the people or the events, they are the stories of us, who we are and what we believe. If they are forgotten than our past is lost and our cupboards are bare
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