Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical and Historical Society (MPAAGHS) will conduct its monthly meeting virtually 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. The meeting will feature a talk by Kelley Fanto Deetz about her book, “Bound to the Fire: How Virginia’s Enslaved Cooks Helped Invent American Cuisine.”
In relating the history and legacy of enslaved plantation cooks, Dr. Deetz draws upon archaeological evidence, cookbooks, plantation records and folklore to present a nuanced study that goes from colonial times through emancipation and beyond. She reveals how these men and women were literally “bound to the fire” as they lived and worked in the sweltering and often fetid conditions of plantation house kitchens.
Dr. Deetz is the director of Programming, Education and Visitor Engagement at Westmoreland County’s Stratford Hall. She has a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies and History from The College of William & Mary and an MA and a doctoral degree in African Diaspora Studies from the University of California at Berkeley.
To receive an invitation for this virtual meeting or for information about MPAAGHS call 804-758-5163.
