Indigo House History Dinners 2026
Here at Indigo House, my guests learn while savoring, as I believe one of the most exciting and fulfilling ways to learn about our world is through food. At my table, the discussion ranges widely, shared with returning guests and new ones. On my rural farmstead, my shelves of cookery and history books, my gardens, the barn, the pantry, and my kitchen serve as my research base for understanding and sharing how food and the people who grow, prepare, preserve, and serve it play such a vital role in our culture. This series of history dinners is held out in the countryside, where, if you take a stroll through my garden, you will hear the rush of the river. You eat great food in good company!
The Global Dining Table: A Dish of Curry
Saturday, Mar 21, 6 pm
Black cooks were the creative mainstay of workers in Mary Randolph’s 1800s Richmond kitchen. They daily created meals telling the story of provisions bought on voyages to Africa, the Spice Islands of SE Asia, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and even China. From those exotic imported ingredients, the skilled cooks made and stored complex spice mixes and sauces for use year-round.
A Sunday Dinner on a Saturday Night
Saturday, April 25, 6 pm
Old African-American folk tradition has it that if the preacher was invited to Sunday supper, the children, who were last to be served, always ended up with only the neck bone of the sacrificed chicken. A far more historically significant reality of those Sunday dinners and the traditional dishes associated with them was in the 20th century, when women and men cooked Fricasseed Chicken and other favorites with love and served them to the Civil Rights workers across the South. Georgia Gilmore’s home-based restaurant, The Club from Nowhere, Leah Chase’s in the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter, and countless others who reached out to feed the workers and leaders of the movement. Come share iconic dishes that fueled body and soul in turbulent times.
3 Centuries of Southern Women Chefs
Saturday, May 9, 7 pm
Our table conversation will introduce you to an amazing group of women cooks: Old Ebba, Malinda, Abby, and Atholene, among others. Along with those women, I find my guests often have stories to share of cooks and traditions in their own families. We end our meal with a dessert in celebration of the great American Chef Edna Lewis, whose expertise has been recently documented in ‘Finding Edna Lewis’ by PBS.
Fee $170 per guest
Guests are free to bring the beer, wine, or cider of their choice– Indigo House will offer coffee or tea.
CANCELLATIONS: If you cancel up to 3 days (72 hours) before your dinner, a refund will be issued or you can reschedule to another open dinner. Within 72 hours before your dinner, I CANNOT ISSUE REFUNDS under any circumstances, as I have minimal space available and will have already purchased supplies. I require advanced reservations for all dinners.
4692 Browns Gap Turnpike, Crozet 22932 434-823-1004
12 miles west of C’ville on Barracks Rd./Garth Rd. to White Hall; 4 miles north; Doyle’s River on right
