Kitchen takes spotlight at Mount Vernon
Feb 16, 2012, 8:31 AM
MOUNT VERNON, Va. (AP) – Visitors to George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate will get a new appreciation for the effort it took to put on an 18th century meal as part of a new exhibition titled “Hoecakes and Hospitality: Cooking with Martha Washington.”
The exhibit opens Saturday and will feature more than 100 objects connected to George and Martha Washington’s kitchen, including a heart-shaped waffle iron, a three-foot olive jar and presidential dinner invitations.
The exhibit will highlight how Martha Washington relied on slave labor to prepare meals and at times feed hundreds of guests in an era before refrigeration and running water.
Visitors will also get recipe cards featuring modern versions of food prepared by the Washingtons for visitors to take home and try for themselves.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
