Author Steve Inskeep, co-host of NPR’s Morning Edition, discusses ‘Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab,’ published by Penguin Press. Photo credit: Linda Fittante
Noted author and journalist Steve Inskeep, co-host of Morning Edition on National Public Radio, sat down with Indian Country Today Media Network to dissect his new book, Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab, published this summer by Penguin Press. The book, a riveting masterpiece about two influential men who held radically opposing visions for Turtle Island, brings to light lesser-known facts about this time period that the publisher calls a “crossroads of American history.”
What prompted you to write this story?
I just wanted to tell the whole story, and it was interesting to me to realize how little of the story I knew. John Ross was almost an entirely undiscovered character, an interesting character, and I wanted to find out what made him tick.
What was your reaction when you began to discover a clear picture of interwoven greed and power?
It wasn’t a complete surprise. How it worked, and why, was new to me. It’s understood that there were national security motives and patriotic motives to clear Indians out of the Southeast. But I don’t think it’s as well understood that there were also economic motives and a desire for land and a desire to expand slavery that was behind it and that really drove it. And that Andrew Jackson himself was personally involved in developing the land that he obtained as general. I came across a lot of detail that had never been put together in quite this way.
There were so many moments when things could have gone in an entirely different direction, as when the Indian Removal Act won passage in Congress by only one vote. It seems the press was hugely influential then, creating stories out of whole cloth while spreading fear and innuendo about the Indians. Do you think newspapers were more influential then than they are today?
Newspapers then were more influential because they were the principal form of media. There would have been around three dozen newspapers during late colonial times. By the early 1800s they were in the low hundreds, then very quickly it goes up to around 800 by 1828. Everybody read each other’s papers, and people would send them around by mail.
Do you think Sequoyah’s creating of the Cherokee syllabary in 1821, and its usage in Ross’s newspaper, helped spread the word?
Yes and no. The Cherokee Phoenix newspaper had articles in both Cherokee and English. And so, although it was a cultural triumph to have their own written language in a newspaper, it also had propaganda value. But the real political punch was that editors of other papers would read the Cherokee perspective of events that were different from the White perspective of the same events.
How important do you think Ross’s ability to walk on the “whiteside,” as it was called then, contributed to his success as a diplomatic envoy?
I think it was very important that he was able to speak English and present himself in a way that white men could understand and relate to, and that sometimes he could also pass as a white man. I’m not saying that was good or bad. It was just the political reality of the time. That could also be used to undermine him, though. And it was also used to challenge him. Cherokees didn’t challenge his status as an Indian, but whites would undermine his racial credentials and say he wasn’t Indian enough. So sometimes it was a double-edged sword.
The most important thing was that he was literate in English, could write his own letters and make his own demands, and was not dependent on an interpreter to get across all the nuances of what was intended in agreements. Others who signed treaties may not have known what they were signing. Ross understood the terms and the wider political context of what the Indians were being offered.
What do you think was Ross’s greatest success?
I think it was when he blocked Jackson from grabbing two million acres of land, even though later Jackson went around him. At the end I don’t think it’s widely understood that before the Trail of Tears, Ross improved the terms under which the Trail was to be undertaken. He managed to keep the Cherokees together and get more than $6 million for the land. Though that was not what it was worth, it was substantially more than what the government was offering. At the same time Ross managed to keep the Cherokee government together. All along he was innovative in the use of democratic tools in a way that adds to our democratic tradition and foreshadows a lot of things that civil rights leaders did a century or more later.
In the end, if the tribes had held together and not sold their lands, do you think there would have been a larger war?
We have an answer to that. More or less, yes! We saw it happen in Florida. There was a war that lasted for years. Thousands died, U.S. soldiers, civilians and Seminoles. We’re talking about a really awful conflict for its time, and that, I suppose, would have been the alternative. In Alabama there were Creeks who did not want to go away, and there was an insurgency there in the 1830s. You could have had more devastating wars. There can’t be any doubt about what the result probably would have been, because even if they were all united, they were so outnumbered by then. Had they united in some effective way, you could have had a different course of history. But they didn’t, and when there was an attempt to unite them under Tecumseh, it didn’t turn out very well for the Indian side in the end.
During your extensive research, what surprised you most?
I had no idea that the Cherokees had done so much in their own defense. I think that has been overlooked, even by accounts that were sympathetic to the Indian side. I think Indian removal has often been portrayed as an argument among white people, though there were people who were for it and people who were against it. I’m not sure that the Cherokee participation in the emerging democratic life in the United States has been recognized in the way that it should be.
What would you say are the parallels to today’s struggle for civil rights?
I think some of the same techniques John Ross used were those used by civil rights leaders in the 20th century. Cherokees decided they needed their own newspapers, as did African Americans. They also both realized they needed white allies, and both groups reached out to the religious communities to get some of those allies.
Both groups fought in Congress, and both fought and won before the Supreme Court. In the end though, the Cherokee efforts and victories did not do them a lot of good. While by no means perfect, by the 20th century, racial attitudes were changing and improving, and it was becoming less and less acceptable to argue that there were entire racial groups of people not entitled to become full citizens of the United States.
In the recent campaign to put a female icon’s image on American paper currency, would you prefer to see Jackson removed, rather than Hamilton?
I wrote an article for The New York Times recently in which I proposed that John Ross should be on the twenty-dollar bill and Andrew Jackson should be on the flip side. I think there should be two characters on every bill. Each pairing should be people who relate, so that they tell a story about our democracy and about imperfect people fighting it out about our democracy. Abraham Lincoln could be paired with Frederick Douglas. Ulysses S. Grant on the $50 bill paired with Harriet Beecher Stowe. It would give a greater sense of this grand democratic story that we are all a part of, and the way that different kinds of people participate in that story and have influenced it over time. Jackson and Ross were not perfect people. They were people who fought within the democratic system.
Once, the show that won eight Tony Awards in 2012, is a poignant love story set in Dublin where Girl (Dani de Waal) meets Guy (Stuart Ward) on open mic night in a rundown pub. She’s a piano-playing emigrant from Czechoslovakia. He’s a lovelorn, guitar-playing, vacuum cleaner repairman who’s lost his sweetheart to the lures of New York City. The rest of the cast, brilliantly talented musicians, singers and dancers, are the onstage orchestra who, when not dancing or interacting on center stage, sit in full view of each other in rows on each side of the one-set stage. Shakespeare would love this.
Although this is a musical, it is a quantum leap from the razzle-dazzle shows we have come to expect from Broadway. Irish playwright Enda Walsh gives us a story with pure Celtic heart and soul, and Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova fill it up with memorable music and meaningful lyrics. Oh well, there is Guy’s goofy number “Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy”, a paean to Girl and reference to his mundane day job.
There is plenty of dry humor and tongue-in-cheek wit, the sort we expect from Irish theatre, but here often unexpectedly delivered by the Czechs who speak in English with Czech accents while Czech translations are projected above the stage.
This show is for you too, with tremendous performances by Evan Harrington as Billy, the beefy, and romantically inept, pub owner who plays guitar, percussion and ukelele; Dani de Waal on piano as Girl; Stuart Ward on a mean guitar as Guy; Scott Waara on mandolin as Da, Guy’s supportive father; John Steven Gard as Eamon a role that calls for him to play piano, percussion, melodica and harmonica; Benjamin Magnuson as the soft-hearted bank manager on cello and guitar; Alex Nee as Andrej on electric bass, ukulele, guitar and percussion; Matt DeAngelis as Svec, the wild and crazy, former heavy metalhead who rocks out on guitar, mandolin, banjo, drum set and percussion; Tina Stafford on raging accordion and concertina as Baruska; and the fantastic musical talents and duets of Erica Spyres on violin and percussion, and Erica Swindell on violin.
Back to the story, a romance played out in evolving vignettes to the tune of fierce Irish jigs, tenderhearted ballads and soul-stirring folk rock. Though we wonder if they’ll ever get together, fifteen musical numbers keep us guessing and provide tension to the plot. The show won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album, and though you may be more familiar with the bittersweet music of “Falling Slowly” and “Leave”, be prepared to take out the tissues for “Gold”, an a cappella showstopper in the second act. Sung by the entire company the goosebump-inducing tune fills the theatre with hope and longing and the sense that no matter where our star-crossed lovers end up, we have seen one of the most exquisitely electrifying musicals of our generation.
Highly recommended.
Through August 16th at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., NW, Washington, DC. For tickets and information call 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.
Dan Rosales takes flight as Peter Pan in PETER PAN at the Threesixty Theatre. Photo credit: Jeremy Danie
“Do you believe in fairies?” The audience, primed for a night of wonder and magic, seized on the age-old qualifier with resounding approval. Author J. M. Barrie would have delighted to hear them echo his fantastical query of yesteryear.
Notwithstanding the enthusiasm, there’s nothing old fashioned about this production except the bygone tale of a boy who refuses to grow up. Produced by Norton Herrick of Herrick Entertainment and Charlie Burnell of Threesixty Entertainment, this techno-modern Peter Pan got its start in Kensington Gardens in London, the very same gardens that feature a statue of Peter Pan in the neighborhood where the Darling family, Wendy (played by Annapolis native Sarah Charles), Michael (Scott Weston) and John (John Alati) and their Mother (Hannah Jane McMurray) and Father (Stephen Carlile) resided with their canine governess, Nana.
Flight to Neverland Flight (L to R) Tinker Bell (Jessie Sherman), Michael Darling (Scott Weston), Peter Pan (Dan Rosales), Wendy Darling (Sarah Charles), and John Darling (John Alati) in PETER PAN at the Threesixty Theatre. Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel
This spectacular theater experience will wow all comers with its 360-degree CGI (computer-generated imagery) projected backdrop system, the first of its kind in the world. The footage surrounds the audience with breathtaking images – – from Big Ben and Buckingham Palace to the gabled rooftops of Victorian London, and on to the island of Neverland, where the feral and free Lost Boys, Captain Hook (Stephen Carlile) and Tiger Lily (Porsha Putney) live and where jungle scenes and pirate ships complete the total immersion into Peter’s world.
Hook (Stephen Carlile) and his pirates in PETER PAN at the Threesixty Theatre. Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel
This is a unique experience that goes beyond the hype that usually accompanies such major productions. Yes, it is in the round and yes, there are some breathtaking aerialists, most especially two ravishing mermaids that twirl and hang on swaths of silks. And if that doesn’t keep you at the edge of your seat, there are swashbuckling sword fights and dizzying feats of flying by Peter (Dan Posales), Tinker Bell (Jessie Sherman) and the children. No not your children, The Darlings, of course. At times it appears so realistic that one little girl, sitting behind us and witnessing the swaggering menace of Captain Hook, asked her parents, “Is he acting?”
In fact he is, along with 19 other actors and a host of puppets who bring this beloved tale to life in a way never achieved before – – not by Disney, by Broadway or TV.
Porsha Putney (Tiger Lily) and Dan Rosales (Peter Pan) in PETER PAN at the Threesixty Theatre. Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel
Thom Southerland directs the high-energy action and seven-time Olivier Award winner William Dudley continues the magic with clever set designs that achieve the seemingly impossible through the use of rotating trapdoors that swivel 180-degrees to reveal everything from treacherous rocks to home furnishings and the shipboard trappings of the Jolly Roger. Benjamin Wallfisch and Howard Herrick composed the original music with tender ballads, Irish jigs and Tiger Lily’s exotic dance. Gypsy Snider, co-founder of the Montreal-based circus company, Les 7 Doigts de la Main, created the breathtaking choreography.
Highly recommended for all ages.
Performances through August 16th in the Threesixty Theatre at Tysons Corner Center, 8200 Watson Street, Tysons Corner, VA 22102. For tickets and show time information visit www.peterpan360.com or www.Ticketmaster.com.
America Eats Tavern Holds Inaugural Virginia Festival, Bloomsday Celebration, Blue Duck Tavern Rhapsodizes About Ice Cream, Mitsitam Gets a New Chef and We Get His Wild Rice Bars Recipe
As expected tons of events are crammed into the month of June. Why? There seems to be a totally unfounded impression that we are all darting off to faraway lands. We wish! Here’s where we went (Chapter One) and here’s one that’s happening right now.
Head Chef Nate Waugaman (left) with Executive Chef Joe Raffa
We tasted some of the delicious offerings, many plumbed from Virginia’s historical recipe archives. Here are some of the Virginia specialties from Head Chef Nate Waugaman. Enjoy them from the prix fixe menu or a la carte.
Surreyano ham biscuits with pepper jelly – Byrd Mill grits with cheddar and pearl onion petals – Fried Chesapeake oysters with rhubarb remoulade
Edwards Surryano ham biscuits with pepper jelly – Cheese Straws – Norfolk Crab and Ham Saute – Broiled blue crab with Virginia ham and lemon butter air – Fried Chesapeake Oysters with rhubarb rémoulade and cucumber and pickled rhubarb salad – Virginia Peanut Soup garnished with celery and blackberries – Shrimp & Grits, Byrd Mill Company grits made with Meadow Creek Dairy Reserve cheddar and served with pearl onion petals and ham hock – Fried Chicken with Cole Slaw – Lemon Chess Pie – Martha Washington’s recipe Chocolate Cake (Do not leave the building without some!)
Martha Washington’s Chocolate Cake
And be sure to try the famous Sally Lunn bread. The recipe is sourced from “Housekeeping in Old Virginia” 1879. Then you can say you had some of George Washington’s favorite breakfast bread.
The festival runs till the end of June.
Bloomsday Celebrated in Washington, DC
Ambassador Anne Anderson and participants at the Cosmos Club on Bloomsday
Bloomsday, the annual Irish celebration of all things James Joyce, was ushered in in grand style on June 16th. The posh affair commenced with a musical recital of tunes related to both writers, a new ‘play for voices’, and readings which took place at the tony Cosmos Club. Afterwards guests walked a few short blocks to a garden party at the residence of Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency, Anne Anderson.
Ambassador Anne Anderson addresses guests at the Cosmos Club
Fortuitously it was also the 150th anniversary of the birth of that “other” great Irish writer, W. B. Yates. The proximity of the two events inspired the Embassy to combine these important events into one magical evening. Noted guests Congressman Richie Neal of Massachusetts, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Teri Cross Davis from the Folger Shakespeare Library, and Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes read poetry by Yeats and excerpts from “Ulysses”.
Ambassador Anne Anderson makes a presentation to playwright, Joe Hassett at the Resid
Joe Hassett, attorney and author of Two Stars, saw his mini-play narrated by Scena TheatreCo-founder, Robert McNamara and performed by local actors, and guests thrilled to Irish music of the period performed by John Feeley, Fran O’Rourke, Mitch Fanning, Jesse Winch, Terry Winch and Zan McLeod.
Afterwards Ambassador Anderson graciously invited everyone to the residence for cocktails and traditional Irish fare in the garden.
Blue Duck Tavern Prepares for National Ice Cream Month
Rain came down sideways in torrents at an ice cream social at the Blue Duck Tavern where we test tasted (Oh please! Somebody has to do it.) snow cones, ice cream sundaes and mini ice cream treats dreamed up by Executive Pastry Chef Naomi Gallego. We had gathered on the terrace in the late afternoon when all hell broke loose – weather-wise that is. Thankfully a small army of chefs and managers marshaled the troops to bring us, and the precious, sweet cargo, indoors where we picked up where we’d left off.
Executive Pastry Chef Naomi Gallego makes snow cones
As you may be aware snow cones are popular with our Hawaiian-born President and the entire Obama family. A popular street treat, the frozen concoctions are made with an untold variety of syrups and shaved ice and often include a dose of sweetened condensed milk.
We won’t guess at what additives are in those day-glo colored flavors typical to sidewalk vendors, but here they are prepared au naturel from an assortment of syrups made in house – Strawberries and Cream, Apple Pie and Cream, Root Beer Float, Ginger Raspberry Rhubarb, Peach Toasted Almond, Piña Colada and more.
Celebrating National Ice Cream Month – Fruity Pebbles Mac Sammie at the Blue Duck Tavern – Sweet mini treats
The blissfully scrumptious sundae is assembled with a base of cornmeal shortcake, balsamic strawberries, orange ice cream and orange-flavored whipped cream.
Mini offerings were just as seductive – Peanut Butter and Banana Ice Cream Sandwich, Fruity Pebbles Mac Sammie, Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Bars, Cantaloupe Lavender Push Ups (Was this a sign to head off to the gym?) and more. We only wish we could have brought some home in a doggie bag. Sigh…
Mitsitam Gets a New Chef
Executive Chef Jerome Grant at Mitsitam Cafe
This year the National Museum of the American Indian hired, Jerome Grant, as Executive Chef of the highly regarded Mitsitam Café where Grant had once worked as Sous Chef under former Executive Chef Richard Hetzler. At a private luncheon at the Museum, Chef Grant showcased some of his latest dishes.
The Oklahoma native won’t change the restaurant’s indigenous cuisine – – there will still be dishes from the Northern Woodlands, South America, the Northwest Coast, Mesoamerica and the Great Plains – – but he has definitely put his own spin on the regional menu.
From the Northern Woodlands we sampled Chilled Golden Beet Soup with Wild Ginger, Puffed Wild Rice and Cherry Granola and a beautiful Cold Broccoli Soup with Citrus Marinated Scallops and Popcorn. Also from the region was Smoked Rhubarb Turkey and Duck Fat Potato Hash with local Mushrooms.
From the Northwest Coast came plates of Wood-Fired Spot Prawns with white asparagus and pink peppercorn sorrel butter.
Wild Spot Prawns from the Northwest Coast – Cold Broccoli Soup with Citrus Marinated Scallops from the Northern Woodlands
And from Mesoamerica we adored a salsa of green tomato, yellow corn and pipicha and his rendition of guacamole. What better companions?
The changes will dovetail nicely with a major new exhibition, “The Great Inka Road”, scheduled to open at NMAI on June 26th, the same time as the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival kicks off.
The bilingual exhibition explores the foundations of the Inka Road in earlier Andean cultures; as well as technologies that made building the road possible; the cosmology and political organization of the Inka world; and the legacy of the Inka Empire during the colonial period and in the present day.
The press release describes the Inka Road as “an intricate network that spans 24,000 miles across six countries and stands as one of the monumental engineering achievements in world history.”
This amazing exhibit features images, maps, models and 140 objects, including a ceramic Chavín stirrup spout bottle (the oldest item in the exhibition, ca. 800–100 B.C.), impressive gold ornaments, necklaces made from shells from the Lambayeque region, stone carvings, silver and gold figurines, and various textiles made from camelid hair and cotton.
For more information on the exhibit as well as upcoming activities, visit www.NMAI.si.edu.
We thank Chef Grant for this terrific recipe you can make at home.
Wild Grain Bars – Courtesy of Chef Jerome Grant
Canola oil
1/2 cup salted, roasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw, hulled, unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup golden flaxseed
3 cups raw wild rice (not a blend), separated
1/2 cup dried red quinoa
1/2-cup coconut milk
1/2-cup mild honey
3/4-cup maple syrup
1/4 packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups tart dried cherries
Wild Grain Bars
In sauce pan over medium-high heat add two inches of canola oil. When the oil is at 410 ° Fahrenheit, add one cup of raw wild rice. Cover. The rice will expand and double in size. Skim the popped rice and transfer to a paper-towel-lined sheet pan. Add more rice to the oil and continue popping the rice until all the rice has been popped, then reserve.
Place sauté pan on medium heat with two teaspoons of canola oil. Once oil becomes hot, add quinoa and lightly shake the pan. Quinoa will pop rapidly just like popcorn. Once quinoa has fully popped, remove from heat and transfer to paper-towel-lined sheet pan, and reserve.
Combine the puffed wild rice, quinoa, seeds and dried fruit in a bowl and mix together.
In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, and salt. Bring the sugar mix to a boil and reduce until soft-ball stage is reached (237° F). Pour the sugar mixture over the seeds and grains and mix thoroughly. Press the bars into a greased pan and let cool for about two hours before cutting.
The recipe makes one 13” x 9” sheet pan, about 15-18 servings.
THE BOOK OF MORMON National Tour Company Photo credit Joan Marcus
Hell fire and damnation figure neatly in the wacky and wonderful The Book of Mormon. With book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, creators of the four-time Emmy Award-winning animated series South Park, you’ll luxuriate in all the irreverence you can handle. And then some. Winner of nine Tony Awards, the blowout show is legendary for its comedic take on Mormonism and its 21 unforgettably zany songs.
The story focuses on the bicycle-riding, young men with their skinny black ties and crisp white shirts who are eager to convert and skilled at proselytizing. Two-by-two they comb the earth seeking out sin and sinners and spreading The Word.
Elder Price and Elder Cunningham are two of the innocents. Recently sprung from the church’s Missionary Training Center, they are partnered up for their mission to Uganda where they’ll rendezvous with other eager young evangelists. Two more disparate comrades are hard to conceive. Price (David Strand) is handsome and self-centered, brimming with untested confidence. Ready to take on the world he is miffed to be conjoined with Cunningham (Cody Jamison Strand), a portly nerd with no sense of self-worth who clings to Price like a limpet mine to a submarine.
Monica L. Patton, David Larsen, Cody Jamison Strand Photo credit Joan Marcus
Hoping to prove they’ll be worthy in the afterlife, the two unlikely apostles set off on a journey that is so convoluted, so riotous and so ungodly that your hair risks catching fire. At a send off staged by their parents, replete with a dancing witch doctor who references The Lion King, the hapless lads are told, “You get out there and you baptize those Africans!”
Instead the boys realize converting the whole human race is not as easy as they had been led to believe. They discover the natives have their own brand of mythology, and it’s not any more far-fetched than Mormon founder Joseph Smith’s story of the never-seen-by-a-living-soul golden plates he personally excavated in upstate New York. These descriptive, Mormon-themed side skits are re-enacted hilariously by Smith (Christopher Shyer) and the Angel Moroni (Daxton Bloomquist) in dream sequences designed to compare the origins of the Latter Day Saints to the natives’ beliefs. But which of these tales are more fanciful?
Warlords and AIDS are on the minds of the Ugandans who have a middle-finger-raised musical response to God in the number “Hasa Diga Eebowai”. David Aron Damane plays the one-eyed General and bloodthirsty warlord who threatens to circumcise all the girls in the village by the end of the week.
7 Denèe Benton, Cody Jamison Strand Photo credit Joan Marcus
There’s a sweet love story between the beautiful Nabulungi (Candace Quarrels) and Cunningham, the most unlikely suitor, who woos her with dreams of paradise. In the beautifully sung number, “Sal Tlay Ka Siti” (a heavily accented pronunciation of Salt Lake City) she places her hopes in his hands.
But this isn’t The Sound of Music, though it takes a village. And Nabulungi’s convincing of her tribe, isn’t based on truth – – Cunningham has convoluted the church’s teachings to suit his ignorance of its contents. “I actually never read it,” he confesses. (If you’re wondering how the Mormon hierarchy reacted to the comedic blasphemy, the quote is, “You’ve seen the play. Now read the book.”) But Cunningham is determined to convert the girl and croons “Man Up”, describing Jesus’ bravery as “growing a pair”.
Credit to Directors Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker; Scott Pask for the scenic design; Ann Roth for costumes, Brian MacDevitt for lighting and the 12-piece kick-ass orchestra directed by Adam Laird and David Truskinoff. Many of the talented performers from the first Broadway production are in this touring company making it just as bawdy and blasphemous as the original.
Highly recommended. But you already knew that if you’ve tried to snag a ticket.
Through August 16th at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St., NW, Washington, DC. For tickets and information call 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.
A Dreamy Summer Pop-Up Supper, Strawberries Rule at Delaplane’s Annual Festival, Fueling Up at The French Hound, Healthful Eats at Brassicas, Patrick O’Connell Launches Latest Book at Willowsford
Ryan (left) and Shelly Ross gather with guests
Ryan Ross, daughter of Shelly Ross, owner of The NaturalMarketplace, is already a successful chef and entrepreneur from Washington State. For a recent al fresco dinner in the charming garden of her mother’s home in Warrenton, Virginia, Ryan created a fairyland of delights tempting guests with house-crafted aperitifs – Bengal Spice, a mixture of peach and plum teas with bourbon, and Coconut Chai a non-alcoholic summer cooler. Cocktail nibbles, adorned with tiny flowers or aromatic herbs, were equally a alluring.
Deconstructed Deviled Eggs – Fleur de Chèvre covered in edible flowers – Beetroot Crostini with flowers and microgreens
Deconstructed deviled eggs sported nasturtium aioli, purple chive flowers and dill. Beetroot crostini incorporated chickpeas topped with micro greens and bright yellow mustard flowers. Dates were stuffed with blue cheese, topped with redbud flowers, poppy seeds and drizzles of aged honey, and small rounds of Fleur de Chevre goat cheese were covered in yellow and purple violets and flecked with pink salt.
Minted Pea Soup – Dates stuffed with blue cheese and decorated with Redbud flowers
A minted pea soup with crème fraiche and bacon shards preceded a tender-crusted cauliflower tart made with gruyére from Goat Hill Farms. Then platters piled high with chimichurri-sauced grilled beef and Satsumi oranges topped with marigold butter, roasted vegetables and cucumber and radish salad were presented.
Grilled beef chimichurri with Satsumi oranges and summer vegetables – Rose and Rhubarb Torte
Wine flowed freely as chatter grew friendlier and I had the chance to speak with my seatmate, John Burns, urbane owner of Goat Hill Farm, in Little Washington, VA. Burns’ farm supplied the flowers and many of the early summer vegetables for the delicious dinner including fruits used in desserts. Finally Rose and Rhubarb Torte served with strawberries and buttermilk and a flourless chocolate cake titled ‘Fallen Earth’ appeared the latter served with a syrup made of whiskey, blackberries and violet cassis.
Ryan, who has inherited her mother’s beauty, cool demeanor and love of food, also shares her dedication to healthy eating and locally sourced food. She divides her time and talents bicoastly creating dinner parties in such unique locations as a butcher shop in Brooklyn, a blueberry farm, old barns, an empty swimming pool and even a tattoo parlor – though most events are held in private homes.
She calls her business Supper Corps and it has taken her far and wide. Follow her adventures and upcoming dinner events (she’ll be back in our area in Fall) on Instagram at En.Root or on Facebook by liking Supper Corps. You can contact her by email to create your own special event. And though west coast based, she often flies back to our area, which she considers her home.
Delaplane Strawberry Festival
The “Head Strawberries”
For the past twenty-some years I’ve wanted to go to the festival that local resident Willard Scott started with his wife, Mary. Willard was, and is, an American national treasure who created the festival as a fundraiser for the Delaplane Emmanuel Episcopal Church’s efforts on behalf of area non-profits. While still keeping to its homespun roots, it has since grown into an annual event that celebrates the arrival of strawberry season.
A serving of Strawberry Shortcake one of the many delights of the festival
The entire production depends on the efforts of church ladies known as the “Head Strawberries” (if there are men involved in food preparation please write me for a correction) who start preparing months in advance.
The spirited Corn Hole Tournament toss gets underway
More akin to a large church picnic, the two-day event now attracts over 10,000 guests with old-fashioned children’s games like ring toss, tug-of-war, cake walk, 3-legged races and sack hops – – and tons of luscious strawberries. Factoid: Over 6,000 pints of strawberries are used in the making of sundaes, shakes, cakes and jams, with many flats sold for home canning.
George Esparza and his Wahoo Medicine Show
Docents dressed in Civil War garb roam the grounds and a snake oil salesman (George Esparza) with his Wahoo Medicine Show & Phydeaux’s Flying Flea Circus captivates families. A top-hatted gent (Jerry Brown) with guitar, squeeze box and a trained monkey named Django had kids utterly mesmerized.
Jerry Brown and Django encourage participation – Re-enactors Gerald Drake with his wife, Donna pose against one of the log houses – Bob Broadwater as a Two-Star Civil War General takes a break
Dogs perform tricks, ponies give rides, and crafters display hundreds of their wares, all while Old-time music rings out from the stage beside historic Mt. Bleak House which is open to visitors.
The Cobbler Mountain Grass band tunes up on the porch of Mt. Bleak House
Co-Owner Cricket MacDonald guests at The French Hound
A last minute decision to dine at The French Houndon a Saturday night on Memorial Day weekend was rash, I’ll admit. With no reservations and coming in off a hike on a steamy afternoon with disheveled hair and feet in flip flops our chances might have been slim. We’d managed a quick change in the Hill School parking lot (one hopes there are no security cameras) where we ran into a fellow hiker seconds later who said he was just getting over a heart attack and was glad he’d missed us en déshabillé.
The bar at sundown at The French Hound in Middleburg
The entrance to the restaurant is through a walled garden, which on this night was filled with diners. A hostess, who later introduced herself as one of the owners, politely escorted us to the only seats not taken – – at the wood-topped bar. Late day sunlight streamed through weathered windowpanes casting the cozy room in a honeyed glow. It was that easy time of day, when all accomplishments are totted up and concerns are laid to rest before the sun sets. Thankfully the barkeep promised we’d have the full menu to choose from.
Nine years ago owners John and Cricket MacDonald discovered the old house, which had already gone through a few restaurant reincarnations, and along with French-trained Chef John-Gustin Birkett they opened the French-inspired bistro. They have been a success from the start.
Birkett’s menu reflects a distinctly French flair that leans towards Mediterranean and Moroccan. With a décor that evokes Provence, it’s definitely a relaxed ambiance that appeals to the fine dining crowd as well as the casual diner.
Pot au Feu – Moroccan Lamb Tagine prepared tableside – Vanilla and Grand Marnier Pot de Creme at The French Hound
Here you’ll find escargots, mussels steamed with Pernod, house made terrines and other typical Gallic fare – – steak frites, pan-seared halibut and herb-roasted chicken. Wines are predominantly French or California with a brief nod to a Spanish albarino and a rioja and a few nicely curated selections from local Virginia wineries.
At 101 South Madison Street, Middleburg, VA 20117. For reservations call 540 687-3018.
Brassicas Market and Cafe
Brassicas on opening day
The banner read “Grand Opening” and it didn’t a minute to check my rearview mirror, apply the brakes and slide into a parking spot. When I’m not on a tight schedule I allow myself regular whimsical indulgences, which is how I found myself in the old clapboard farmhouse – – a former vintage clothing and antique shop in the center of Aldie. I say “center”, but that offhanded descriptor defies logic in a town with neither traffic lights nor stop signs.
Owner Gary Hall takes customers’ orders
Gary Hall is the Proprietor, Head Gardener and Executive Chef of Brassicas, a stylishly rustic, slip of a spot devoted to feeding its customers simple, healthful, seasonal fare. Perfectly positioned on John Mosby Highway (aka Route 50), it is sandwiched neatly between the Aldie United Methodist Church and the quaint Little Apple Pastry Shop.
The early garden behind Brassicas
What makes this little place so appealing is not just the tasty and creative offerings but where they are sourced – – primarily Hall’s backyard where a thriving quarter-acre garden provides the freshest herbs and vegetables used in the soups and sandwiches.
The garden was started two summers ago and is now going strong thanks to a few autumns of laying down compost, green sand, woodchips and chicken manure. The manure comes from Hall’s brood of forty chickens, mostly Rhode Island Reds with a few Rhode Island Sex-Links thrown onto the mix. “The Sex-Links are very prolific egg layers,” said Hall who rises at 6 a.m. to tend to the chickens and garden. The menu changes daily, not weekly, allowing him the freedom to use what’s freshest. “We want to be as natural and as transparent about our food as possible,” he explains.
To nurture his evolving garden, he has discovered some unique sources. Woodchips are free, courtesy of the county. Compost is provided by DC Water who offers bio-solids, free to area farmers. Chickens gobble up the restaurant’s food waste producing soil-enriching manure and keeping garbage to a minimum. And lastly, bugs are eaten by the free-ranging flock which, each day, produce up to thirty eggs used in the restaurant’s mayonnaise and egg salad. Now if that isn’t the circle of life!
“In summer the town’s water supply is low,” Hall told me. “Irrigation and washing cars is forbidden. On weekends the Aldie Milldams up the headrace of the Little River for their milling demonstrations and we have permission from the town to pump water out. I got my hands on some 250 gallon plastic IVC totes that had been used for olive oil. They’re great for collecting water and bringing it to the garden.”
Ricotta Salata with chive flowers drizzled with sage flower honey
Brassicas light fare menu is influenced by the backyard garden’s bounty, and right now the garden’s bountiful crop of green beans, squash, tomatoes and peppers are the headliner ingredients on the chalkboard.
Patrick O’Connell Hosts Latest Book Lunch at Willowsford
Guests enjoy the delicious food and drink at Willowsford
A tony gathering at Willowsfordgave Patrick O’Connell the backdrop for a book signing last night. The nattily dressed proprietor of The Inn at Little Washingtonhas finally spilled the beans with co-writer Derry Moore about the décor in a 256-page cocktail table-sized book entitled, The Inn at Little Washington: A Magnificent Obsession (Rizzoli 2015).
Now you too can replicate the singerie and madly chi-chi Brit style guests travel cross country to swoon over. British interior designer, Joyce Conwy Evans, collaborated with O’Connell to create the over-the-top elegance that put the Inn on everyone’s bucket list. “Joyce was with us for the whole ride,” the ever-gracious O’Connell told me.
Patrick O’Connell with Bonnie Moore – Culinary Director Bonnie Moore cooks up the Mac n’ Cheese
From a lowly garage to a to a five-star hotel and restaurant, the Inn’s transformation is expressed in gorgeous photographs by Derry Moore and Gordon Beall and watercolor renderings by Evans. Even Martha Stewart was a contributor.
Rappahannock Oysters with Cucumber Sorbet – Mini crab cakes and cornflowers – Mustard Crusted Salmon and Dill
Willowsford’s Chef and Culinary Director Bonnie Moore, who once cooked under O’Connell at the Inn, prepared some of his signature nibbles – – Rappahannock oysters with cucumber sorbet; mustard crusted salmon with mustard dill sauce; mushroom, asparagus and prosciutto pizza; and crab cakes with chipotle aioli. As expected, truffle popcorn, a staple at the Inn, was served in red-and-white striped boxes and a decadent version of mac n’ cheese was presented in tiny cast iron skillets.
Mini Mac n’ Cheese share space with bound copies of Le Monde and L’Univers – Floral arrangements were by Mayflowers
