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“Beets are too old fashioned”: Henry Orr, a Black Caterer in Early Federal Washington, DC (hybrid)
About this event
In 1837 the best-known Black caterer in Washington, D.C., was hired to create a supper in honor of the visiting Englishwoman Harriet Martineau. That man, Henry Orr, the dinner he prepared, and the extraordinary life he lived, form a fascinating episode in U.S. and culinary history. Using his skills to supply fine food and dining service for élite white families in the nation’s capital between 1816 and 1846, Mr. Orr earned enough money to buy himself, his wife, and his children out of slavery. His story offers an impressive but sobering view of one man’s culinary skills playing a life-affirming role— in ways not often seen in history textbooks or in culinary investigations.
Two ways to participate:
- via remote live-stream on the YouTube channel of the Ann Arbor District Library. A link for the live-stream will be here beginning an hour prior to the event
- at a viewing party on a big screen in the 4th Floor Meeting Room at the library's Downtown branch (343 S. Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA).
If you would like to receive an email reminder for the event, please register here.
About the speaker:
Dr. Leni A. Sorensen teaches culinary history and cookery, currently at her five-acre farmstead in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She earned her MA and PhD in American Studies at the College of William and Mary. She has worked for over 40 years as a university lecturer, museum consultant, hands-on presenter, and researcher focusing on African American slavery, American agriculture, and women’s work in colonial and post-colonial America. Most recently, Dr. Sorensen was featured in the television series High on the Hog (Netflix, 2021) and in Finding Edna Lewis (PBS, 2025).
Registration Info
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