SFA day at Middleton Place Plantation
On Thursday, June 21, the day before the Southern Foodways Alliance‘s Charleston, South Carolina, field trip officially kicks off, there will be a full day of events and dining at Middleton Place Plantation. Middleton Place is one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. The sense of history and the tranquility of the gardens are both amazing.
Middleton Place opens everyday at 9:00 a.m. On June 21, a special culinary tour will be offered twice, once at 11:30 and again at 2:30. The tour will focus less on the gardens and more on the history of food at the plantation including growing rice and grinding corn. The tour will look at the lives of the inhabitants of the plantation, both slave and master. The tour will also discuss ongoing research that, among other things, shows the present-day spring house may have originally been the dairy. Finally, there will be a look at Middleton Place’s organic gardens that are used for the restaurant on site. The tour is $25 or $16 for SFA members.
At 1 p.m., Food and Beverage Director Doug Beard and Executive Chef Brandon Buck will host a special, three-course “lowcountry sampler” lunch featuring many typical regional dishes. Lunch is $18.
If you have time, Middleton Place also offers tours of the gardens and the Middleton Place House. Additionally, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., there will be a tour with an African-American focus. This tour is free with regular admission. Arrangements for these tours can be made on site.
To make reservations, call Doug Beard at 843-556-6025 ext. 114. For more information, visit the Middleton Place Plantation website.
She-crab Soup
or
Edna Lewis’s Okra Soup
Fried Chicken
or
Barbecue
with
Country Ham Biscuit
and
Collard Greens
and
Hoppin’ John
and
Corn Pudding
Huguenot Torte
or
Pecan Pie
Middleton Place Plantation
4300 Ashley River Road
Charleston, SC 29414
(843) 556-6020
(800) 782-3608
Adult supervision edit: Please notice that the African-American emphasis tour is free with regular admission to Middleton Place. If you get the chance, go to Middleton Place, SFA trip or not.