MOV residents celebrate Marquis de Lafayette with food
Photo by Michelle Dillon Pate aux champignons, also known as a mushroom pastie, was part of the first course served at the Vive Lafayette Food History Dinner held by The Castle and The Cook’s Shop on Tuesday.
Photo by Michelle Dillon Executive Director of the Campus Martius & Ohio River Museums Erin Augenstein (right) talks to an audience about the Marquis de Lafayette (left) during the Vive Lafayette Food History Dinner at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Assumption social hall in Marietta on Tuesday. The event was held jointly by The Castle and The Cook’s Shop.
Photo by Michelle Dillon Pate aux champignons, also known as a mushroom pastie, was part of the first course served at the Vive Lafayette Food History Dinner held by The Castle and The Cook’s Shop on Tuesday.
Photo by Michelle Dillon Executive Director of the Campus Martius & Ohio River Museums Erin Augenstein (right) talks to an audience about the Marquis de Lafayette (left) during the Vive Lafayette Food History Dinner at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Assumption social hall in Marietta on Tuesday. The event was held jointly by The Castle and The Cook’s Shop.
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Mid-Ohio Valley residents had a chance to learn about a key figure in the American Revolution and eat food Tuesday evening.
The Castle and The Cook's Shop hosted the Vive Lafayette Food History Dinner at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Assumption social hall at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Castle Education Director Kyle Yoho said they do food history events that combine food and history and they have different themes for each event.
"We do two food history events a year, which combine food, which most people like, as well as history," Yoho said. "With those events we do thematic events, which changes each event. For this one we're covering Lafayette, the General Marquis de Lafayette, and his return visit to the United States in 1824 and 1825. By looking at that visit we've come up with a menu."
According to the United States National Archives and Records Administration website, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette was a French aristocrat, a general in the American Revolutionary War and a leader of the garde nationale during the French Revolution. In the American Revolution he served as a major-general in the Continental Army under George Washington. Lafayette returned to France in the middle of the war to negotiate an increase in French support.
"Lafayette was the most important link between the American and the French Revolutions," the website said. "As an ardent supporter of the United States' constitutional principles he called on all nations to follow the American example."
The event had a speaker, Executive Director of the Campus Martius & Ohio River Museums Erin Augenstein, who talked to guests about Lafayette and his role in the American Revolution.
Augenstein said that Lafayette -- who was called the Marquis de Lafayette, General Lafayette and General Marquis de Lafayette – was only 19 when he came to America to fight the British and within six weeks of setting foot on the American shore he became a major general in the Continental Army. She said Abigail Adams once described Lafayette as dangerously amiable, sensible, polite, affable, insinuating, pleasing, hospitable, indefatigable and ambitious.
Lafayette returned to the United States a second time after he was invited by President James Monroe, according to Yoho.
During the event Augentstein read a letter that Monroe sent Lafayette inviting him to America and Lafayette's letter accepting the invitation.
Yoho told attendees that Lafayette returned to the United States in 1824, appearing in all 24 states at the time and traveling 6,000 miles in 13 months.
There were parades, dances and dinners held across the country to welcome Lafayette. One of his stops was Marietta.
Yoho explained the menu for the event to the audience and how it related to Lafayette and his visit.
"The menu reflects both classical French and American cuisines appropriate for the time period of Lafayette's return visit," Yoho said.
"There is no record of a meal served to Lafayette during his journey ... What we have included are food connections to Lafayette, such as hams that he was sent from Mt. Vernon where General Washington lived, and a noted record of the nation's guest enjoying ice cream at one of his stops. We have combined his encounter with ice cream with the fact that his French aristocracy was wild about oranges ... hence the orange (sorbet) we're serving you."
The courses served all had French names, though Yoho gave guests the English names too.
The first course served was pate aux champignons (mushroom pastie) and salade de bistrot (bistro salad). The second course was jambon à la sauce madère (ham with madeira sauce), haricots verts (green beans) and patates douces (sweet potatoes). The third course was fromage (cheese). The fourth course was baguette au beurre, (buttered baguette). The final course was a dessert, sorbet à l'orange (orange sorbet) and a madeleine au chocolat à l'orange (orange chocolate madeline).
Marietta resident Tisha Miller attended the event because she is a history fan. Her husband John Miller also attended.
"We love The Castle," Trisha Miller said. "We'll do anything to support The Castle."
John Miller said he is a big Revolutionary War fan.
"I think Marietta is essential to our country's history and I think that not enough folks know how pivotal the founders of Marietta were to the success of the revolution," he said.
Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com