FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For information call:
Clifford Laube at (845) 486-7745
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Presidential Library and Museum
presents an afternoon of
Presidents Day Weekend Events:
Book Talk and Signing with
Alex Prud’homme author of
DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT:
FOOD, POLITICS, AND A HISTORY
OF BREAKING BREAD AT
THE WHITE HOUSE followed by
“Documents on Display:
Presidential Autographs”
Saturday, February 18, 2023,
beginning at 1:00 p.m.
In-person*: Wallace Center at the
FDR Presidential Library and Home
[*local health metrics permitting;
REGISTER HERE]
Online: Author talk streamed live
to the official FDR Library
YouTube, Twitter and Facebook
HYDE PARK, NY -- The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum will host an afternoon of Presidents Day Weekend events on Saturday, February 18, 2023. The events will begin at 1:00 p.m. in the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home with a book talk and signing with Alex Prud’homme, author of DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT: FOOD, POLITICS, AND A HISTORY OF BREAKING BREAD AT THE WHITE HOUSE. From 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Research Room of the FDR Presidential Library, visitors can view a selection of presidential autographs from the Roosevelt Library archives -- many of which are from FDR's personal collection -- on display only once a year. The book talk will be streamed live to the official FDR Library YouTube, Twitter and Facebook accounts. This is a free public event*, but registration is required for in-person attendance. REGISTER HERE. [*local health metrics permitting]. There is no registration required to view the documents.
Book Talk and Signing:
Alex Prud’homme
DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT:
FOOD, POLITICS, AND A
HISTORY OF BREAKING BREAD
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
1:00 p.m.
Synopsis:
Some of the most significant moments in American history have occurred over meals, as U.S. presidents broke bread with friends or foe: Thomas Jefferson’s nation building receptions in the new capital, Washington, D.C.; Ulysses S. Grant’s state dinner for the king of Hawaii; Teddy Roosevelt’s groundbreaking supper with Booker T. Washington; Richard Nixon’s practiced use of chopsticks to pry open China; Jimmy Carter’s cakes and pies that fueled a détente between Israel and Egypt at Camp David.
In DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT, Alex Prud’homme invites readers into the White House kitchen to reveal the sometimes curious tastes of twenty-six of America’s most influential presidents, how their meals were prepared and by whom, and the ways their choices affected food policy around the world. And the White House menu grew over time— from simple eggs and black coffee for Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and celebratory turtle soup after and squirrel stew for Dwight Eisenhower, to jelly beans and enchiladas for Ronald Reagan and arugula for Barack Obama. What our leaders say about food touches on everything from our nation’s shifting diet and local politics to global trade, science, religion, war, class, gender, race, and so much more.
Included are ten authentic recipes for favorite presidential dishes, such as:
- Martha Washington’s Preserved Cherries
- Abraham Lincoln’s Gingerbread Men
- William H. Taft’s Billy Bi Mussel Soup
- Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Reverse Martini
- Lady Bird Johnson’s Pedernales River Chili
“Documents on Display:
Presidential Autographs”
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Following the film screening, visitors can view original documents from the Roosevelt Library archives bearing the signatures of many of our nation's Presidents including: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Martin Van Buren, Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy. More than 30 signatures will be on display -- most of which were collected by FDR himself. These rare documents are on display only once a year in the Research Room of the FDR Presidential Library building.
Please contact Cliff Laube at (845) 486-7745 with questions about the event.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Presidential Library and Museum
Designed by Franklin Roosevelt and dedicated on June 30, 1941, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is the nation's first presidential library and the only one used by a sitting president. Administered by the National Archives and Records Administration since 1941, the Library preserves and makes accessible to the American people the records of FDR's presidency. The Roosevelt Library's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of the lives and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and their continuing impact on contemporary life. This work is carried out through the Library's archives and research room, museum collections and exhibitions, innovative educational programs, and engaging public programming. For more information about the Library or its programs call (800) 337-8474 or visit fdrlibrary.org.
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