Join me & the fab folks at the Weeksville Heritage Center for this year’s 2024 HARVEST FESTIVAL: an annual celebration of the transition to Fall with a day of family-friendly activities celebrating Black land, food justice, and collective well-being... circa 4pm Tonya Hopkins (@TheFoodGriot) will discuss the role of food preservation in the past and present at this historically Black Brooklyn community and beyond — complete with pickle (& pepper sauce!) making demos! You get to go home with your own jar of all natural pickles that you made yourself (with a lil’ help from me, TFG! ;) + special for THIS YEAR we’ll make a lil peppa sauce too!…

Save the Date for TFG's Public Food History Talk / Lecture on June 26th at OWG

The Old Stone House of Brooklyn’s biggest party of the year returns! Check here for ticket info…

Rock the House is an annual fundraising event that supports the beautification of the gardens and Park around the Old Stone House. Enjoy delicious food and drinks from local restaurants, live music and dancing around the Park.

Mark your calendars for June 6th 2024 for a Fireside Feast with Historic Wyckoff & Lott house Museums featuring yours truly, @TheFoodGriot, creating a signature cocktail (mocktail option) along with a guided mezcal tasting complete with spirited, historically-rooted talk on the oldest spirit of the New World and it’s connections to 17th & 18th Century New York….

On Tuesday June 4th I’ll be part of a panel taking place at Les Dames d'Escoffier of New York's annual “The Next Big Sip” event . The topic is “Women & the Cocktail” moderated by Nicola Nice, author of the Cocktail Parlor: How Women Brought the Cocktail Home . “This panel will explore the historic connection of women and the cocktail, a retrospective look at the cocktail party – how it got started, why it came in and out of style, and the essential role that women have played…”

Pop Pairings Presents: Craft Spirits Renaissance Experience at the Brooklyn Navy Yard…

On Thursday May 2nd, I’ll be serving up and showcasing one of the best expressions of the New World’s oldest spirit, Eléctrico Mezcal Ancestral, at Brooklyn’s oldest and longest running private social club, The Montauk Club founded and built in 1889-91 (yes, the time period known as The Gilded Age). In fact, several scenes in Season Two of HBO’s The Gilded Age show were filmed onsite at The Montauk Club….

Featured guests for the evening include yours truly — '“Culinary and Drink historian, Tonya Hopkins aka The Food Griot”, creating custom Electrico Mezcal cocktails, Terra Renee, founder of African American Women in Cinema, director Amber Monet treating event goers to a screening of the award-winning Josephine Baker mini-documentary “Dear Josephine”, Houston-based origami master, Kyle Fu, unveiling his life-sized origami sculpture of Josephine Baker, and New York City’s own Cake Diva, showcasing her “Fantasy Flowers” - Josephine Baker inspired headdress.

 In celebration of Black History Month, Good Wine’s hosting a delicious class on Feb 8th at 7pm featuring Black Winemakers and Vineyards! Venue location: The Old Stone House of Brooklyn. Six (6!) incredible wines from around the world (including from vintners pictured here, will be sampled and paired with an inspired and festive menu that fits the theme. And yours truly will be in he mix droppin historical contextual knowledge as well. Be sure to stay tuned for more details about this special event!

You won’t want to miss this! On Saturday 11/11 aka Veteran’s Day (formerly known as REMEMBRANCE DAY join me & a brilliant line up of culinary , distillery & history colleagues from 5:30 -8:30pm for a fabulous event featuring artisan foods, an award-winning short film screening+filmmaker and amazing drink brought to you by Eléctrico Mezcal Artesanal!

Celebrate The Season of Remembrance! Spirited Storytelling + Flavorful Food, Drink, History & Cultural Connections: Strolling & Sampling Through The Slope…Join me on Wednesday November 8th starting at 7pm at the Old Stone House.

Hosted by Tonya Hopkins, aka “The Food Griot,” Brought to You by Eléctrico Mezcal Artesanal and Featuring Ashbell’s Premium (Artisanally Smoked Meats & Seafood). Join me on Wednesday November 1st starting at 7pm at the Old Stone House. From there we’ll sip and snack our way down 5th Ave while being regaled with relevant culturally-rooted narratives: the theme of this night’s tour is “Dia De Los Muertos”.

FEAUTURES: 

• BOOK READING & SIGNING by  Claire Bellerjeau, Author of: “Remember Liss: The Remarkable True Story of One Woman’s Enslavement and Freedom in New York

• Cider & Wine tastings

• Food Sampling/Pairing (Ashbell’s Premium All Natural Applewood Smoked Duck Breast)

• Relevant Food (smoking) & Drink (cider, etc.) History from Tonya Hopkins aka “The Food Griot’

BOOK RELEASE EVENT “ENDANGERED EATING “ by SARAH LOHMAN Featuring Her Culinary Colleagues Including Yours Truly…Sarah will lead an overview of the book, focusing on some of America’s most endangered foods, as well as the stories of the farmers, fishers, foragers, and shepherds that preserve them. We’re going to talk about LOST APPLES that have been REDISCOVERED. You’ll hear about North America’s first peanut, believed to have been extinct since 1930, PLUCKED FROM THE VOID and GROWN AGAIN. And we’ll talk about why these foods are going extinct, and how you can help save them. She’ll pepper the presentation both with readings from the book and some very special guests! Sarah will be joined on stage by her other half (of Masters of Social Gastronomy) Jonathan Soma, amateur food scientist and Director of the Lede Program at the Columbia School of Data Journalism. Then she'll be in conversation with Tonya Hopkins, The Food Griot, and co-founder of the James Hemings Society.

Join Weeksville Heritage Center (WHC) for their annual celebration of the transition into fall with a day of family-friendly activities celebrating Black land, food justice, and collective well-being. WHC’s 2023 Harvest Festival centers on health and wellness – featuring an on-site farmers’ market, health fair, arts & crafts, cooking demos, yoga and pilates, live music, tours of the historic Hunterfly Road Houses, special presentations, and so much more!

Tonya Hopkins (@TheFoodGriot) will talk about the role of food preservation in the past and present at this historically Black Brooklyn community and beyond — complete with special pickle making demos! That’s right, you get to go home with your own jar of all natural organic pickles that you made yourself (with a lil’ help from me, TFG! ;) RSVP NOW

Special Announcement:  Eléctrico Comes to Harlem! To 67 Orange Street to be clear…

What’s ELÉCTRICO you ask? Eléctrico Mezcal is one of the finest, traditional, batch-distilled, artisanal mezcals ever to leave Oaxaca, Mexico...

And now for the first time you can experience this super premium mezcal on Wed Oct. 18th 5-8pm at the “Happiest Hours” of Harlem’s best craft cocktail destination (that just happens to be Black-owned!):

It’s called 67 Orange Street and it’s name is rooted in essential yet all but forgotten and nearly lost American history

Along with delicious tastes of Ashbell’s Applewood Smoked Duck Breast, craftily made using generations-old, well-seasoned family techniques. 

You won’t want to miss this extra special event where high quality, shared respect and reverence for artisan traditions of the past come together to be savored and enjoyed in the present.

Even after Oct. 18th Eléctrico will be available at 67 Orange ongoingly — featured in their premium cocktails (hint: if i were you i’d get the ELÉCTRICO GLOW! why? ‘cause it’s got the wondrous Uncle Waithley’s Ginger Beer as a star ingredient…) …PLUS select varieties of ELÉCTRICO are also available for free sips and tastes — just ask one of the exceptional 67 Staff to have the bartender/mixologist who’s making all that magic happen to hook you up!

Last but not at all least, report back please on your surely-to-be AMAZING experience there — I’ve got a place for all your COMMENTS below!

On Thursday, August 17th at 7pm: Enjoy six (6!) timeless wines with food to pair, and all with a Revolutionary twist!Learning our shared history via the multi sensory talismans of FOOD and DRINK is sooooo much more interesting and fun than learning about battles alone! BUT in this case there’s ALSO a great “BATTLE of BROOKLYN” (true!) tale to tell too — right on time for the 247 th anniversary of the FIRST and LARGEST battle that marked the beginning of our (then VERY new) nation’s War of Independence against Brittain which took place on August 27th, 1776 at (and started guess where?!) — that’s right, the Old Stone House!… More info to follow, Stay Tuned on how to get YOUR TIX…

I’m happy to announce a new Summer Series of TFG Culinary History Convos taking place at Lefferts Historic House during the last 3 weekends of July! It’s my motto that food and drink are optimal talismans through which to ‘time travel’ and make greater sense of our shared past. Accordingly, the main topic for each talk is a singular Summer food staple — affiliated with the historic house but also with a multitudinous impact on the world at large. The food items in sequential order are: Corn (on Sun July 16th) ; Vanilla Ice Cream (on Sat July 22nd) ; and Watermelon (on Sat July 29th…)

The TFG's Culinary Convo Series at Historic Lefferts House Continues. Up Next: “WATERMELON — an African Fruit Revered Throughout Human History!”..This is the third and last installation of the “Summer Series of TFG Culinary History Convos” I’m hosting at Lefferts Historic House three weekend days in July. “Watermelon Month” starts on August 1st, so this African-originated hydration food is the featured topic on the last Saturday in July”…

The TFG's Culinary History Summer Series at Lefferts Historic House Continues. Up Next: “Vanilla ICE CREAM, a Portal to our Past that Impacts the Present”..This is the second installation of a new Summer Series of TFG Culinary History Convos I’m hosting at Lefferts Historic House three weekend days in July! …July is known for many things including that it’s aka “Ice Cream Month” and also “Corn Month”. While “Watermelon Month” starts in August, that African-originated hydration food is relevant aaall Summer long (and will be the featured topic on the last Saturday in July”…

Good Wine’s next class: “Beats, Wines, & Life” celebrates the techniques, creativity and sense of place (aka “terroir”) of winemakers & the wines they make along with hip hop producers and the music they create. Right on time for Black Music Month! Trust, you will want to partake in this active tasting of geographically diverse wines with wonderfully tasty ‘soulful’ foods and an immersive music listening experience.  Come out on 6/15/23 for a fun, delicious way to try new wines from a fresh perspective — paired with delectable ‘bites’ prepared by Good Wine shop owner & chef, Heather Johnston…

U Penn alum Tonya Hopkins aka The Food Griot's co-hosting a panel convo & cocktail party called "Ben’s Table" June 7th: U Penn Arts & Sci entrepreneur alums in food, beverage & hospitality will showcase products from boozy teas to specialty confections. Meet these food & drink entrepreneurs, sample products, and network with fellow Penn College alums + affiliates over cocktails + hors d'oeuvres.