Historic farms and waterways crisscross Southern Delaware, connecting its residents to a set of rich culinary traditions. The original Nanticoke inhabitants baked hearty johnnycakes and hunted wild game. Hungry for a taste of home, German settlers developed scrapple from local ingredients. Today's home cooks and chefs draw their bounty from the land and sea for a distinct, seasonal cuisine. With recipes for regional favorites like beach plum jelly and chicken with slippery dumplings, author Denise Clemons will explore the diverse history of food in Southern Delaware.

Denise Clemons holds a bachelor of arts degree in biopsychology from Vassar College and a master’s degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University. She spent the early years of her career as an executive in the technology industry, then turned to the nonprofit arena, focusing on museums. She serves on the boards of trustees for the Rehoboth Art League and the Lewes Historical Society. She is past regent of the Col. David Hall Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, and serves the society at the state and national levels. Clemons has written a weekly food column for the Cape Gazette newspaper since 2005, and her award-winning book, A Culinary History of Southern Delaware, was published by the History Press. She has published fiction, nonfiction and poetry in journals, chapbooks and anthologies. She conducts writing workshops, cooking demonstrations and history lectures across the region.

For centuries, Delaware has grown, produced, and brewed foods and drinks that have traveled across the country and around the world. But where do these goods come from and who are the people, past and present, that have made this possible? Through programs and lectures, History Revival: Food and Drink Across Delmarva will connect the public to the rich history of agriculture on the Delmarva peninsula, and the unique goods that have graced Delaware's tables for centuries. This lecture series is a collaborative effort of the Zwaanendael Museum and Lewes Public Library and has been made possible in part by Delaware Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.

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