MOFAD’s Harlem Rent Party
Where: Museum of Food and Drink
62 Bayard St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-387-2845 Price: $25
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Dress to impress as though you were attending a 1920s, 1930s, or 1940s Harlem Rent Party and wear your dancing shoes because there will be music and celebration. Our producers will feature the best outfits on the screen throughout the program!
Broadway and West End star Marisha Wallace will transport us to the era with songs popularized by Billie Holiday and Fats Waller — both of whom began their careers performing in Harlem and are two of the most celebrated voices in American jazz.
Culinary historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris will share the history of Harlem Rent Parties, a tradition of open house socializing and dancing born out of the need to mitigate inflated rents for Black folks in Harlem beginning in the early 1920s.
And we can’t forget the food and drink! Scholar and mixologist Tonya Hopkins has crafted a specialty Harlem Rent Party Red ‘Drank’ inspired by the era. Chef Omar Tate of Honeysuckle, a dinner pop-up series dedicated to exploring Black heritage and culture through food, has created a custom 3-course menu for the evening:
1st Course: Cabbage Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
2nd Course: Fried Fish and Grits
3rd Course: Gingerbread Cake
We encourage you to prepare Chef Omar’s menu and Tonya’s cocktail at home! Recipes will be provided upon purchase of your ticket.
Want help sourcing some ingredients? Worried Trader Joe’s will be out of flour that week? Meal Kit tickets are available for purchase that include the pantry items from the dinner and dessert courses.
Want to see how Tonya and Chef Omar do it themselves? Purchase the Pre-Show Add-on live cooking demo option!
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