Tue, 01/31/2023 - 10:30am

Christina Belknap

The four-part documentary series “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America” begins Feb. 7 at Lincoln Theater. Netflix photo

On Tuesday, Feb. 7, Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theater in partnership with Rising Tide Co-Op and Skidompha Library, invite you to join us for a special event in recognition of Black History Month. We are pleased to welcome Keleen Watson and Peter Ebanks of J & J Jamaican Grocery and Gift Shop who will be providing free appetizers beginning at 7 p.m, followed by a free screening of “Our Roots,” the first episode in the documentary series “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.”

In this documentary series, the intimate portraits of African cuisine’s history and impact on modern American food are as insightful as they are hunger inducing. Throughout the four-part series, food writer Stephen Satterfield, founder of Whetstone Magazine, traces the origins of African American cuisine. In “Our Roots,” episode one of the series which will screen at Lincoln Theater, Satterfield starts his culinary journey in western Africa and continues to the U.S., making his deeply personal sojourn a voyage of self-discovery for everyone. Satterfield gets an illuminating tour of Benin, by Dr. Jessica B. Harris, author of “High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America,” whose book is the source material for the docuseries. She and other guides, chefs, and preservationists recall how African people were rounded up and shipped out, bringing their food traditions with them.

Keleen Watson and Peter Ebanks, both of Newcastle, opened J & J Jamaican Grocery and Gift Shop in Damariscotta in 2021. Now located at 3163 Atlantic Highway in Warren, J & J Jamaican Grocery and Gift Shop offers a colorful variety of flavors and ingredients from Jamaica. At the store you can find an assortment of grocery items, including dry goods and seasonings, as well as canned fruits and vegetables. They also offer daily specials of prepared food, such as curried or jerk chicken, curried goat, and oxtails.

For the ‘High on the Hog’ event at Lincoln Theater, they are planning to bring jerk chicken wings, fried plantain cups stuffed with vegetables, and pulled pork sliders (subject to change).

We hope you will join us at Lincoln Theater for a taste of Jamaica from J & J Grocery and Gift Shop and stay to experience the first episode of “High on the Hog” a lovingly crafted series that goes far beyond the conventions of food TV. Doors will open at 6:45 p.m. with appetizers available from 7 to 7:30 p.m. The episode screening will begin at 7:30 p.m. Lincoln Theater is located at 2 Theater St. in Damariscotta. More information is available at www.LincolnTheater.net, by calling the theater office at 563-3424 or email: info@LincolnTheater.net.