“The Latest Techniques of Cookery & Baking”
with Damien Charpentier
It’s not the history you can read or visualize, but history you can taste and smell. Damian Charpentier, a historical interpreter for the NJ Section of the Palisades Interstate Park, acting in the role of an officers’ cook for Washington’s Continental Army, will take visitors on a culinary journey into the revolutionary past. Visitors of all ages will learn how recipes have evolved over the span of two centuries and what the tools of the trade were. They will also learn about bread-baking techniques—and get to try some samples. This all happens on Sunday afternoons through November 16 at Fort Lee Historic Park overlooking the Hudson. Charpentier will fire up a reconstructed “beehive” oven that is sited between the soldiers’ and officers’ huts at the “encampment” area at the southern end of the Historic Park. Weather permitting, visitors are invited to stop by anytime between noon and 4 pm and to stay as long as they like.
The entrance to Fort Lee Historic Park is on Hudson Terrace immediately south of the George Washington Bridge (directions). The 33-acre site boasts a visitor center and paved walkways offering unparalleled views of the bridge and upper Manhattan. There is no admission fee charged and no reservations are needed. For more information about the cooking demonstrations, or for directions, please visit the NJ Section’s website at njpalisades.org, or call the Historic Park at 201 461-1776. That number can also be used to confirm if weather seems questionable on any given Sunday.
