Open Hearth Cooking Class

Explore historic cooking methods, learn to interpret 18th century receipts (recipes), and enjoy the deliciousness of foodways history in this all-day class. Use the beautiful Hart Tavern hearth to cook a Thanksgiving feast over open fire, using tools and equipment that were common in the 18th century.

This is a hands-on class, so please bring a notebook, writing utensil,  and your favorite apron. Wear comfortable, natural fiber (cotton, linen, wool, etc) clothes that cover your legs and closed-toed shoes. Skirts are not recommended attire for this class. If you wear a skirt, please make sure it is made of natural or cellulose-based fibers that do not melt. You will be working next to an open fire, so we want everyone to be safe.

*Must be 13 or older to register; students under 16 must  be accompanied by an adult.

Co-founder of the Lincoln Hearth Cooks, based at the Reinhardt Cabin at the site of the Battle of Ramsour’s Mill in Lincolnton, NC.  Like most 18th Century Re-enactors, Docents, and Hearth Cooks we portray our ancestor’s life experiences when preparing meals through period appropriate re-enactment, using early receipts (recipes), cooking equipment, and techniques.  Taking classes in Scottish Hearth Cooking, Open Hearth Cooking, and Historic Foodways at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, my love of the craft has continued to be fueled.  In 2016, along with the Lincoln County Historical Association, we formed the Lincoln Hearth Cooks and began teaching Open Hearth Cooking, both at Ramsour’s Mill and Historic Rural Hill.  

My hometown of Winston-Salem afforded me many wonderful days in the restored Moravian Village of Old Salem, and my love of American History, and open hearth cooking has taken me to many of the local historic sites in the North Carolina Piedmont area.   Kings Mountain Historical Museum in Kings Mountain, NC, Old Stone House in Salisbury, NC, Fort Defiance in Lenoir, NC, James K. Polk Birthplace in  Pineville, NC, Hugh Torrence House and Store in Huntersville, NC, and now,  Beautiful Hart Square.