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Montgomery County’s history can be told through its dining tables and every era has its stories--from a fortune made with an eggbeater to pre-prepared food on airplanes. Native Americans recognized the shores of the Potomac as a trading spot. The first European settlers farmed tobacco, establishing slavery and eventually collapsing the county’s economy. The Quaker community used farming technologies that became the basis of the USDA. The C&O Canal, shipping raw materials from the Ohio Valley to DC ports, was the nation’s first significant infrastructure project. The county's farms and food were weapons in the Civil War when the county straddled the Union and Confederate causes. During and after the World Wars, the county was a center for federal food and agriculture programs, and its businesses were instrumental in the shift from local food to an international food supply chain.

Authors Claudia Kousoulas and Ellen Letourneau tell the story of the county’s agricultural history through food and recipes in this presentation.

Claudia Kousoulas worked as a planner in Montgomery County for more than 20 years. She is also a freelance writer whose work covers architecture, design, cooking, and culinary history.

Ellen Letourneau is an event planner creating festivals, dinners, photo safaris, fundraisers and other happenings to help non-profits expand their outreach and people to celebrate life. She is also an amateur weaver and bread maker.

Co-sponsored by Bethesda Historical Society, Bethesda Metro Area Village and Connie Morella Library. Free and open to the public.