Press Release: Saratoga Performing Arts Center Announces Braided Heritage: Tracing the Roots of American Cuisine with Dr. Jessica B. Harris
January 27, 2026
Saratoga Performing Arts Center Announces
Braided Heritage: Tracing the Roots of American Cuisine
with Dr. Jessica B. Harris
Free community event presented by CulinaryArts@SPAC
On March 7 @ 3 PM
Saratoga Springs, NY (January 27, 2026) – Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) announces a special free community program featuring renowned culinary historian, James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame winner and star of the Netflix docuseries High on the Hog, Dr. Jessica B. Harris. Presented as part of SPAC’s CulinaryArts@SPAC initiative, Braided Heritage: Tracing the Roots of American Cuisine will take place on Saturday, March 7 from 3–5 p.m. at The Pines at SPAC and will explore the deep cultural roots that shaped American food as we know it today.
Hosted by WAMC’s Joe Donahue, the conversation will draw from Harris’s decades of research across the Americas, the Caribbean, and Africa, illuminating how Indigenous, European, and African traditions converged to form a uniquely American cuisine. Harris will also reflect on her distinguished career, including the creation of High on the Hog, the award-winning book adapted into a popular Netflix docuseries, and her latest work, Braided Heritage, which blends sweeping history with personal stories and recipes that bring this culinary legacy to life.
“Food is one of the most powerful ways we understand who we are, where we come from, and how our stories intersect,” says Elizabeth Sobol, Chief Executive Officer of Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “We are excited to welcome Dr. Jessica B. Harris to SPAC. Her presence and wisdom will provide inspiration to deepen the conversation around culture, history and identity and expand CulinaryArts@SPAC beyond the plate and into the broader social narratives that shape our communities.”
One of the nation’s preeminent culinary historians, Dr. Jessica B. Harris has spent decades documenting the foodways of the African diaspora. In Braided Heritage, she brings a deeply personal lens to the origins of American food, weaving historical research with stories and recipes shared by friends descended from Native peoples, Europeans, and Africans. Through dishes both familiar and surprising—such as Clear Broth Clam Chowder with its Indigenous and European roots, Enchiladas Suizas that blend tomatillo-based traditions with European dairy, and African American classics shaped by centuries of regional migration and innovation, including red beans and rice and peach bread pudding cupcakes with bourbon glaze—Harris reveals how these intertwined traditions gave rise to an entirely new American cuisine.
Preceding the discussion and Q&A, attendees can enjoy complimentary light bites including Pan de Polvo (Traditional Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies) and La Colle (Praline-like Creole Candy) alongside a specialty non-alcoholic beverage. Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase a selection of Dr. Harris’s books, including Braided Heritage ($35), and have them signed by the author following the program.
Beyond its amphitheater stage, SPAC has become a year-round gathering place celebrating the artistry of food in building community while empowering individuals to understand how what we eat influences our communities and our planet. The CulinaryArts@SPAC initiative, founded in 2020, combines culinary excellence and education, emphasizing socially conscious cultivation and consumption, local procurement, and fair wages.
CulinaryArts@SPAC is presented in partnership with lead sponsor Franklin Square Market, downtown Saratoga’s community market and bar. The initiative is produced by Pam Abrams and Kevin London with Tiina Loite.
Braided Heritage: Tracing the Roots of American Cuisine with Dr. Jessica B. Harris is free to attend, however space is limited. Visit spac.org for details or to register.
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Dr. Jessica B. Harris
Dr. Jessica B. Harris is the author, editor, and translator of seventeen books, including twelve cookbooks documenting the foods and foodways of the African diaspora. Her IACP Award–winning book High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America has been adapted into a Netflix series. Harris is a professor emerita at Queens College/CUNY in New York and has written extensively for scholarly and popular publications. She served as the culinary consultant for the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture and their lauded restaurant, the Sweet Home Café. She holds lifetime achievement awards from the Southern Foodways Alliance, the Soul Summit, and the James Beard Foundation, which also inducted Harris into the Cookbook Hall of Fame.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), located in the historic resort town of Saratoga Springs in upstate New York, is one of America’s most prestigious outdoor amphitheaters. Its exquisite setting in a 2,400-acre park preserve surrounded by hiking trails, geysers, and natural mineral springs draws lovers of arts, culture and nature for performances by resident companies New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Saratoga Jazz Festival, and concerts by Live Nation. SPAC also hosts imaginative programming such as Caffè Lena @ SPAC and initiatives in culinary, literary, healing and visual arts.
SPAC is a 501c3 charitable organization. Donations and proceeds from fundraising events benefit the Center’s thriving education program, community outreach efforts, and the vibrancy of its programming. For more information visit spac.org.