Birth of American Cuisine at First Food Saturday

Davis Walker reported to Historic City News that Saturday, November 6th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Los Compañeros de la Cocina will recreate a special, authentic interpretation of the food and foodways of early Florida and the southeastern United States.

This “First Food” event will feature the story of St. Augustine and the Birth of American Cuisine.

If you are planning to attend, parking is available in the Historic Downtown Parking Facility and the event will be held nearby in the Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum located at 29 St. George Street, across from the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.

“The founding of Florida in the 16th century saw the blending of European, African, and Native American foodways and the birth of the first uniquely American cuisine,” Walker told Historic City News.

In a letter to Felipe II, King of Spain, penned on October 20, 1566, Admiral Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Founder of St. Augustine and Father of Florida, wrote, “This land awaits good and honorable men…raised up with gazpacho, garlic, and onion…”

This annual event is sponsored by Los Compañeros de la Cocina with the support and assistance of the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, as well as the City of St. Augustine’s Department of Heritage Tourism. Admission is free. A vendor will be offering samples of period food for a small fee.

Established in 2008, Los Compañeros is a venue for those interested in studying and re-creating the food and foodways of Florida and the southeastern United States in the 16th and 17th centuries.

For more information on Los Compañeros de la Cocina, please contact 1-877-352-4478.