



🏛️Gorgeous restored 1800s reading room
🍽️Learn about early NYC's forgotten foodways
⏰Arrive early to grab a good seat
Dig into the culinary roots of early New York through the lens of African American food traditions. Local historian Melanie Cardone-Leathers serves up stories of how enslaved and free Black cooks shaped the city's table centuries ago, all inside a beautifully restored 1800s reading room.
Local history talk
Culinary heritage
Free community event
Library program




🏛️Gorgeous restored 1800s reading room
🍽️Learn about early NYC's forgotten foodways
⏰Arrive early to grab a good seat
Dig into the culinary roots of early New York through the lens of African American food traditions. Local historian Melanie Cardone-Leathers serves up stories of how enslaved and free Black cooks shaped the city's table centuries ago, all inside a beautifully restored 1800s reading room.
Local history talk
Culinary heritage
Free community event
Library program