From Madeira wine to French desserts, fine cuisine was always on Jefferson's menu.
“ He ate heartily, and much vegetable food, preferring French cookery, because it made the meats more tender.”
"Dinner is served in half Virginian, half French style, in good taste and abundance. No wine is put on the table till the cloth is removed."
-Daniel Webster, 1824
“ Never before had such dinners been given in the President's House”
Thomas Jefferson held periodic dinners at the President's House in Washington to build relationships with political allies and opponents often using the events as a tool to gain political ends.
President Jefferson's dinners with legislators, administrators, diplomats, and European philosophers were unprecedented in their frequency and bountiful elegance.
During his tenure as U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson promoted a style of dinner etiquette that was much more informal than the style exercised by his two predecessors.
“ no nation is drunken where wine is cheap”
Read about Thomas Jefferson's abiding and evolving interest in wine and viticulture.
A look at historic beer brewing at Monticello and new ales brewed in partnership with Blue Mountain Brewery.
Explore Jefferson's interest in beer and the history of brewing at Monticello.
A quick primer for the history of cider and cider-making at Monticello.
Records rarely mention that the preparation, cooking, serving and cleanup for the meals enjoyed by Jefferson, his family and his guests was made possible by Monticello’s enslaved cooks and their families.
An enslaved cook, tailor, and master brewer.
An enslaved, French-trained chef who served at the White House during Jefferson's presidency and later ran the kitchen at Monticello.
James Hemings was the Paris-trained enslaved head chef who prepared meals for Jefferson's elite guests at Monticello, New York City, and Philadelphia.
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