Food to nourish the body and conversation to nourish the mind are on the menu at Princeton Theological Seminary’s Farminary for its “First Thursdays at the Farm — A Distinctive Dinner Series.”
The Farminary, a 21-acre farm operated by the seminary at 4200 Princeton Pike, is hosting a seven-part series of monthly dinners bringing together a range of scholars, activists, and artists to speak over four-course meals prepared by noteworthy chefs and incorporating produce from the Farminary.
These intimate dinners are capped at 25 guests and cost $125 per person, which includes the meal and wine. Those who sign up for three or more dinners receive a 15 percent discount. All dinners start at 6 p.m. Register online at www.ptsem.edu/events/departments/farminary/1st-thursdays-at-the-farm.
The series begins on Thursday, May 2, and continues on the first Thursday of each month through November. The lineup, with speaker introductions from the seminary website, is as follows:
May 2: Carolyn Finney and chef Joe Rocchi — “Black Faces, White Spaces: African Americans’ Representation in the Great Outdoors.”
Finney is a storyteller, author and cultural geographer interested in issues related to identity, difference, creativity, and resilience. She is an artist-in-residence and the environmental studies professor of practice in the Franklin Environmental Center at Middlebury College.
Rocchi is the culinary director at Franklin Towne Charter High School in Philadelphia. He is a citizen of the Pamunkey Tribe of Virginia and is a rising star around questions of Indigenous food sovereignty, colonization, and pre and post Colonial Indigenous foods.
June 6: Eric Barreto and chef Jesse Jones — “Made with Love: Theology, Identity, and the Table.”
Barreto is an associate professor of New Testament. As a Baptist minister, Barreto has pursued scholarship for the sake of the church, and he regularly writes for and teaches in faith communities around the country.
Jones is a classically trained chef and author renowned for his modern approach to southern cuisine.
July 11: Charles Rosen and chef Salvatore Riccobono — “The Earth Is Not a Warehouse: Practicing Regenerative Agriculture.”
Rosen spent nearly 14 years working in advertising, then ran for Congress, started a global fund to finance the campaigns of women politicians abroad, and founded a hard cider brand, Ironbound Hard Cider. He is now the founder and CEO of Ironbound Farm, home to Ironbound Hard Cider and New Ark Farms, in Asbury, New Jersey.
Riccobono is the founder of Plainsboro-based Wood Craft Cafe & Catering.
August 1: Heath Carter and chef James Graham — “Seeds of Discord: Christianity, Democracy, and Our Present Crisis.”
Carter is an associate professor of American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he teaches and writes about the intersection of Christianity and American public life.
Graham is the owner and executive chef of Jagrah’s Restaurant, housed within Princeton Country Club.
September 5: Elaine James and chef Margo Carner — “A Fresh Take on Freshwater Crises: How the Old Testament Sheds New Light.”
James, associate professor of Old Testament, joined the Princeton Seminary faculty in 2019. Her work focuses on the literature of the Hebrew Bible, especially its poetry, examining its significance in ancient contexts and its legacies for the contemporary world.
Carner is the chef and founder of Montgomery-based Fridge2Table, providing personal chef and catering services.
October 3: Aminah Al-Attas Bradford and chef Gabby Aron — “Good Trouble: The Intersections of Religion, Microbiology, Ecology, and Race.”
Bradford is an Arab-American scholar of religion and Christian thought currently serving as a postdoctoral research fellow at North Carolina State University.
Aron is the founder of New Jersey-based Autumn Olive Food Works.
November 7: Rebecca Nagle and chef Joe Rocchi — “Contemporary Indigenous Storytelling: Exploring the History Being Made Today.”
Nagle is an award-winning advocate, writer, and citizen of Cherokee Nation. As the host of the chart-topping podcast “This Land”, Nagle told the story of one Supreme Court case about tribal land in Oklahoma, the small-town murder that started it, and the surprising connection to her own family history. Nagle has been covering the Murphy case since May 2018.
www.ptsem.edu/events/departments/farminary/1st-thursdays-at-the-farm
,
