Renowned Chef BJ Dennis Comes To The Staten Island Museum

Renowned Chef BJ Dennis is coming to the Staten Island Museum on Thursday, January, 7pm - 9pm for an interactive exploration of the culinary traditions of the Gullah, a distinctive group of Black Americans from coastal South Carolina and Georgia.

Complementing the Museum's current exhibition, Field Notes: Seed Stories and the Power of Plants, Chef Dennis will be joined by local horticulturist Wambui Ippolito for this series of rice tastings matched with discussion around the history and culture of this all important seed and special link between the Gullah and the people of West Africa.

"We are honored to have Chef Dennis join us all the way from South Carolina for this very special culinary event. Telling stories and experiencing history through food is a tactile way to experience culture and we are happy to be able to bring Chef Dennis to Staten Island to share his knowledge of the Gullah Geehee culture," said Janice Monger, President & CEO, Staten Island Museum.

The rice for this program has been generously donated by Anson Mills. All varieties being used were grown by enslaved people in the South Carolina region before the Civil War. By 1800, there were more than 100 distinct rices within the Charleston and local Sea Island communities.

Over the past fifteen years, Anson Mills has emerged as the foremost cultivator and supplier of gourmet, heritage grains in the United States.

Benjamin "BJ" Dennis IV is a chef born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, whose cooking is inspired by Gullah Geechee culture, with its origins in West Africa. Dennis studied culinary traditions in St. Thomas before returning to the Lowcountry to cook at various restaurants including Anson's, Carolinas, Hank's Seafood, and 82 Queen. He now cooks at various events across the country and pop-up dinners across the Lowcountry.

Wambui Ippolito is the horticulturist and principal designer of her own New York based landscape design firm. She is a graduate of the New York Botanical Garden's School of Professional Horticulture.

Tickets are $35 per person, reservations are required. Visit www.StatenIslandMuseum.org for more information and to purchase tickets.