In the early 2000s, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation teamed up with Damon Lee Fowler, a culinary historian and cookbook author, to create a comprehensive presentation of Thomas Jefferson’s “place in American food history,” as Fowler’s introductory essay is titled.
Each page of “Dining at Monticello: In Good Taste and Abundance” is dense in food photography. There are photos of Jefferson’s famous historic home in Charlottesville, Virginia, including beautiful table settings and Monticello’s vast gardens. Also adorning many pages are images of handwritten notes, ledgers, and recipes.