The Story Beneath the Table: Michael Carter, Jr., Carter Farms, and Africulture
At GATHER, every dinner begins long before guests arrive at the table. It begins with the land.
For our Founders Dinner Series at Salubria Manor, we are honored to welcome Michael Carter, Jr. as our featured food historian—bringing a perspective that reaches beyond recipes and ingredients into the deeper story of American agriculture itself.
Just a short drive from Salubria, in nearby Orange County, Virginia, Carter Farms has been stewarded by the Carter family for more than a century. The farm traces its roots to 1910, when Michael Carter, Jr.'s ancestors purchased the land, creating a legacy that continues today through five generations of farming and land stewardship. But Carter Farms is much more than a farm. It is a living classroom.
After years working as an agricultural consultant in Ghana, Michael returned home to Virginia with a renewed understanding of the profound connections between African agricultural traditions and the foods we eat today. Through Carter Farms and his educational platform, Africulture, he works to illuminate a history that is often overlooked: the indispensable role African knowledge, crops, and farming practices played in shaping American agriculture.
His newly released book, Africulture, explores these contributions in remarkable depth. Through history, personal narrative, and agricultural insight, Michael reveals how African expertise influenced everything from cultivation methods to the crops that helped sustain early America. The book also examines the challenges faced by Black farmers throughout history while offering a hopeful vision for the future of farming, community, and food sovereignty.
This story is especially meaningful as GATHER honors America's 250th Anniversary. Too often, the story of the American table is told through a narrow lens. Yet the foods, techniques, and traditions that define our culinary heritage emerged through the convergence of Indigenous knowledge, European traditions, and African agricultural expertise.
That belief sits at the heart of our inaugural dinner, Provision & Forage.
As guests gather beneath the Virginia sky at historic Salubria Manor, Chef Frida Johansson's menu will explore the foods that crossed the Atlantic alongside those already thriving in Virginia's forests, fields, and waterways. Throughout the evening, Michael Carter Jr. will help bring these stories to life, connecting what is on the plate to the people who cultivated, preserved, and carried these traditions forward.
His presence reminds us that food is never just food.
Every ingredient has a story.
Every recipe carries memory.
Every table offers an opportunity to better understand one another.
At GATHER, we believe remarkable meals should nourish more than the body. They should deepen our connection to place, history, and the people who came before us. We can think of no better guide for that journey than Michael Carter, Jr. Join us at Salubria Manor on August 29 as we explore the roots of the American table—one course, one conversation, and one shared meal at a time.
EXPERIENCE GATHER
Join us for upcoming Virginia farm-to-table dinners, immersive culinary experiences, and historic dining events at remarkable locations throughout the Commonwealth. Explore upcoming events and reserve your seat at gatheraround.co.