On Saturday, March 8, 2025, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Crailo State Historic Site and the Friends of Fort Crailo invite you to the first of five “Colonial Kitchen” series of events. The first of our Colonial Kitchen programs will be a hands-on workshop focused on the history and use of chocolate in Colonial Albany. Using techniques and spices from the 17th and 18th centuries, participants will sample chocolate treats and make their own hot chocolate with historic ingredients.

The workshop will take place in Crailo’s hearth kitchen and be led by Erin Czernecki, a local historian currently working at the NYS Division of Historic Preservation. Her passion for culinary history has led to years of research, training, experience with hearth cooking and demonstrating 17th and 18th century food preparation.

Admission: $10.00 per person, payable by cash or check (Includes all supplies)
Please bring lunch for the break.
Space is limited, so please reserve your place by calling Crailo at (518) 463-8738.
Reservation deadline 3/5. Snow-date: Sun., 3/9

Other programs offered in this series are the following:
Thursday, 3/13: Presentation: Rebuilding New York’s Historical Kitchens
Saturday, 3/22: Van Wyck Chocolate House
Saturday, 4/5: Preparing a 17th Century Meal
Saturday, 4/12: Colonial Beer Brewing

For further information about this Colonial Kitchen Series, please call (518) 463-8738 or visit our social media.

Once part of the Van Rensselaer family’s vast landholdings, today, Crailo is the museum of the colonial Dutch. Through archaeological research, exhibits, guided tours and educational programming, Crailo tells the complex stories of the early Dutch, Indigenous and African inhabitants of the upper Hudson River Valley.