African American soul food prepared by the Nance family siblings of Hopkinsville will be featured in The Supper Club program at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at the Pennyroyal Area Museum, 217 E. Ninth St.
“The family comes to us with a strong culinary background. Their mother Sarah Nance — in partnership with their late sister Emma Nance Jordan — opened and cooked at the family restaurant Nance’s on Walnut Street for decades.”,” Alissa Keller, executive director of the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County, said in a press release. “They will share stories about a variety of dishes, and guests will have the opportunity to taste and experience the cuisine. Guests will take home a recipe and any unique ingredients required to cook the dish at home.”
Delmar Nance, Paulette Robinson and Shirley Shelton cooking up family recipes on Feb. 8, 2024, at Grace Episcopal Church in Hopkinsville. (Hoptown Chronicle photo by Jennifer P. Brown)
The cost to attend is $10 — or $50 for all six gatherings of The Supper Club in 2026. Dates for other programs are April 9, June 11, Aug. 13, Oct. 8 and Dec. 10. Tickets can be purchased on the museum’s Shopify store online or by calling 270-887-4270.
This will be the Nance’s family’s second Supper Club presentation. They were also on the program in February 2024, which attracted a large audience.
The Supper Club, a collaboration of the museum and the Human Rights Commission of Hopkinsville-Christian County, is designed to “build community belonging.”
Keller said, “Sharing conversations over a meal is a great way to bring people together to share their culture, rituals and traditions. With compassion at heart and a journey with history, our goal is to build a community that understands and promotes cross-cultural dialogue with our neighbors.”
This story was updated to include information about the late Emma Nance Jordan.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
