A screenshot from the Netflix documentary “High on the Hog: How African American cuisine transformed America,” which will be shown at Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theater on Feb. 7. Courtesy of Netflix

Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theater will host a screening of “Our Roots,” the first episode in a documentary series “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America,” on Feb. 7 as part of its recognition of Black History Month.

Keleen Watson and Peter Ebanks of J&J Jamaican Grocery and Gift Shop will serve free appetizers beginning at 7 p.m., followed by the documentary screening.

“High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America” offers intimate portraits of African cuisine’s history and its impact on modern American food. Throughout the four-part series, food writer Stephen Satterfield, founder of Whetstone Magazine, traces the origins of African American cuisine. In the first episode, “Our Roots,” Satterfield starts his culinary journey in western Africa and continues to the U.S., on an illuminating tour of Benin, led by Dr. Jessica B. Harris, author of the source material for the docuseries. Harris and other guides, chefs, and preservationists recall how African people were rounded up and shipped out, bringing their food traditions with them.

Watson and Ebanks, of Newcastle, opened J$J Jamaican Grocery and Gift Shop in Damariscotta in 2021. Now located at 3163 Atlantic Highway in Warren, the shop offers a colorful variety of flavors and ingredients from Jamaica. For the Lincoln Theater event, they are planning to bring jerk chicken wings, fried plantain cups stuffed with vegetables and pulled pork sliders.

Doors will open at 6:45 p.m., with appetizers available from 7-7:30 p.m. The episode screening will begin at 7:30 p.m. Lincoln Theater is located at 2 Theater St. in Damariscotta. More information is available on our website at LincolnTheater.net, or by calling the theater office at (207) 563-3424 or emailing info@LincolnTheater.net.