TIFTON —The Georgia Agrirama celebrated the opening of a food exhibit from the Smithsonian Saturday by cutting a vine (instead of a ribbon) and honoring two local cooks.

Doris Tift, an Agrirama interpreter known for her tea cakes, and Bertha English, chief cook at the Holiday Inn, cut the vine along with Agrirama officials and representatives of local sponsors. At a reception following the vine-cutting, guests sampled local foods like boiled peanuts, roasted pecans, cucumber sandwiches, tea cakes and iced tea.

Tifton is one of a dozen stops for the traveling exhibit, “Key Ingredients: America by Food, which will be here through Aug. 1.

Through a selection of artifacts, photographs and illustrations, the Key Ingredients exhibit examines the evolution of the American kitchen. It also looks beyond the home to illustrate how Americans gain a sense of community through the meals that they eat, providing a glimpse at the traditions that merge in everyday meals and celebrations.

The exhibit will also feature displays depicting local and regional traditions to add local flavor to the larger, national-themed exhibit. Tifton’s exhibit will include special displays on community canning, organic gardening, the farmer’s market and more.

The exhibit is hosted statewide by the Georgia Humanities Council. Local sponsors include the Georgia Agrirama, The Tifton Gazette, Georgia Organics, Tifton Terminal Railway Museum, Tifton Farmers’ Market, the University of Georgia, the Tift County Canning Plant, the Georgia Egg Commission, the Georgia Peanut Commission, the National Peanut Buyer’s Point Association, Tift County 4-H and FFA, the Georgia Watermelon Association and Kohl Players.

Events planned in conjunction with the exhibit include a class on organic gardening, the South Georgia Foodways Festival, a food preservation class, the Agrirama’s July 4 celebration, a program on community gardening, the Tifton Terminal Railway benefit dinner, The Incredible Edible Egg exhibit sponsored by the Georgia Egg Commission, screening of the movie “King Corn,” showing of a document on Southern stews, a Sustainability Fair focusing on recycling and composting, a Foodways day camp and a recipe taste-off sponsored by The Tifton Gazette.

For more information about the exhibit or any of the activities, call the Agrirama at 386-3344.