Join us in the Cafe as we celebrate Black History Month by featuring recipes weekly of renowned Black authored culinary greats who have contributed to the culinary world by sharing their cultural roots.
See our events page to learn more!
We will be featuring:
Edna Lewis
Edna Lewis was a giant in the culinary world as well as in life. The granddaughter of formerly enslaved people, Edna would grow up to be a great chef, culinary ambassador, and caretaker of true Southern cooking. In her lifetime, Edna would inspire a generation of young chefs and ensure that the traditional folkways of the South would not be forgotten. More than a skilled cook, Edna Lewis touched the lives of those around her with grace and the beauty of life.
Cookbooks: The Taste of Country Cooking: The 30th Anniversary Edition of a Great Southern Classic Cookbook; The Edna Lewis Cookbook; In Pursuit of Flavor.
Marcus Samuelson
Marcus is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, philanthropist and food activist. Chef Marcus Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Sweden. He currently resides in New York City. He is the chef-owner of Red Rooster restaurants and Ginny’s Supper Club in New York. Cookbooks: Red Rooster Harlem; The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food: A Cookbook; Marcus off Duty: The Recipes I Cook At Home; Yes, Chef
Tanya Holland
Known for her inventive take on modern soul food, as well as comfort classics, Tanya Holland is the executive chef/owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland, CA.
Cookbooks: Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook; New Soul Cooking.
Nina Compton
James Beard award-winning St. Lucian chef who currently lives in New Orleans. She discovered her passion for Caribbean cooking watching her mom and granny at home. “Compton’s first restaurant, Compère Lapin, opened in mid-2015, in a hotel in the city’s trendy Warehouse District in New Orleans, showcasing the food of the Caribbean, and of her native St. Lucia in particular: seafood pepper pot, cow-heel soup, jerk fish. Her dishes were threaded through with the islands’ smoke and spice and with the ambrosial sweetness of tropical fruit, but they also borrowed freely from France and Italy, the American South, and from the flavors of New Orleans itself.”
Cookbook: Coconut. Ginger. Shrimp. Rum