America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook (44 page)
T
his work
could never have been made possible without the
pass it down
recipes and inspiring stories that African American home cooks and accomplished chefs from throughout the U.S. contributed to this heritage cookbook.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Our deep gratitude goes to our ancestors and elders who dared to document African American food history through the rich oral and experiential tradition of each-one-teach-one. In the modern era, we thank everyone who has expanded our understanding and respect for African American foodways through cookbooks, writings, and food products.
Thanks to Tavis Smiley for the America I AM vision and to Denise Pines for tapping me with the honor of shepherding this special project into the world.
My infinite gratitude goes to my co-editor, Ramin Ganeshram, whose creativity, journalistic skill, passion, and knowledge of African Americans’ contributions to the evolution of cuisine in America has been priceless.
The SmileyBooks editorial team truly guided us and kept this project alive and moving. Special thanks to the editor behind the editors, SmileyBooks’ president Cheryl Woodruff. Whether serving as my sous chef on the road as we solicited recipes or working elbow to elbow with her staff behind the scenes, Cheryl never left the kitchen no matter how hot it got. Special kudos to SmileyBooks’ editorial staffers Chaz Kyser and Kirsten Melvey for their commitment, dedication, and follow-through.
A very special shout out to goes to our brilliant designer Charles McStravick of Hay House. Charles not only captured our vision, he translated the warmth and love in our hearts on every page.
As always, thank you to my wife Stacy, whose patience, commitment to our family and my work as a chef, is evident in all that I have accomplished over the past decade.
To my children and all the young folks, we documented our experience for you to grow, benefit, and
“pass it down”
to future generations. We look forward to the special contributions that you alone are destined to make to the world.
— Jeff Henderson,
NOVEMBER 2010
I
n all my years as a food writer
working on projects large and small, I have never experienced such an outpouring of love and excitement for a project as I have with this book. The energy and joyful sharing of family recipes and stories has been a wonder to behold. You’ll see some notable names in this book, but you’ll mostly see real folks who have brought us into their kitchens and made us part of their families. To each one of them we say, “Thank you!”
What you won’t be able to see is the monumental behind-the-scenes efforts of folks who joined in supporting this project because they believed wholeheartedly in its value. Each and every one of them has lent effort, time, contacts, and most of all, mad-crazy cheerleading as we put this book together. Michele Washington deserves big props for taking up the role of girl-reporter and painstakingly taking down folks’ recipes, while offering a few of her own. Noted Chef Scott Alves Barton’s special kids’ recipes truly make this book have something for everyone.
Our essayists, Adrian Miller, Dr. Donna Daniels, Dr. Desmonette Hazly, The Duo Dishes and, again, the intrepid Ms. Michele Washington, have added rich color and depth to the brilliantly complex tapestry that is the story of African American food. Michael Twitty, respected African foodways historian, was kind enough to share the story of his conversion to Judaism and how that brought him even closer to his soul food heritage. Thanks to Guy-Oreido Weston for sharing the experience of his family’s ancestral home of Timbuctoo, New Jersey, one of the earliest land-owning free black communities in America, now a revered archeological site. We are honored to have all of their contributions.