Mashama Bailey

Delve into the rich history of Georgia's signature foods "Taste the State Georgia and the regional foods within it can be a source of pride for people and communities.... This book will prepare you for your next Georgian culinary adventure and give you a bit of history on why southerners eat what they eat." - Mashama Bailey, chef and owner of The Grey, Savannah

Food brings people together, but can it help heal the racial divide? At The Grey in Savannah, Georgia, a rising-star black woman chef and a food-obsessed white businessman are equal partners who're breaking barriers--one plate at a time. Black, White, and The Grey is a story about the mission, trials, and triumphs of two individuals who had little in common--except an obsession for great food--until they came together through an awakened determination to play a part in bridging the deep cultural divide in America during a time of profound national division, activated racism, and raging classism. Media startup defector John O. Morisano and chef/partner Mashama Bailey tell the story, in stereo, of how they went from guarded business partners to best friends as they turned a dilapidated Jim Crow-era Greyhound bus station into one of the hottest restaurants in the country, as they faced their own and their community's inherent biases through their honest unflinching conversations with each other. Morisano provides the bassline and Bailey elucidates, commenting--and correcting--his retelling as they reveal the rawness, vulnerability, and humanity that make their partnership so inspiring. A recipe caps each chapter, peppering the narrative with food from their story. Morisano and Bailey set out to build a restaurant and, in the process, committed themselves to having difficult conversations with each other about how their experiences as a white male and a black woman in America had shaped their understanding of race, class, and culture. It's a conversation that every American needs to evesdrop on. And, anyone who is fascinated by chef and restaurant culture will enjoy the behind-the-scenes details of building and running a destination restaurant--in this case, one with profound historical significance in Georgia's colonial capital.

Decades before cornbread, shrimp and grits, and peach cobbler were mainstays on menus everywhere, Edna Lewis--"the first lady of southern cooking" (NPR)--was pioneering the celebration of seasonal food as a distinctly American cuisine. In this James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame-inducted cookbook, Miss Lewis (as she was almost universally known) shares the recipes of her childhood, spent in a Virginia farming community founded by her grandfather and his friends after emancipation, as well as those that made her one of the most revered American chefs of all time. Interspersed throughout are personal anecdotes, cooking insights, notes on important Southern ingredients, and personally developed techniques for maximizing flavor. Across six charmingly illustrated chapters--From the Gardens and Orchards; From the Farmyard; From the Lakes, Steams, and Oceans; For the Cupboard; From the Bread Oven and Griddle; and The Taste of Old-fashioned Desserts--encompassing almost 200 recipes, Miss Lewis captures the spirit of the South. From Whipped Cornmeal with Okra; Pan-Braised Spareribs; and Benne Seed Biscuits to Thirteen-Bean Soup; Pumpkin with Saut ed Onions and Herbs; a Salad of Whole Tomatoes Garnished with Green Beans and Scallions; and Raspberry Pie Garnished with Whipped Cream, In Pursuit of Flavor is a modern classic and a timeless compendium of Southern cooking at its very best.