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Summary
Summary
Edna Lewis (1916-2006) wrote some of America's most resonant, lyrical, and significant cookbooks, including the now classic The Taste of Country Cooking . Lewis cooked and wrote as a means to explore her memories of childhood on a farm in Freetown, Virginia, a community first founded by black families freed from slavery. With such observations as "we would gather wild honey from the hollow of oak trees to go with the hot biscuits and pick wild strawberries to go with the heavy cream," she commemorated the seasonal richness of southern food. After living many years in New York City, where she became a chef and a political activist, she returned to the South and continued to write. Her reputation as a trailblazer in the revival of regional cooking and as a progenitor of the farm-to-table movement continues to grow. In this first-ever critical appreciation of Lewis's work, food-world stars gather to reveal their own encounters with Edna Lewis. Together they penetrate the mythology around Lewis and illuminate her legacy for a new generation.
The essayists are Annemarie Ahearn, Mashama Bailey, Scott Alves Barton, Patricia E. Clark, Nathalie Dupree, John T. Edge, Megan Elias, John T. Hill (who provides iconic photographs of Lewis), Vivian Howard, Lily Kelting, Francis Lam, Jane Lear, Deborah Madison, Kim Severson, Ruth Lewis Smith, Toni Tipton-Martin, Michael W. Twitty, Alice Waters, Kevin West, Susan Rebecca White, Caroline Randall Williams, and Joe Yonan. Editor Sara B. Franklin provides an illuminating introduction to Lewis, and the volume closes graciously with afterwords by Lewis's sister, Ruth Lewis Smith, and niece, Nina Williams-Mbengue.
Author Notes
Sara B. Franklin is a writer and food studies scholar teaching at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
Reviews (3)
Kirkus Review
A collection of essays on the life and influences of pioneering chef Edna Lewis (1916-2006).Editor Franklin, a food studies scholar, gathers the thoughts of a wide variety of contributors, including John T. Edge, Alice Waters, Michael W. Twitty, and others. Known for her poignant depictions of Southern folklore, Lewis was not one to shy away from other people's misconceptions and prejudices. She made it her mission to combine food culture with sociopolitical issues, to interweave notions of racial tolerance and peaceful cohabitation in the dishes she served and in the stories she told. Franklin divides the book into three parts. In the first, essayists recall their first impressions of Lewis. In the second part, writers reflect on the impact Lewis has had on the sociopolitical climate and how both her writing and cookbooks greatly contributed to the dialogue. In the third section, contributors evaluate Lewis' legacy in today's worldTwitty writes, "my purpose here is to look at the life of chef Lewis as a continuum of a specific culinary and cultural legacy rooted in a particular regional and familial past." Franklin's laudable project sheds much-needed light on the significance of this singular culinary figure. "There is something about the South," wrote Lewis in an essay, "that stimulates creativity in people, be they black or white writers, artists, cooks, builders, or primitives that pass away without knowing they were talented." It's precisely that creativity that Lewis captured and embodied and that many of the anthology's contributors highlight throughout. Regarding Lewis' Taste of Country Cooking, Patricia E. Clark writes, "Lewis as subject and author of her own work is rendered with an intimate familiarity and a peculiar anonymity all at once." Franklin's work is a compelling examination of Lewis' identity that will appeal to food historians, racial studies scholars, and anyone seeking to learn more about Southern food.A fascinating, prismatic look at the legacy of one of America's most beloved chefs. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Of all the great American originals, Edna Lewis (1916-2006) left a remarkable legacy. Often overlooked at a time when achievements of African Americans were routinely belittled or ignored, Lewis broke new ground in what became a major movement in American culinary history: farm-to-table cooking. From rural Virginia, she moved to New York City and become chef at Café Nicholson, frequented by a host of Manhattan celebrities. She produced a classic and influential cookbook, The Taste of Country Cooking (1976). This collection of essays by devotees of Miss Lewis, in which her contemporaries share their respect and love, serves as an appreciation of her life, her achievements, and her legacy. Alice Waters lauds Miss Lewis as an inspiration for her own cuisine. Megan Elias situates Miss Lewis within the grand history of black people moving out of slavery and into freedom. Celebrity southern chef Vivian Howard finds a soul mate in her predecessor. In a moving piece, noted food personality Francis Lam recalls a visit to Miss Lewis' unassuming Virginia grave. A few recipes appear, too.--Knoblauch, Mark Copyright 2018 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Edna Lewis (1916-2006) was an African American chef and cookbook author whose The Taste of Country Cooking (1976) is considered a classic on the subject of Southern cuisine. Lewis grew up on a farm in Freetown, VA, and later went on to work as a chef in the Bronx, NY. She was also a vocal political activist. Food studies scholar Franklin (Tradition, Treme, and the New Orleans Renaissance) has compiled a collection of 21 essays by contemporary food writers such as chef Mashama Bailey as well as authors John T. Edge (The Potlikker Papers) and Michael W. Twitty (The Cooking Gene) to discuss their recollections of Lewis and her influence on American cooking. The essays are divided into three sections. The first focuses on the contributors' first impressions of Lewis. The second considers Lewis's standing in culinary history, and the final section is devoted to her contributions to today's culinary culture. The book concludes with recollections by Lewis's sister and niece. VERDICT A fitting tribute to a legendary chef, for anyone interested in culinary history.-Phillip Oliver, formerly with Univ. of North Alabama, Florence © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
