Twelve months with Edna Lewis

I first learned of Edna Lewis from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. As a food justice advocate, a food lover, and a Black woman that grew up in the South, I was saddened that I was only just learning about her incredible legacy. Edna Lewis was a local food warrior before the Food Network and before sustainable cooking and seasonal eating were trending. Edna Lewis grew up in Freetown, Virginia, a community established by freed enslaved Black people. Lewis was raised on a farm and lived in a community whose connection centered on togetherness and food. Her cookbooks read like historical narratives, weaving in recipes and wisdom that is warm and intuitive. When so much of our cooking culture celebrates those who are "pioneers" in slow and local cooking, we all too often forget our Black trailblazers.

To reverse the white washing of history in my own education, I am embarking on a year-long cooking journey to learn more about Edna and her work in the field, to reclaim this history for Black people, for my family, and for the young people I work with through Fresh Chefs. Each month, I will cook a recipe from her cookbooks and record it. Cooking in my house is not quiet and it is rarely done independently. Miles and Zuri are usually by my side, begging to help, crying when I say no, adding the wrong ingredient when I say yes - you get it. Viewers will get all of that each month!

For January, we made biscuits from Edna’s cookbook, The Taste of Country Cooking. The book reads like an autobiography in many places and has a lovely forward by Alice Waters. Click here to watch the video - and hopefully make your own biscuits!