Everything we eat has a story to tell. What does our food say about who we are, where we come from, and about the way we live? How does it help us connect with ...
By Us For Us - Culinary Trailblazer Freda DeKnight, Ebony Magazine’s First Food Editor
Before Freda DeKnight began writing for Ebony Magazine in 1946, American publications that centered on Black cuisine were overwhelmingly written by white writers for white audiences, often using harmful caricatures and dangerous stereotypes. This week, we’ll discover how one Black American food writer changed the culinary narrative.
Freda DeKnight’s food column and book - A Date With A Dish - helped revolutionize Black culinary coverage in post WWII America, breaking new ground for an entire generation of African American chefs and home cooks. Join veteran food writer Donna Battle Pierce as we follow Freda’s story from her home town of Topeka Kansas, all the way to the largest Black publishing company in the United States. And hear some of the stories and recipes she championed along the way.
Hosted by Claudia Hanna
Episode Guest:
Food writer Donna Battle Pierce
Site: https://www.skilletdiaries.com/
Blog: https://skilletdiaries.substack.com/
Recipe:
Ebony’s Barbequed Spare Ribs
To learn more:
Look through the 1948 first printing of Freda DeKnight’s book, A Date With A Dish.
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30:05
If Your Food Could Talk
In today’s episode we turn the mic on our listeners and hear what food matters to them - and why. We hear hilarious and touching stories from Italy to Iceland, Cairo to Los Angeles. Get ready to be transported and hear about some of the most delicious (and well, not so delicious) stories that will have you laughing, crying, and connecting.
Hosted by Claudia Hanna
Episode Guests:
Kamilia Hanna (Claudia’s mom)
My Greek Table Host Diane Kochilas
Yan Can Cook Host Chef Martin Yan
Recipes:
We have 4 recipes for you to explore this week:
1. Teta’s Whole Wheat Berry Cereal (Baleela)
2. Diane Kochilas’s Greens Pie
3. Mexican Wedding Cake
4. Spanish-style Kabocha Squash Au Gratin
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31:32
The Holy Loophole: How a California Winery Survived Prohibition
Thank God for wine. No, really! Wine has always played a part in the culture of the church. It’s what Jesus drank at the last supper, priests bless it during Catholic mass, and if you drink enough of it you might start having visions of the divine. But in the early 20th century, this millenia-old church culture was under threat. The temperance movement ushered in an era of prohibition. Wine barrels were cracked open with axes. The streets and sewers ran red, white, and sparkling. And in Southern California, winery owners like Santo Cambianica were given little choice but to shut down. As an Italian immigrant and a Catholic, prohibition wasn’t just a response to the rise of alcoholism, it was an attack on his culture and religion. But a little known exemption in the prohibition laws was about to change that. Instead of shutting down, Santo’s winery boomed. In fact, he did better business during prohibition than before it. All thanks to the holy loophole.
Hosted by Claudia Hanna
Episode Guests:
Santo Riboli (President, San Antonio Winery, Los Angeles, CA)
Father Gregory Elder (Historian and Pastor, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Palm Desert, CA)
Recipe:
Wine Pairings from Season One
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31:09
Born In The USA - The Surprising History of Chinese Food in America
There are more Chinese restaurants in the US today than there are McDonalds, Burger Kings and KFC’s combined. It's neck and neck with pizza as America's most ordered takeout. How did Chinese-American cuisine become so deeply embedded in American communities?
This week, we’re talking with New York Times bestselling author, journalist and documentary producer, Jennifer 8 Lee about the origins of 3 famous Chinese American dishes. Chop Suey, Fortune Cookies, and General Tso’s Chicken. We’ll uncover the American history that shaped them, and follow Jennifer’s journey to discover how understanding the past helped her find peace in the present.
Hosted by Claudia Hanna
Episode guest:
Jennifer 8 Lee - Journalist, Documentary Producer and Author of New York Times Bestseller The Fortune Cookie Chronicles
Episode recipe: Beef Broccoli
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38:22
The Bison Are Back: Reclaiming Native American Foodways
Bison meat has been showing up on many restaurant menus lately, but Native Americans have a relationship with the iconic animal that goes back thousands of years. Today we meet Jayme Murray, who runs a tribal-owned bison herd on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation in South Dakota, and Chef Ben Jacobs, co-founder of Tocabe in Denver. Their stories help explain why the bison is so central to Indigenous American history, and how a new generation of Native American ranchers and chefs are restoring indigenous foodways — and reinventing them for the future.
Hosted by Claudia Hanna
Episode Guests:
Jayme Murray, CEO of the Cheyenne River Sioux Buffalo Company.
Ben Jacobs, Co-Founder of Tocabe: An American Indian Eatery in Denver, CO. Tocabe’s online marketplace is here.
Recipe:
Bison Meatballs in an Agave Glaze
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Everything we eat has a story to tell. What does our food say about who we are, where we come from, and about the way we live? How does it help us connect with neighbors and understand foreign cultures? Aside from being delicious, why do we care so much about food? We take a look into the world’s pantry and come back with incredible stories. In each episode, Mediterranean lifestyle expert Claudia Hanna travels the globe to offer savory (and sound-rich) stories of how much food means and has meant to all of us.
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