Awards
2019 James Beard Foundation Book Award Nominee for Best American Cookbook
2018 Food and Wine Best Cookbook for Fall
2018 Booklist Top 10 Food Book
2018 Essence Pick of October
2018 Best Holiday Gift Book in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and San Antonio Express-News
Synopses & Reviews
A celebration of African American cooking with 109 recipes from the National Museum of African American History and Culture's Sweet Home Café.
Since the 2016 opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, its Sweet Home Café has become a destination in its own right. Showcasing African American contributions to American cuisine, the café offers favorite dishes made with locally sourced ingredients, adding modern flavors and contemporary twists on classics. Now both readers and home cooks can partake of the café's bounty: drawing upon traditions of family and fellowship strengthened by shared meals, Sweet Home Café Cookbook celebrates African American cooking through recipes served by the café itself and dishes inspired by foods from African American culture.
With 109 recipes, the sumptuous Sweet Home Café Cookbook takes readers on a deliciously unique journey. Presented here are the salads, sides, soups, snacks, sauces, main dishes, breads, and sweets that emerged in America as African, Caribbean, and European influences blended together. Featured recipes include Pea Tendril Salad, Fried Green Tomatoes, Hoppin' John, Senegalaise Peanut Soup, Maryland Crab Cakes, Jamaican Grilled Jerk Chicken, Shrimp and Grits, Fried Chicken and Waffles, Pan Roasted Rainbow Trout, Hickory Smoked Pork Shoulder, Chow Chow, Banana Pudding, Chocolate Chess Pie, and many others. More than a collection of inviting recipes, this book illustrates the pivotal — and often overlooked — role that African Americans have played in creating and re-creating American foodways. Offering a deliciously new perspective on African American food and culinary culture, Sweet Home Café Cookbook is an absolute must-have.
Review
"Befitting a cookbook produced by a museum,
every recipe is carefully categorized by geographic origins, and a
paragraph illuminates how each dish fits specifically within
African-American cuisine's diverse history and origins." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Now recipes from the café
and from black home and professional cooks, mostly traditional fare,
have been collected in a cookbook....interspersed with history and sidebars about ingredients like okra, rice
and peanuts." New York Times
Review
"Lukas, supervising chef of the Smithsonian's [NMAAHC]'s café, and Harris (The Martha's Vineyard Table) present the museum café's recipes in
this fascinating cookbook....a delicious food history lesson for home cooks." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Among the many treasures at
the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which
opened in September 2016, is its Sweet Home Café. Developed in
thoughtful collaboration with Restaurant Associates, which focuses on
creating extraordinary dining experiences in cultural institutions, the
café showcases the rich culture and history of the African American
people with traditional, authentic offerings as well as up-to-date
dishes. Jessica B. Harris is an award-winning culinary historian,
author, and journalist and served as advisor to the museum as it
developed the café. She is the author of twelve cookbooks, including
High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey From Africa to America.
Supervising Chef Albert Lukas crafted the innovative and highly
acclaimed café menu, which ties together food history, heritage
ingredient sourcing, and modern tastes. Executive Chef Jerome Grant oversees the café and develops inventive special meals for holiday and
seasonal celebrations.