Synopses & Reviews
The very first cookbook to celebrate Juneteenth, from food writer and cookbook author Nicole A. Taylor — who draws on her decade of experiences observing the holiday.
On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, informing the people of Texas that all enslaved people were now free. A year later, in 1866, Black Texans congregated with music, dance, and BBQs — Juneteenth celebrations.
All-day cook-outs with artful salads, bounteous dessert spreads, and raised glasses of "red drink" are essential to Juneteenth gatherings. In Watermelon and Red Birds, Nicole puts jubilation on the main stage. As a master storyteller and cook, she bridges the traditional African-American table and 21st-century flavors in stories and recipes. Nicole synthesizes all the places we've been, all the people we have come from, all the people we have become, and all the culinary ideas we have embraced.
Watermelon and Red Birds contains over 75 recipes, including drinks like Afro Egg Cream and Marigold Gin Sour, dishes like Beef Ribs with Fermented Harissa Sauce, Peach Jam and Molasses Glazed Chicken Thighs, Southern-ish Potato Salad and Cantaloupe and Feta Salad, and desserts like Roasted Nectarine Sundae, and Radish and Ginger Pound Cake. Taylor also provides a resource to guide readers to BIPOC-owned hot sauces, jams, spice, and waffle mixes companies and lists fun gadgets to make your Juneteenth special. These recipes and essays will inspire parties to salute one of the most important American holidays, and moments to savor joy all year round.
Review
"My friend Nicole Taylor has a curiosity that is infectious and tenacious, and matched only by her love for her people. For Us. This particular combination has been to the great benefit of the U.S. food writing canon, to the professional food writing community, and to YOU....These recipes are illustrative of her gifts, moving us seamlessly from the historic to the contemporary, with ingredients and rhetoric together reinforcing a clear thesis - 'I put on for my people.'" — Stephen Satterfield, founder of Whetstone Media, host of High on the Hog
Review
"Juneteenth is not just about a moment; it's about a celebration of freedom — to choose, to experiment and to enjoy. Nicole Taylor exemplifies soul food as construct rather than canon--a place where dynamic ideas about food keep us grounded in the tradition while unfettering us from the expected and overplayed. The dance she takes us on in our kitchens is a thrill. Watermelon and Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations is revolutionary. " — Michael W. Twitty, James Beard Award-winning author of The Cooking Gene, Rice, and Koshersoul
Review
"Nicole Taylor chronicles Black foodways with expertise and warmth, crafting recipes you'll find yourself immediately adding to your weekly repertoire. Watermelon and Red Birds is an astounding text, both definitive and generous, abundant and joyful." — Bryan Washington, author of Lot and Memorial
About the Author
Nicole A. Taylor is a James Beard Award-nominated food writer, master home cook, and producer. She has written for the New York Times, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine. Nicole is the author of The Up South Cookbook and The Last O.G. Cookbook. She is the executive producer of If We So Choose, a short documentary about the desegregation of an iconic southern fast food joint. Nicole is the cofounder of The Maroon, a marketplace and retreat house focused on radical rest for Black creatives. She lives in New York City and Athens, Georgia, with her husband and son.