Tag: Houston

Posted in Feature Spotlight, On The Radar, Resources

Mmmm Good!!…Celebrating Black History Through Tasty Drinks & Delicious Eats!!

Posted on by drblackfuturefeminist

To All My Chefs & Mixologists (novice and professional) out there, this is for you!

Who doesn’t love a mouth-watering, soulful meal or a delightful spirit to cap off the night?!! Well I wanted to add to your “must-see and must-try” lists by highlighting the spirit and culinary world with a few cookbooks, wineries, breweries, creators and organizations that are making Black History!!

Not surprisingly, Black Americans have contributed significantly (and still do) to the culinary world and cocktail/wine/brewery culture. We have been tastemakers and drink-makers since the beginning of time :-). Cooking and feeding the soul is in the DNA of African Americans (check out Netflix’s High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America if you don’t believe me)!

As it relates to the spirit world, I recently learned that there was a Black Mixology Club that was founded in 1898 by R. R. Bowie and J. Burke Edelin that was a “marquee professional association,” and a gathering place for African Americans who were trying to move up the ladder of social mobility within professional bartending [Check out these pioneers as well: Cato Alexander, John Dabney, Tom Bullock, and Dick “Uncle Dick” Francis]. 

Now let me say this…. the following below is by no means the only folks that have been and are in the game just a few to wet your palette (literally and figuratively), because I know there are tons of Black folks making history!!

So get ready to pop some bottles, plan your next couple or friends getaway, pull out those pots and pans, turn on your ovens, and make some magical memories!!

Black Winemakers, Wines, and Sommeliers

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Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

Black Breweries & Cideries

Photo by ELEVATE on Pexels.com

Recipe, Cocktails, and other Cookbooks

  • Black Mixcellence: A Comprehensive Guide to Black Mixology ~Tamika Hall
  • Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails ~Shannon Mustipher
  • The Ideal Bartender* ~Tom Bullock [First cocktail book by an African American]
  • Holy Spirits! Charleston Culture Through Cocktails ~Taneka Reaves & Johnny Caldwell
  • After Hours Cocktail Book ~Martina Jackson
  • My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef ~Kwame Onwuachi
  • Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora ~Bryant Terry
  • The Art of Fufu: A Guide to the Culture and Flavors of a West African Tradition ~Kavachi Ukegbu
  • Black Girl Baking: Wholesome Recipes Inspired by a Soulful Upbringing ~Jerrelle Guy
  • The Church Ladies’ Divine Desserts ~Brenda Rhodes Miller
  • Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family ~Alice Randall & Caroline Randall Williams
  • In Pursuit of Flavor ~Edna Lewis
  • Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day ~Alexander Smalls and JJ Johnson
  • Son of a Southern Chef: Cook with Soul ~Lazarus Lynch
  • The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South ~Michael W. Twitty
Photo by DapurMelodi on Pexels.com

Cheers and Bon Appetit!!

Posted in On The Radar

On The Radar

Posted on by drblackfuturefeminist

The one great thing about scrolling through my Apple News app on my phone is finding jewels and nuggets regarding exciting new projects that showcase voices often not heard. And today was one of the many days where I scrolled up on an upcoming collaborative multi-faceted art project When We Gather.

When We Gather is a 3-minute art film meant to inspire, celebrate, and reflect on the momentous occasion of celebrating the history making inauguration of the first African American and South Asian Vice President Kamala Harris. Directed by Codie Elaine Oliver (Black Love-OWN Network) with performances by acclaimed artists María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Okwui Okpokwasili, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Dell Marie Hamilton, Jana Harper, Lisa E. Harris and Samita Sinha.

Envisioned by Campos-Pons, she notes, “When We Gather offers an empowering moment to heal and unite the country through creative energy.” As she brought the artists together, their performance provides something of an awakening. “The circle shows us how we can remain connected even while we are separated due to this pandemic or due to the state of the nation. All of these factors have informed the collaborative choreography and spoken word of this global collective experience.”

Narrated by award-winning actress Alfre Woodard, the film highlights literary and choreographed dance movements from various backgrounds and traditions as it pays homage to Black women heroines. Now as a result of the pandemic, the performances were woven together from three different cities/locations (Brooklyn, Nashville, and Houston).

Before it launches on January 27th (7 pm/ET), starting today viewers can check out the interactive platform When We Gather, which shares behind-the-scenes stories of Black women heroines from the past, present, and future.

After hearing Vice President Kamala Harris, during her nomination acceptance, call forth the memory of her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris, while also invoking a moment that acknowledges generations of all women creates a moment of unity and empowerment!! In essence, magic in the making!! When We Gather accepts the call from Harris to celebrate all “mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, girls; cis and trans and serves as a “collective answer to her invitation.”

Streaming of the film will be available free until February 15th, 2021.

Such a shining a moment that I look forward to watching!!

~Dr. G.

Women represented in the “When We Gather” film-Photo by Tommy Oliver