Asheville – The award-winning food writer brings his story to Asheville this month about one of the lesser-known areas of the White House.
Culinary historian Adrian Miller, author of “Presidents’ Kitchen Cabinets: The Story of the African Americans Who Feeded Our First Families, From Washington to Obama,” details kitchen staff over the decades. and many more stories to share at special events. Presented by UNC Asheville.
“That’s something people don’t think about. A lot of the time, we’re not exposed to the president’s private life, so we don’t know what they’re doing every day when it comes to food and stuff. It’s a chance to get a glimpse into the private lives of presidents and say something about them. ”
“Southern Black Chef of the White House” with two-time James Beard Award winner Miller will be held at the Highsmith Students Union on the UNCA campus at 1 University Heights on February 22 from 6-7:30 p.m. will be held in the Blue Ridge Room. Also, the event will be delivered on zoom.
The event is part of the university’s Thomas Howerton Distinguished Professor Speaker Series, “Diverse Roots at a Common Table: Conversations About Southern American Cuisine.” The series was designed to address issues of “identity, culture and forgotten histories from the humanities-based perspective of food historians, literary writers and Food Her Writers,” says Dr. Erica Abrams Locklear. Professor of Science, Distinguished Professor Thomas Howerton) said: of the humanities.
“Asheville is a city that loves food, so I thought it would be a good way to direct a series,” Locklear said. I am interested in the diverse food cultures and stories that make up what we call Southern cuisine.”
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Miller’s other publications include Soul Food: The Amazing Story of American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time and Black Smoke: The United States of African Americans and Barbecue.
Last semester, North Carolina culinary literature editor Mercy Cohen Ferris was the speaker for “Edible-Jewish-South: The Power of Food and How Jewish Southerners Make It.”
Our guest speaker on October 18 is Crystal Wilkinson, award-winning author, American Academy of Poets Fellowship recipient, and Kentucky Poet Laureate.
“National cuisine has long been an integral part of Southern identity, but popular depictions of that cuisine often obscure the myriad contributions of diverse cultures and peoples,” says Locklear. “This series of lectures provides a limited insight into Southern cuisine and its history by exploring the ways in which Southern cuisine is rooted in Indigenous, African, Jewish, Latinx, and many other food traditions.” It is intended to complicate the stereotypical understanding of
Adrian Miller told the Citizen Times about the event and his call to learn the untold stories of Southern Black chefs at the White House.
What motivated you to investigate black Southern chefs in the White House?
mirror: I am always intrigued and intrigued by opportunities to share stories I am trying to revive that have not yet been told or that people may not know.
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UNC Asheville events are free and open to the public, who should attend?
mirror: I think anyone who likes southern food. Anyone who is a fan of presidential history. Anyone who’s a fan of African American history.I’m going to tell a story about a black cook that most people have never heard of.Those interested in the history of women.
Unlike high-end hotels and restaurants, the White House’s kitchens are female-dominated and unheard of. We usually hear that in upscale and upscale restaurant settings, men are used by default and women are sort of home cooks or cooks in less formal settings. There were many women in that position. In fact, the current White House executive her chef is a woman who has been with George W. Bush since her second term, so she is one of the longest serving women in the White House.her name is Christa Commerford.
What do you hope your audience will get from this event?
mirror: I often say that my presentations and creations are appetizers. I hope people hear something interesting and want to know more. They will read more books. They will learn about others working in these areas. And I think what’s interesting is when someone starts connecting with their culture. When they hear (say) something, they say, “Oh, as the culture likes this ingredient. I want to realize that there are a lot of things.It is often said that there are many differences, but there are many similarities, and I think food is a fun way to connect people.
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You served as the President’s Special Assistant to the Clinton administration in the White House, the President’s One for America initiative. How did that lead you to write about a black chef in the White House in your book, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet?
mirror: I worked on what was called the President’s One America for America initiative. The race initiative had this wild and crazy idea. It’s that if we talk and listen to each other, we can understand how much we have in common despite our differences.
The late John Hope Franklin and others ran it for about two years, and when they finished their work, they said, “Mr. A continuous office must be established.
The book came much later. Given my experience in the White House, I tended to delve into that topic. So I took the opportunity to write a collective biography of mostly African-American cooks. I was drooling.
My presentation at UNC Asheville was multiethnic and had many influences.
Could you invite me for a specific story to share in the UNCA Lecture?
mirror: One of the things I really enjoy is telling the story of a president who became obsessed with Southern food. One of his great stories I’m absolutely going to tell is how the consummate Northerner Franklin his Delano his Roosevelt got hooked on pigs feet. He loves pig’s trotters so much that he actually offered them to Winston of the House.
“Southern Black Chef at the White House” with Adrian Miller
where: 1 Blue Ridge Room of the Highsmith Students Union on the UNC Asheville campus at University Heights.
when: Feb. 22, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
price: free
information: Lectures will be delivered via Zoom. To register online, visit the following website for more information. unca.edu/events-and-news/event/southern-black-chefs-in-the-white-house-with-adrian-miller/A question and answer session follows the lectures with in-person and virtual guests invited to submit questions. Malaprops is on-site to sell Miller’s book and may have the author’s signature.
Tiana Kennell is a food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on her Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. To support this kind of journalism, subscription to the Citizen Times.