A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South
We will be partnering with The George Washington Carver Seed Bank to work with African American farmers and Reverend Al Sampson to create a seed bank for African American food systems. This is a crucial and fundamental part of the Cooking Gene. We started talking to Reverend Sampson months ago and his project is exactly …
Continue reading "Partnering With the George Washington Carver Seed Bank"
"Over Yonder" Cooking at the GreenmarketWe have four days left to raise some 3,000 plus for our campaign. Over 600 people viewed this blog yesterday. If only 180 had made a contribution to our Campaign of 18$ or more, the Campaign would have been an overnight success…We need you—Now. Please contribute 18 or more today: www.indiegogo.com/The-Cooking-Gene-Project-The-Southern-Discomfort-Tour When I …
Continue reading "Are You Really What You Eat? Or are You the Meals that You Cook?"
On April 9, 1865, in Appomattox, Virginia my great-great Grandfather Elijah Mitchell was standing with his brother when he witnessed the surrender of Lee to Grant...and this is how he found out that he was free...as copied from a family history file left to my Father: "Appomattox County is a historical place in the commonwealth …
Continue reading "From the Family History Files: Appomattox, April 9, 1865"
Writer Andrea (Andi) Cumbo has a project in the same family of The Cooking Gene entitled "You Will Not Be Forgotten," a fascinating project that examines the history of the plantation where she lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia. It just so happens that Andi knows people with the surname Booker, which represents a large group …
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This project is sacred to me and the people who have elected to spend time working on it with me. Making that video was not easy. Although I treated it as though it were a matter of routine, I began to feel emotionally wound up and hurt as I stammered out the names. I realized …
Continue reading "Explaining: Looking for My Families’ Slaveowners"
"African Americans are innately wired to want to know who we are. Its almost being like an adopted child."---Sharon Malone, commentator, "Slavery by Another Name." A few days ago I almost gave up on The Cooking Gene. I will admit, I am an impatient man. I am not attracting significant support from African Americans. I …
Continue reading "Watch Blair Underwood/The Nike Galaxy Shoe/And Why I Want this Project to Succeed"
http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Cooking-Gene-Project-The-Southern-Discomfort-Tour If you want to see me at work in the “field” tune into the Roger Smith Cookbook Conference live broadcast from 501 Lexington NYC between 1:30-2:45 PM EST…Panel: Cookbooks and the African American Experience with Donna Pierce, Toni Tipton-Martin, and our moderator, Tonya Hopkins. Link to Broadcast: http://cookbookconf.com/. I'm the first one up--so don't miss …
I hope that the many people viewing this blog--we are going about a hundred views a day--know about The Cooking Gene (www.cookinggene.com) and the Indiegogo.Com campaign we've been launching ( http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Cooking-Gene-Project-The-Southern-Discomfort-Tour )---we REALLY need your help! You don't have to be a big spender to donate--donations start at ten bucks! However, the more you donate …
The Project: http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Cooking-Gene-Project-The-Southern-Discomfort-Tour It’s crucial to bring our family together again through food—our family meaning Africa and her Diaspora and all those who admire and appreciate the contribution to world cuisine. However, our family needs to understand why this knowledge system is important and how its practical for us today. Sullivans Island Sign 2004 For …
Continue reading "Twenty Reasons Why This Project and This Research is Important"
So in this process, there are hills and valleys. The other day ago I was a zombified automaton living dangerously on no sleep for 2-3 days trying desperately to get up the courage to get the Indiegogo Campaign page done, get my website up, and make sure that everybody knows whats going on...It wasn't pretty. …
Continue reading "I am Thankful, I am Grateful, I am Excited"
The Cooking Gene 