An Evening with Michael Twitty
Join us for an engaging evening with Michael W. Twitty, James Beard Award–winning culinary historian, writer, and educator. In conversation with author and UNC professor Marcie Cohen Ferris, he discusses his latest book, Recipes from the American South. Through storytelling, history, and food traditions, they explore the rich connections between cuisine, culture, faith and identity in the American South and Jewish life.
Discover both iconic dishes and lesser-known specialties from the author of this classic cookbook in the making in a post-talk tasting event.
About Michael W. Twitty
Chef Michael W. Twitty is an acclaimed African American Jewish culinary historian and educator. He is the author of the two-time James Beard Award–winning book The Cooking Gene as well as Rice and Koshersoul. He has written for many publications and been featured throughout print and broadcast media, including The Guardian, New York Times, Washington Post, PBS, and NPR’s The Splendid Table.
About Marcie Cohen Ferris
Marcie Cohen Ferris is an emeritus professor in the Department of American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and interim director at UNC’s Center for the Study of the American South. Ferris is the author of The Edible South: The Power of Food and the Making of an American Region and Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South and co-editor of Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History. Her recent book Edible North Carolina: A Journey across a State of Flavor explores the vibrant contemporary food movement in the Tar Heel State.
About the Cookbook
Recipes from the American South is a home cook’s guide to one of America’s most diverse and delicious cuisines from James Beard Award–winning author and culinary historian Michael W. Twitty. In the introduction to this groundbreaking recipe collection, Twitty declares, “No one state or area can give you the breadth of the Southern story or fully set the Southern table.” To answer this, the book journeys from the Louisiana Bayou to the Chesapeake Bay, showcasing more than 260 of the region’s most beloved dishes. A masterful storyteller, Twitty enriches his extensive recipe collection with lyrical, deeply researched essays that celebrate the region’s “multicultural gumbo” of influences from immigrants from across the globe. Vibrant food photography adds further color to the fascinating narrative.
Photo: Courtesy of Michael W. Twitty