Our South: Black Food Through My Lens

Shanti, having already received recognition from the James Beard Foundation and Eater, plus her stint as a contestant on Top Chef, has written a modern cookbook classic that invites readers and cooks to join her as she shares her early life, her passion for history and food, and her rise to success. She takes readers to the places that helped define her culinary viewpoint, telling through recipes her story of being a Southerner, a chef, and a gay Black woman. The finished product is a treasure, with visits to cherished Southern locales, all with a nod to the African diaspora. Each recipe is lovingly written, beautifully photographed, and carefully chosen to highlight regional flavors and reveal little-known culinary traditions, like leather britches, kilt lettuce, and trout roe beer. Shanti’s epic journey will inspire cooks to make every dish featured in the book as they absorb the tales she tells. The hard work that went into this volume is evident, making it a soon-to-be-classic addition to collections that explore American cuisine from a Black viewpoint.