Chattanooga welcomes James Beard Award winner
Chef. Author. Culinary historian. Two-time James Beard Award Winner. Michael W. Twitty is likely the most prolific expert on the roots of Southern foodways in the world.
Mr. Twitty’s brilliant and focused cadence tells the deeper story of the forced diaspora of peoples from the African continent and how their enslavement is the very backbone of the cuisine that we all hold so dear to our hearts.
When I first read his book “The Cooking Gene”, I was awestruck with his reverence and dedication. I was compelled to read everything I could find that flowed from his fingertips. I previously knew some of the facts of our troubled past, but I did not understand these adversities on a foundational level.
Twitty’s words are eye-opening, even for people who believe themselves to be in touch with the racial injustices present in our past and modern societies. I want more people to hear about him because it is not my story to tell. It is his.
It’s time to realize that people like Paula Deen aren’t the ones who should be teaching Southern cuisine. It’s time that we join hands, connect with our roots, accept our inglorious past, and use our new-found knowledge to move in a unified direction of understanding and justice.
Now I’ll get on topic. Howard High School has developed a culinary arts program that has the mission of preparing students for a career in the hospitality industry. Chattanooga’s ballooning growth has resulted in a disproportionate number of new restaurants. The problem is, the foundation of skilled staff required to operate those restaurants is all but tapped out. So I’ve partnered up with some incredible individuals to bring Michael Twitty to Chattanooga both to share his story and to help Howard reach their goals.
Under the direction of Zena Buckley, Howard’s culinary program is on the path to becoming a solution to this ever-growing problem. But there’s another problem: kitchens and culinary equipment are exorbitantly expensive. Carmen Davis, Chef Kenyatta Ashford, myself, and a whole slew of others have come together to collaborate with Howard and their quest to enrich our budding food scene by uplifting bright young individuals to learn a marketable skillset in the hospitality industry.
On October 6th, Chef Twitty will be the guest chef for a benefit dinner that will help build Howard’s new professional kitchen. Twitty will also share his story and knowledge with the students as he spends a day in the classroom. This will ideally act as a catalyst to continue a guest chef series that benefits the advancement and growth of our tourist-driven economy.
“The See Rock City Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management was designed to give students interested in the Hospitality and Tourism industry the skills necessary to jumpstart their careers. The culinary program at Howard provides students with basic culinary skills and prepares them for the ServSafe certification upon graduation. The proceeds from the ‘4 COURSES AND’ PRESENTS 4:44 DINNER EVENT will help with the renovation of our commercial kitchen and ensure that our students are proficient with using industry equipment which will benefit them as they develop into culinary professionals,” Buckley explained.
Don’t worry, if you’re quick, there may be some tickets left. Can’t make the dinner, but want to help out anyway? Message me on Instagram (@alecurry23) and I’ll point you in the right direction. If this goes well, we’ll be bringing plenty of guest chefs with incredible gastronomic talents to our food scene and we will continue to develop and thrive. I’m just happy to be a small part of it.