Five celebrated Black chefs on the recipes that raised them - The Guardian
I lost my father rather suddenly last year, a day before Thanksgiving. I’m far from over it, but I take comfort in his favorite foods: vanilla ice cream with salted cashews, proper barbecued ribs, pizza made from scratch or his messy cast-iron skillet burgers that surpass anything in a restaurant. For Black families, who often have much less material wealth, like real estate and bonds, to leave their offspring, the secrets behind a favorite recipe are elevated into an heirloom. And unlike stacks of cash or gleaming gold jewelry, there’s a living quality to a good family recipe. Going through the steps of measuring the ingredients, mixing them and adding fire is a simple ritual that conjures the person who first shared that dish. Those aromas and flavors bring them to life again. And they take you back to a time when you felt so safe, special and connected as you ate together. You smile, and that empty space is filled, if just for a moment. What tastes better than a meal seasoned