Cookbook author Julia Turshen and food scholar Dr. Jessica Harris join forces at MOFAD to discuss the ways in which we can become more politically engaged and active through the power of food and the dinner table. The audience will be invited to participate in the conversation, sharing your own experiences, suggestions, and thoughts on food and activism in the local and national landscape. During this workshop, small bites based on recipes from Feed the Resistance will be provided by Komeeda.

Julia's new book, Feed the Resistance: Recipes + Ideas for Getting Involved, is more than just a cookbook. Featuring essays from activists, resources for political engagement, and showing how food can build community, it is a book that is both nourishing and motivating. Together, Julia and Jessica will explore the ways in which food can bring us together and create positive change in our communities. 

Following the discussion, Julia and Jessica will sign books and beer and wine will be served. 

About Julia Turshen

Julia Turshen is a writer and the author of Small Victories and Feed the Resistance. She has also co-authored such cookbooks as Spain…A Culinary Road Trip with Mario Batali, It’s All Good with Gwyneth Paltrow, Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen with Dana Cowin, and The Kimchi Chronicles, Hot Bread Kitchen: The Cookbook, The Fat Radish Kitchen Diaries, and Buvette: The Pleasure of Good Food.

She hosted the first two seasons of Radio Cherry Bombe and has written for Vogue, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, SAVEUR, SELF, T Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Lucky Peach.  She lives in upstate New York with her wife, dogs, and cat.

About Feed the Resistance (all proceeds go to the ACLU)

From favorite cookbook author Julia Turshen comes this practical and inspiring handbook for political activism—with recipes. As the millions who marched in January 2017 demonstrated, activism is the new normal. When people search for ways to resist injustice and express support for civil rights, environmental protections, and more, they begin by gathering around the table to talk and plan. These dishes foster community and provide sustenance for the mind and soul, including a dozen of the healthy, affordable recipes Turshen is known for, plus over 15 more recipes from a diverse range of celebrated chefs. With stimulating lists, extensive resources, and essays from activists in the worlds of food, politics, and social causes, Feed the Resistance is a must have handbook for anyone hoping to make a difference.

About Jessica Harris

Dr. Jessica B. Harris is considered one of the preeminent scholars of the food of the African Diaspora. She is the author of twelve critically acclaimed cookbooks documenting the foods and foodways of the African Diaspora including Iron Pots and Wooden Spoons: Africa’s Gifts to New World Cooking, The Welcome Table: African-American Heritage Cooking, Beyond Gumbo: Creole Fusion Food from the Atlantic Rim. Harris also conceptualized and organized The Black Family Reunion Cook Book. Her book, High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America, was the International Association for Culinary Professionals 2012 prize winner for culinary history. Her most recent book is My Soul Looks Back: A Memoir.

Dr. Harris has been honored with many awards including a lifetime achievement award from the Southern Foodways Alliance (of which she is a founding member), the Lafcadio Hearn Award as a Louisiana culinary icon from The John Folse Culinary Academy at Nicholls State University, and a lifetime achievement award at the Soul Summit, the first national gathering of African Americans working in and studying all aspects of food. In 2010, she was inducted into the James Beard Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in the United States. In 2015, she received a lifetime achievement award at the Soul Summit, the first national gathering of African Americans working in and studying all aspects of food. The same year, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University. In 2016, she received the de Masters Award from the American Association of Food Journalists.

Harris holds a PhD from NYU, teaches English at Queens College, and lectures internationally. An award winning journalist, her articles have appeared in Vogue, Food & Wine, Essence, and The New Yorker, among other publications; she has made numerous television and radio appearances and has been profiled in The New York Times. Harris lives in New York, New Orleans, and Martha’s Vineyard.

About Komeeda

Komeeda is the NYC startup redefining the culture of food through unique culinary experiences that dive deep into the inspiration of the chefs, the history of the recipes, the reasons for the ingredients, and the stories of the food. The founders wanted to leverage what they're good at to take proactive action and bridge the divide between Americans. They achieved that over the dinner table. The refugee-centric culinary experiences of Displaced Kitchens and the Refugee Food Arts Festival hosted nearly 1,500 people in NYC and DC, all of whom enriched their taste palates and perspectives by eating and engaging in dialogue with a displaced person. This initiative has secured housing, jobs, accessibility, friendships, and most importantly community for people who are settling into their new home.

*Ticket Refund Policy: Full refund with 48 hours notice, 50% refund with 24 hours notice, and no refund with less than 24 hours notice.