Join Marcus Samuelsson, Osayi Endolyn, and Therese Nelson for a special conversation with MOFAD around the legacies of culinary icons Leah Chase and Edna Lewis. They will discuss how these women have inspired their own culinary journeys, along with the themes found in Marcus and Osayi's co-authored upcoming cookbook, The Rise: Black Cooks and The Soul of American Food. Each ticket supports MOFAD and includes the option to purchase a copy of The Rise. The books will be sourced from Manhattan’s only Black-owned independent bookstore, Sister’s Uptown, located in Harlem, New York City.
More Information on The Rise:It is long past time to recognize Black excellence in the culinary world the same way it has been celebrated in the worlds of music, sports, literature, film, and the arts. Black cooks and creators have led American culture forward with indelible contributions of artistry and ingenuity from the start, but Black authorship has been consistently erased from the story of American food.
Now in The Rise, chef, author, and television star Marcus Samuelsson gathers together an unforgettable feast of food, culture, and history to highlight the diverse deliciousness of Black cooking today. Driven by a desire to fight against bias, reclaim Black culinary traditions, and energize a new generation of cooks, Marcus shares his own journey alongside 150 recipes in honor of dozens of top chefs, writers, and activists—with stories exploring their creativity and influence.
OSAYI ENDOLYN
Osayi Endolyn is a James Beard Award–winning writer with work in Time, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, Eater, Food & Wine, Condé Nast Traveler, and the Oxford American. She appears in Chef’s Table and Ugly Delicious on Netflix, and has been featured on NPR’s 1A, Splendid Table, Special Sauce with Ed Levine, and the Sporkful podcast, for which she won a Webby. She is a recipient of the UC Berkeley-11th Hour Food & Farming Journalism Fellowship, and Southern Living named her one of thirty women moving Southern food forward. In addition to other book collaborations, Endolyn is working on a narrative about the history of systemic racism in American restaurant and dining culture. Follow her @osayiendolyn on Twitter and Instagram.
THERESE NELSON
Therese Nelson is a professional chef, writer, and founder of BlackCulinaryHistory.com, a social network focused on connecting black food creatives and preserving the intergenerational black culinary heritage of African Atlantic diasporic foodways.
MARCUS SAMUELSSON
Marcus Samuelsson is the acclaimed chef behind many restaurants worldwide. He has won multiple James Beard Foundation awards for his work as a chef and as host of No Passport Required, his public television series with Vox/Eater. Samuelsson was crowned champion of Top Chef Masters and Chopped All Stars, and was the guest chef for President Obama’s first state dinner. A committed philanthropist, Samuelsson is co-chair of Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), which focuses on underserved youth. Author of several cookbooks, in addition to the New York Times bestselling memoir Yes, Chef, Samuelsson also co-produces the annual Harlem EatUp! festival, which celebrates the food, art, and culture of Harlem. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Samuelsson converted his restaurants Red Rooster Harlem, Marcus B&P in Newark, and Red Rooster Overtown in Miami into community kitchens in partnership with World Central Kitchen, serving over 200,000 meals to those in need. His podcast titled This Moment with Swedish rapper Timbuktu is out now. His newest cookbook, The Rise, will be released fall 2020.
Follow Samuelsson on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @MarcusCooks.
SISTER’S UPTOWN BOOKSTORE
Book sales for this event are provided by Sister’s Uptown Bookstore and Cultural Center, Inc.: The only Black-owned bookstore in Manhattan.