Credit: Peter Frank Edwards
Southern Living’s November issue takes a closer look at the complicated legacy of Charleston Receipts, the Junior League of Charleston’s iconic cookbook that has preserved Lowcountry recipes for 75 years—while overlooking the Black cooks whose work inspired many of them.
According to the story, the Junior League is now collaborating with writer and historian Toni Tipton-Martin, Dr. Bernard Powers, director of the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston and professor emeritus of history at the College of Charleston, on a new foreword that acknowledges those contributions. The group is also considering whether to preserve the recipes as originally published or update them for a new edition.
“Through this work, we want to give African-descended cooks a higher profile and ensure their culinary talents are recognized,” Powers said. “This will expand the original book’s modern appeal while retaining its value as a historical artifact.”
Read the full story here.