FT Weekend: Chef Mashama Bailey on reclaiming African-American food

Aug 13, 2022

Chef Mashama Bailey, a recent James Beard Outstanding Chef winner, discusses her journey of redefining American cuisine by reclaiming African-American food traditions at The Grey in Savannah. She shares insights on preserving historical recipes and the cultural significance of regional ingredients. Joined by Stephen Satterfield, founder of Whetstone Media, they explore the importance of recognizing Black culinary contributions and the role of food in healing historical wounds. Together, they highlight food's transformative power and its connection to legacy.

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ANECDOTE

The Grey's Beginning

Mashama Bailey initially hesitated to take on The Grey project due to its large size.
However, upon seeing the intact colored waiting room, she felt a sense of belonging and purpose.

INSIGHT

Culinary History

Mashama Bailey's cooking combines inventive techniques with historical awareness.
She uses local ingredients and reimagines Southern cuisine by incorporating regional flavors, like hibiscus for Cumberland sauce.

ANECDOTE

Inspiration from Old Cookbooks

Mashama Bailey and Trevor Elliott find inspiration in old cookbooks from the 1870s.
These books, often anonymous and by African Americans, provide glimpses into historical cooking practices and spark creativity.

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This week Lilah goes to Savannah, Georgia, to visit chef Mashama Bailey. Mashama recently won Outstanding Chef at the James Beard Awards. Since 2014, she has been chef and partner at The Grey, a restaurant located in a formerly segregated bus station. And she has been redefining American food by reclaiming its African-American roots. But because so much of this history hasn't been documented, how do you find and preserve it, and also expand on it? Mashama explains her creative process. We also speak with Stephen Satterfield, host of the Netflix docuseries High on the Hog. Stephen is the founder of Whetstone Media, which is dedicated to tracing food stories back to their roots of origin.

Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.

Links and mentions from the episode:

Lilah’s written piece on Mashama in the FT Magazine: https://on.ft.com/3I8v4br

Mashama and her business partner John O Morisano’s memoir about The Grey is called Black, White, and the Grey

Stephen is the founder of Whetstone Magazine and Whetstone Media. You can learn more at https://www.whetstonemagazine.com/

Whetstone Radio Collective has a suite of podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/whetstone-radio/id6442689915

Dr Jessica B Harris’s seminal book on African-American food history is called High on the Hog: a Culinary Journey from Africa to America

Lilah also recommends Bryant Terry's 2021 cookbook Black Food, and the work of Michael W Twitty. Michael is on Instagram at @thecookinggene and has an excellent Masterclass session on tracing your roots through food

Mashama is on Instagram at @mashamabailey. Stephen is at @isawstephen

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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