Interview with Bryant Terry, author of 'Vegan Soul Kitchen'

Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen Cookbook Launch at San Francisco's Museum of African Diaspora featured several delicious items from Bryant's Cookbook including Spicy Goobers, Garlicky Baby Lima Bean Spread with Winter Crudites,  BBQ Tempeh Cubes, Rosemary Butternut Squash Soup Shooters, and Citrus Collards with Raisins Bruschetta.
My interview with Bryant follows:
MV: You introduce each cookbook recipe with a story. What story about you would you like to share?

BT: I was inspired by the late Edna Lewis, a chef from Freetown, Virginia who grew up enjoying the local foods of her region. She moved to New York and became head chef at Manhatten's Cafe Nicholson. Sharing Country Cooking and the diverse flavors of the South were important to her, and in addition to being a chef, she was a cookbook author. Her second cookbook, The Taste of Country Cooking, deeply influenced me as an artist, storyteller, and creative person. It's important for me to tell stories and consider the history of food and memory of family connections. The industrialization and mechanization of our food system has facilitated the loss of food knowledge which I'm trying to help people recover.  
My personal food choices align with my values of supporting, all living beings, local economies, and the environment as well as working towards a more equitable food system. Inspired by Alice Waters, I am committed to helping people think more deeply about these issues by bringing everyone to the table to celebrate the sensual pleasures of food. 

MV: If people in the San Francisco Bay Area with limited garden space wanted to have a garden with vegetables and herbs that coincide with your book's recipes, what advice would you give them? 

BT: Grow herbs in your kitchen window, fire escape, on the roof. Plant a small garden. If you have space, grow food in your front yard.  I built a raised-bed garden in my front yard, and it's inspiring people to convert their front yards into edible landscapes. In our garden, I have three different varieties of collard greens, chard, broccoli, celery, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, oregano, kale, and two varieties of lettuce. We have a nectarine tree in the backyard. Several people in our neighborhood are creating our own micro-community that's making a tremendous impact on the street. 

MV: You've heard about Michelle Obama's organic White House Garden. Have you been in touch with the Obama's about your work? 

BT: I'm not in touch with Obama's team as yet. I'm excited about the energetic and brilliant minds in the new administration and the many changes happening in such a short period of time.  The production of food for the White House is a symbol of the direction we all should be heading in. I hope that we'll all put pressure on our elected officials to help create healthy and sustainable food policies for all Americans.

MV: Out of your book's 150 recipes, do you have a particular recipe  that readers should try? 

BT: Citrus Collards with Raisins Redux.  It’s my new take on an old classic. 

MV: What events do you have in the next few weeks? 

BT: There are two events: On April 18, 2009, there is a Fundraiser for the Oakland Food Connection including featured guests, a catered dinner, and live music. And every attendee will receive a copy of Vegan Soul Kitchen, and I will be there for signing.  On April 25, 2009, “The People” party in Oakland invited me to curate an Afro-Diasporic food court.  I invited 6 chefs to share their unique vision of food inspired by ingredients from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas.  And there will be dancing and community-building. More information can be found here. 

MV: Are you working on another book?

BT: Yes, I'm illustrating how one can eat healthy and sustainably in an urban setting.

MV: Thank you. 

Bonus: If you'd like to see Chef Bryant Terry demonstrate how to prepare Sauteed Jalapeno Corn, check out this video.

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