When I learned that noted author, food activist and vegan chef Bryant Terry was coming to Philadelphia, I jumped on the opportunity to meet him. Terry was slated to appear at the Uptown Soul Kitchen in Germantown a few weeks ago. I knew it was going to be a perfect event—delicious vegan food, a noted vegan author/chef and lots of great people. It had the markings of an event I couldn’t miss.
Terry is a national leader in the food movement to promote healthy eating. He reinforces that African-American cuisine is essentially healthy food that is based on eating plant-based foods like greens, potatoes, beans and fresh fruits. He has taken traditional African, Caribbean and southern foods and made them into healthier, nutrient-dense dishes for everyone to enjoy.
His latest cookbook, Afro-Vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean & Southern Flavors Remixed, includes recipes and photos, as well as recommendations for related books, films and songs. You can get your groove on while you cook!
Since my becoming vegan more than four years ago, Terry’s numerous cookbooks have lined my bookshelves. His writings are more than cookbooks—they are informational narratives that make you think about food, where you get it, what you do with it and who you eat it with. I didn’t know him, and he didn’t know me, but I wanted to interview him. So, I sent him an email.
A few days before the book signing was to take place, I got a return email that read, “yes, we can do an interview, but I will need a ride to the venue for the event.” I met him on a warm afternoon at 30th Street Station and headed to Germantown. You don’t understand, he is a vegan rockstar and he was in MY car!
I had a list of questions to ask, but it seemed that we just starting talking about many things, our family origins, favorite foods, his family and on and on. I never got to ask him my list of questions, but what I personally got was more than I could have asked. So, we won’t know what foods he cooked for his first meal, and I didn’t get to ask him who his “fantasy dinner” list would consist of.
But I had several takeaway thoughts from meeting Bryant Terry. The event, which was planned by Takia McClendon, who is, on her own, a superstar in the Philly vegan scene, was a huge hit with more than 75 people in attendance. We were served a tasting of three dishes, straight from the pages of his new book.
The food, prepared by Takia, included chef Terry’s all-green spring slaw, verdant vegetable couscous with spicy mustard greens and cinnamon-soaked wheatberry salad. All delicious.
While people may have attended the event for the food, it was clear that they also came for conversation (which is a by product of good food) and to hear the wisdom from Bryant Terry. He described his view of the development of food awareness in what we eat—that eating well is a common right. Food should be accessible, beneficial to one’s health, affordable and culturally appropriate.
Other takeaways from meeting Bryant Terry?
- Buy local food, and know the person who grows it.
- Eat dinner with your family at the table.
- Follow a plant-based, whole foods diet.
- Be a voice to others about the health benefits of being vegan.
- Buy your books from local booksellers.
- Love what you do.
And did I mention that the recipes are awesome? They are easy to follow and use ingredients that are easily found at the grocery store. Oh, and the best part of the book? Seasonal menus to follow for the perfect dinner party.
I’ve been cooking like crazy since getting the book. My favorite recipe is the all-green spring slaw (page 74). Add some new horizons to your cooking and get the book today. It is more than a cookbook, but really a beautiful story about one man’s passion for food equality in a fast food world.
Gratitude to Bryant Terry for the trek to Philly and for the eloquence in his delivery, both in conversation and in his book.
