Soul food stays alive in Tallahassee through collaborative efforts

“I think soul food starts with the sun,” said David Ritchey.

Ritchey, 32, runs a five-acre farm in Quincy with girlfriend Angelique Taylor. The duo’s aim is to heal the soil and convey the importance of economic sustainability to others.

“When I eat food fresh from the garden, I feel like I am eating the energy that the food metabolized before I ate it,” he said.

They grow seasonal and perennial crops like kale, African spinach, tomatoes, and buckwheat to sell in the community’s farmers markets, including the Frenchtown Farmers Market in Tallahassee on Saturdays. Your harvests form the basis for a soul food dish, the highlight of South African cuisine.

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Southerners usually refer to soul foods as: fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and kale. But soul food is as varied as the people who cook it, and the differences between “soul” and “southern” food depend on who you speak to.

The basics: a meat, a starch, a vegetable. Spices and herbs. But what gives him soul?

In a conversation between two chefs in conversation with the New York Times, a proposed soul was introduced as a term when black Americans brought their cuisine to the North American region, and “soul” became the way white northerners identified the kitchen. Another cook suggested that the cuisine of the south, or “land”, came from a white southern cook, while “soul” refers to the food of a black cook from the south.

Another hypothesis about the set is that the set jumped from jazz music into the kitchen – “soul” music and “soul” food.

Making food good for the heart, good for the body

In February, Ritchey and Taylor were sitting in the comfort of their home to be interviewed via Zoom.

“Soul food has two parts: getting together with family, but some of those are the health choices that affect us in the long run,” said Ritchey.

This food, which comforts the soul, can burden the body.

Most homemade soul food dishes include garlic, onions, paprika, paprika and bay leaves. In addition – brown sugar, unsalted butter, pork fat, milk, rice, pasta and cheese. The ingredients are fried and baked, high or boiled, low and slow. Kale, cornbread, macaroni, and cheese, the list of delicious meals goes on.

But with the hearty, southern diet comes the higher risk of high blood pressure – and soul food brings that higher risk with it in a population group already considered more at risk than others.

Ritchey and Taylor take this risk by making their soul food meals on a plant basis and making the dishes good for the soul and the heart.

“Many (soul food dishes) are already 70-80% vegetarian,” said Ritchey. “For example kale – we usually put ham or ham slices in, but when you take that out (it’s vegetarian).”

There is a good selection of soul food in the rich vegetable tones – gold, yellow, brown and green of okra, jalapeños, sweet potatoes, radishes, carrots, black-eyed peas. Accents of red and purple stand out in certain dishes.

“The spices – black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper. Black-eyed peas (the dish) are vegetarian in themselves, ”said Taylor.

The farmer duo explained certain dishes like grilled mushrooms, black-eyed peas and kale that made them vegan.

“I think Soul Food is really about being creative, that’s the root of it. Let’s take what we had and we can increase it and think about what we put in our bodies and do that creatively, ”said Taylor.

Soul food from then until now

Soul Food’s roots today start with native African plants. Okra, for example, is a plant that was brought along during the transatlantic slave trade.

Plants like okra, jalapeños, sweet potatoes, radishes, carrots, black-eyed peas and more are grown on community farms in Tallahassee.

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Other dishes that are common in soul food kitchens reflect African dishes.

Jollof is a traditional West African dish made from long grain rice, onions, peppers, spices, a meat of your choice and tomatoes, which give it a bright red color.

The recipe may vary depending on the country recipe you use, and Jollof cookery comparisons are popular with Senegalese, Ghanaians, and Nigerians.

The cornerstones for both dishes: rice, tomato stew and the spices.

Jambalaya, with its roots in Louisiana, is also a similar dish to Jollof. Cajun, or Creole, uses what a food blog writer VeeTee.com called the “Holy Trinity” – onions, peppers, and celery – cooked with meat, tomatoes, broth, and rice.

Another example of the origins of soul food: barbecue, perhaps a subgenre of soul food itself. Africans who were enslaved and brought to America brought with them the techniques of preserving pork undersides, including the head, feet, entrails and ribs, so the food website BlackFood.co.

And “gumbo”, the dish that is prepared for every stovetop on the south coast, especially if that stove is in New Orleans, can come from a Bantu dialect word “Kingombo”, which means okra.

Kitchen memories

During an interview, 38-year-old activist and community icon Talethia Edwards recalled a time in college when she was affectionately known as “Mama T”.

“Because I was the one who cooked good soul food in college. We didn’t have our mommies right? Nobody cooked for us so I was that person, ”she said. “Sometimes I remember it. I go (‘live’ on Instagram) when I cook on Sundays. “Hey, that’s how we do it. We cook big meals for our family. ‘”

Edwards is president of the Tallahassee Bond Neighborhood Association and has eight children. She is a reflection of the black aunts, grandmothers and women whose skills never go unnoticed.

Traditionally, Afro-Americans gathered for soul food meals after emotionally charged occasions – such as after a good church service or mourning a parishioner.

“It is an act of care and love. It can be complaints and celebrations; it can be so many. I don’t think it’s strictly reserved for black people, but we are the creators and innovators of soul food. We are the distributors of soul food, ”said Edwards.

Soul food is heavy on your plate and stomach, but can lift your mood with one bite.

“I think other people like soul food and they cook soul food, but when we say soul food, it’s not just about the dishes we make – it’s what’s around the food,” said Edwards.

Soul food kitchens are reminiscent of busy mothers, grandmothers, aunts and cousins. A child can be assigned to watch a pot or complete a side dish. Gossip surrounds activities or plans for the next week. News is spread and emotions are shared.

Napkins, cutlery and serving utensils are in motion and are distributed over the dining table. The bond with a community is strengthened through food.

Even on the phone with a reporter, Edwards sounds like a mother.

“(Soul Food) is home, it’s love – it smells and tastes like memories,” she said.

Ariyon Dailey participates in Florida Student News Watch. This story was published by CD Davidson-Hiers. Send an email to Student.Bylines@gmail.com.

A selection of Tallahassee soul food restaurants

Auntie’s kitchen, 1815 S Adams Street # 3

Mrs. Dees Kitchen, 717 Old Bainbridge Road In Ferrell’s Place

Earley’s kitchen, 1458 S Monroe Street

Gilliam Sister’s food for the soul, 1710 W.Tharpe St.

Hip Hop Fish & Chicken, 1350 Mahan Drive, Unit F.

Kacey’s buffet, 2545 N Monroe St.

Mama Mary’s kitchen, 614 Eugenia St.

Oleans Cafe, 1605 S Adams St.

Thanksgiving meals in the community

The Salvation Army: Thanksgiving dinner will be held on Wednesday, November 24th at 2410 Allen Road. It is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Project Annie: This is the 23rd year Annie Johnson has cooked and coordinated a Thanksgiving dinner for the people of the Frenchtown neighborhood. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, November 25th. Project Annie We will serve nearly 1,000 people in the greater Frenchtown area at Project Annie, 625 W. 4th Avenue. Food donations are accepted until the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Visit projectannieinc.com or call 850-222-6133.

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