The Family of the Spirit Cookbook: Recipes and Remembrances from African-American Kitchens [Paperback]

John Pinderhughes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 22, 2001

The quintessential cookbook/family album by master home-chef and photographer John Pinderhughes serves up traditional African American cooking with a dash of the nouvelle. From his grandmother Gum Gum's Crab Cakes to his own Papaya Flame, to Redfish with Pecans, Pinderhughes features his favorite recipes by his favorite cooks, who include Verta Mae Grosvenor, author of Vibration Cooking, and Leah Chase, owner of the famous Dooky Chase restaurant, located in New Orleans and author of the Dooky Chase Cookbook.

John Pinderhughes presents his family "in spirit" with their favorite recipes and fondest memories in this treasury of good eating. It captures the diversity of the African-American experience in its savory cooking and rich heritage of its oral tradition. There is something for everyone here, expert and beginner alike.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...celebrates the savory and abundant roots of black cooking across USA through the talents of 11 home cooks." (USA Weekend )

"Each page of this cookbook-memoir yields another great recipe or reminiscence that reflects the diversity of our culture." (Essence magazine )

"...fascinating and amusing commentaries...Thank you, Mr. Pinderhughes, for this delicious book." (The Washington Post Book World )

"Different voices, different culinary backgrounds, but a common endowment of gusto and good vibes." (Kirkus Reveiws )

"For lovers of African-American food, there is Family of the Spirit Cookbook." (Nancy Harmon Jenkins, New York Times )

"As good as this book is to read, it's even better to cook with." (New York Newsday )

"...embrace[s] the diversity of African-American cooking." (Food & Wine )

"Pinderhughes...triumphs. More than a cookbook, this is an affectionate album of portraits from African-American kitchens." (Newsweek )

"...with eats like these, this spirit is not just friendly, it's probably sated too." (People magazine )

About the Author

John Pinderhughes, an award-winning commerical and art photographer as well as a fabulous cook, lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; 1st Amistad Ed edition (May 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006095809X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060958091
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,094,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC! My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner., February 15, 2002

By 

SkiBum (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Family of the Spirit Cookbook: Recipes and Remembrances from African-American Kitchens (Paperback)

I *LOVE* this book. It is very warmly written, and filled with both recipes and reminiscences from some of the country's finest cooks, all of whom are African-American. It introduces each person (complete with a picture), tells a little of their culinary background -- and then their favorite recipes, with memories of how they'd acquired them and why they were so special. The book is as wonderful to read as it is to cook from.
Two of the people described are well-known: Verta Mae Smart-Grosvenor (who used to host my favorite cooking show on PBS; I still miss it, and own and lover her own cookbooks), and Leah Chase (owner of the famous Dooky Chase restaurant in New Orleans, and author of highly-regarded cookbooks).