Grace the Table: Stories and Recipes from My Southern Revival [Paperback]

Alexander Smalls (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2004

An atmospheric memoir filled with marvelous tales about the joys of food, music, and life—seasoned with one hundred of Alexander Smalls’s celebrated world-class recipes.

In Grace the Table, the father of southern revival cooking serves up a delectable combination of memoir and cookbook as he recounts his life’s journey from his hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the cosmopolitan cities of Europe and into the homes and hearts of Manhattan’s socialites and celebrities.

With an unabashed passion for food and a buoyant personality, Smalls recollects his grandparents’ Low Country cooking, and the almost spiritual power of a panful of hot buttermilk biscuits with fresh butter and sorghum. “Food was wealth to us,” Smalls writes, “the kitchen was Fort Knox, and I felt rich just opening the refrigerator.” Leaving small-town South Carolina, Smalls would become a world-class opera singer, an odyssey that introduced a wealth of new tastes and led him to his ultimate calling: cooking. He feasted on Chinese takeout in New York, Steak au Poivre in Paris, Grilled Swordfish Rolls in Palermo—but everywhere he traveled, he carried with him the cuisine of the American South.

In this unique book, Smalls shares his stories, family photographs, and one hundred of his inspiring culinary creations—sumptuous feasts, perfect for long dinners with family and friends. Sweet Potato Waffles and Southern Fried Chicken, Stuffed Veal Chops and Seafood Puppies, Pan-Roasted Salmon and Chocolate Raspberry Bread Pudding. . . just six of the glorious treats invented during Smalls’s adventures. A memoir sprinkled with recipes that are a delicious blend of traditional fare and international flair, Grace the Table will remind you of home no matter where you come from.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

With photographs, stories, and recipes, restaurateur Smalls takes readers on a journey to his hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina, to savor the cuisine of the South.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Alexander Smalls dances and sings and cooks his way through a brilliant and fascinating portrait of Southern comfort.”
—Cicely Tyson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1ST edition (November 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767918479
• ISBN-13: 978-0767918473
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,266,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yum Baby!, September 16, 1998

By 

Marcel Henry ([e-mail]) (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace the Table: Stories and Recipes from My Southern Revival (Hardcover)

This was well written! I could almost smell the food as he described the meals, not only what they ate, but how the food was prepared, the moods of the people preparing the food.

I was reminded of the movie Soul Food and the connection between family, friends, and our love affair with good, well-prepared meals. I even tried his recipe for fried chicken and I got rave reviews from my family.

He's led an extraordinary life, one that adds to the notion that African-Americans are truly multi-facted people. The combination of Soul Food and Opera is one that doesn't come to mind immediately, but Alexander Smalls expands our thinking and shows us that anything is possible with enough drive and determination.

Well worth reading!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It brought me into an exciting wonderful new world., August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Grace the Table: Stories and Recipes from My Southern Revival (Hardcover)

This wonderful book transported me to an delicious world with incredible new sights, sounds and (literally) tastes. To be a part of Mr. Smalls adventures from a small southern town to the prominent people and stages of the world.This book allows you to get inside Mr. Small's mind and experience his journey along with him. The only problem is that I didn't want the book to stop! I've read it twice and have been an absolute hit at dinner parties with the recipes from the book. I've bought this book for friends and always get a great response as well as edible treats in reply. I recommend this book to anyonewho relishes food, adventure and family.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent repository of Southern cuisine recipes..., August 24, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace the Table: Stories and Recipes from My Southern Revival (Hardcover)

...with the extra added flair that this author /chef brings through his "magic hand" and colorful adventures in the U.S. and abroad. The reader is regaled with sumptuous feasts created by him and shared with family and friends (many famous in their own right). The imagery conjured up is that of pure delight - of people who not only enjoy food, but love life! Pure joy! (and the recipes work too!)