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Walterboro-based lifestyle blogger Michiel Perry of Black Southern Belle teamed up with Food Network to present a video series celebrating Juneteenth, an American holiday commemorating the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery.
Perry creates dishes and cocktails with prominent guests Taneka Reaves (The Cocktail Bandits), Charlotte Jenkins (Gullah Cuisine), Gina Capers-Willis (What’s Gina Cooking), and Emma Cromedy (Carolima’s Dessert Boutique).
“I want people to have a greater understanding of the food history and heritage of Juneteenth while also learning about Black women chefs who are passing on the traditions and the food ways to the next generation,” says Perry.
Food is a large part of Juneteenth celebrations, with menus featuring Lowcountry staples like crab rice and okra pilau. Another tradition is to include foods in hues of red, like hibiscus tea, red velvet cake, and barbecue ribs.
Perry took on this project because she wanted to highlight Black female chefs in the Lowcountry. “The roots of so many American and African American food ways are with the Gullah culture and more specifically start with the women of the Gullah community,” she says. Dishes featured in the series include Southern-fried fish, okra pilau, fried cabbage, collards, and old fashioned pound cake.
Food Network will roll out a new video in the series every Wednesday and Friday, from June 4 through June 18.
• Black Southern Belle [Official]
• The Juneteenth Menu [Food Network]
• Where to Celebrate Juneteenth Across the Lowcountry [ECAR]
• The Cocktail Bandits [Official]
• What’s Gina Cooking [Official]
• Carolima’s Dessert Boutique [Official]
