Order Up! A Conversation with Deb Freeman, food writer, host & producer of the Finding Edna Lewis documentary

Learning about Edna Lewis and the influence of Black culinary traditions on American cuisine, and passing down food memories from grandparents to our own kids.

Small Bites:

This is our second interview during Black History Month, and we couldn’t think of a better time to feature Deb Freeman—because on February 18, her newest project, Finding Edna Lewis, premieres on PBS. Keep reading (or press play to listen!) to dig in to this delicious interview, learn about Deb and the incredible chef Edna Lewis!

📖 Buy The Taste of Country Cooking - the must-have cookbook by Edna Lewis, from Bookshop.org.

🍴 Shop delicious food from award-winning African-American Chefs for Black History Month from Goldbelly - ships Nationwide!

🚜 Donate to support the Clemmons Family Farm, a 501c3 Vermont non-profit organization. Only 0.4% of all farms in the U.S. are Black/African-American owned.

🥔 One Potato is a reader-supported newsletter - paid subscribers have access to the full archive of Recipes and Specials Interviews and Community Voices for $5/month or $45/year. This first interview of the month is available for ALL subscribers.

---

Deb Freeman, food writer, culinary historian, host and executive producer of Finding Edna Lewis (docusementary, PBS)

Some stories feel like they’ve been waiting for the right person to tell them. Deb Freeman is one of those storytellers. A culinary historian, award-winning writer, and podcaster, she has spent years unearthing the deep and often overlooked history of Black foodways in America, particularly in Virginia and the South. If you are into podcasts, we encourage you to listen to her award-winning podcast Setting the Table, where she has a way of bringing history to life—pulling up a chair and making sure we hear the voices that have shaped the way this country eats.

Be sure to tune in to PBS next week on Tuesday, February 18, to watch the Finding Edna Lewis documentary. Edna Lewis, often called the matriarch of Southern cuisine, helped change the way the world sees Southern food. But who was she beyond the recipes? That’s what Deb set out to uncover. And in doing so, she’s not just telling Edna’s story—she’s making sure we remember the people and traditions that built the foundation of American cuisine.

—>Behind the Paywall: Read our full interview with Deb Freeman, including more about Edna Lewis, how Black culinary traditions have shaped American cuisine, and Deb’s recommendation for which Edna Lewis recipe to cook with your kids…