Tanya Holland's California Soul: Recipes from a Culinary Journey West [A Cookbook] - Hardcover

by Tanya Holland (Author), Maria C. Hunt (With), Kelley Fanto Deetz (With)

80+ comfort-filled recipes that trace the roots of modern California soul food to the Great Migration--from the acclaimed chef and author of Brown Sugar Kitchen.

"The new California Cuisine is California Soul."--Questlove

"California Soul is a book that will live on my kitchen counter with drips of California olive oil and splats of buttermilk on every page."--Bobby Flay

ONE OF THE TEN BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: San Francisco Chronicle
ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Saveur, Food & Wine, Epicurious, Library Journal

Through more than 80 seasonally inspired recipes, Tanya Holland's California Soul showcases modern soul food from the acclaimed chef of Brown Sugar Kitchen and host of Tanya's Kitchen Table. Tanya's inventive cuisine--rooted in a Black Southern cultural repertoire with a twenty-first-century sensibility using local, sustainable, chef-driven, seasonal ingredients--is showcased in recipes for every season, such as Collard Green Tabbouleh, Zucchini-Scallion Waffles with Toasted Pecan Romesco, Grilled Shrimp and Corn with Avocado White BBQ Sauce, Fried Chicken Paillards with Arugula and Pea Shoots Salad, Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake, and Honey Lavender Chess Pie.

The recipes--influenced by the historical migration of African American families, including Tanya's own--reveal the key ingredients, techniques, and traditions that African Americans brought with them as they left the South for California, creating a beloved version of soul food. Beyond recipes, Tanya spotlights fifteen contemporary Black Californian foodmakers--farmers, coffee roasters, and other talented artisans--whose work help defines California soul food, with stunning portraiture and stories. Filtered through the rich history of African American migration that brought her own family from the Deep South to the West Coast, Tanya's recipes are as comforting and delicious as they are steeped in history.

Author Biography

Tanya Holland is the host of Tanya's Kitchen Table on the Oprah Winfrey Network and the podcast Tanya's Table. She is the author of Brown Sugar Kitchen and New Soul Cooking, was the host and soul food expert on the television series Melting Pot, and competed on the fifteenth season of Top Chef. She is the executive chef of Town Fare. She holds a Grande Diplôme from La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine, and has served as the president of the San Francisco chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier. Maria C. Hunt is a California-based journalist specializing in cultural stories around wine, food, design, and wellness. Maria has written for Esquire, Wine Enthusiast, Dwell, Architectural Digest, the New York Times, and Christian Science Monitor. She's the author of The Bubbly Bar: Champagne + Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion. Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz holds a PhD in African diaspora studies and anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley; an MA in African American studies from the University of California at Berkeley; and a BA in Black studies and history from the College of William and Mary.