"A treasure... lovingly written, beautifully photographed... The hard work that went into this volume is evident, making it a soon-to-be-classic addition to collections that explore American cuisine from a Black viewpoint." --Library Journal, STARRED Review
"Shanti brings the region to life with moving descriptions of her childhood, family, and connections to the culture she comes from, adding even more heart to the collection of recipes she has cultivated."
--Booklist "A powerhouse debut [that] amplifies the complexities of Black food with head-turning dishes."
--Garden and Gun What a beautiful Black story told through food. What I love most about Our South is that I see and hear parts of my story in Ashleigh's. As we continue to remember, explore, discuss, and celebrate Black food, many of the recipes from this book will be at the table.
--Mashama Bailey, James Beard Award-winning chef and author of Black, White, and The Grey Ashleigh Shanti stakes a bold claim in the title and follows through deliciously. Our South is an opinionated look at Southern food through lens of the Black experience. Shanti is a chef on a mission, and I have no doubt that by the time you have perused the pages, delighted in the tales told, cooked the recipes, and enjoyed the tasty dishes, she will have convinced you that her South--our South--is a place to be acknowledged and savored. --Dr. Jessica B. Harris, culinary historian, professor, lecturer, and author of High on the Hog
Ashleigh Shanti is one of my favorite chefs in America. I'm so grateful she and I were introduced a few years ago, and I have been waiting not so patiently for the arrival of this cookbook. I can now say, after reading it cover to cover, that I am completely floored--not only by the incredibly thoughtful variety of recipes Ashleigh shares (accompanied by the most alluring photos, which make me want to abandon everything and just cook all the dishes straight through), but also by the detailed and intimate glimpse into the beautiful regions and stories that shaped her love and almost genius understanding of food. I was so inspired as I read each page--and make no mistake, these pages aren't to be rushed! There is so much to take in, and I always chose a comfy, peaceful spot when I sat down to read. But most important, I learned so much--not just about cooking techniques or ingredients that I have never tried, but also about the history and origin of the foods that have defined Ashleigh's experience. Her very layered, textured, and authentic explanation of Southern food has made me rethink my previous perceptions and definitions. This cookbook will stay in my kitchen for a long, long time, and I can't wait to share it with so many people that I love.--Ree Drummond, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks
In 2019, Ashleigh Shanti was arguably the most written-about young chef in America. Heading up the kitchen at the brand new Benne on Eagle in what had once been the bustling Black economic district of Asheville, North Carolina, Ashleigh became the voice of Affrilachian foodways, a role amplified by time spent in one grandmother's Blue Ridge gardens and kitchen. But like Walt Whitman, Ashleigh, "contains multitudes," and the poetry of the food she put on the table was also rooted in Gullah tradition, a Tidewater childhood, a sojourn in West Africa, an apprenticeship in Baltimore, and her singular creative life. It's time now for Ashleigh to take up the story in her own words, to craft this richer, deeper, wider "Song of Myself." She does so here in a profound and elegant memoir garnished with some of the most delicious and extraordinary recipes you will be blessed to cook and eat. --Ronni Lundy, James Beard Award-winning author of Victuals
Our South is destined to be a new American classic--a deliciously compelling cookbook that not only provides an expansive perspective on Southern cooking, but a road map for exploring the vast nuances of Black culinary experience. Ashleigh's recipes and stories are deeply personal, while her mastery of and reverence for the ingredients and foodways of her heritage are on full and vibrant display. With her debut cookbook, she both honors the generations of cooks before her and confidently leads us all into the kitchen, invigorated and inspired to get cooking.--Gail Simmons, food expert, TV host, and author of Bringing It Home
I call the South our richest culinary region in the US, for all the reasons Ashleigh Shanti documents here. Her vibrant recipes and stories shine overdue recognition on Black foodways from Appalachia to the Sea Islands and the countless love-filled kitchens in between.--Osayi Endolyn, James Beard Award-winning food and culture writer
