Joyce White

[Jason Perlow]

eGullet Q&A with Joyce White, September 8-12

~ A Special Feature with Soul ~

Biography

Joyce White has a long and distinguished food and journalism career. She is a former associate food editor of Ladies' Home Journal magazine and has studied cooking at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. She is a founding member of the Wine Press, a recognized expert on wines, and a member of the Wine Media Guild, both professional organizations located in New York City. She appears regular on radio and television, including the Food Network. She has traveled widely, is proficient in French, and has a basic knowledge of Spanish. Joyce also is a former award-winning reporter and editor of the New York Daily News and has written for many other publications, including Essence, The New York Times, Newsday, the Chicago Tribune, and The Boston Globe.

In addition to her successful journalism career, Joyce has a column, "Soul in the Kitchen," which appears in African-American newspapers across country. It pops with food profiles, recipes, entertaining tips, our culinary history. Captured in the weekly column are many of the recipes and memories of her childhood in the South, featuring dishes served at family reunions, church revivals, pastor anniversaries, homecomings, fish fries, picnics and backyard barbecues.

The springboard for her newspaper column was Joyce's first cookbook: Soul Food: Recipes and Reflections from African-American Churches (HarperCollins, February 1998). It is a collection of 150 recipes contributed by church members and families across the country, plus many profiles and stories. It celebrates two most important legacies: the Black church and African-American cuisine.

Joyce's latest cookbook, Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends (HarperCollins, January 2003), was released to rave reviews. The book is a collection of 120 delectable recipes, both simple and sophisticated, collected from family and friends far and near.

Joyce White is a graduate of Tuskegee Institute, Columbia University's Teachers College, and in 1980 was awarded a Knight-Ridder journalism fellowship at Stanford University, one of 10 working journalists from a field of 112 applicants. She has studied French extensively here in New York City at the Alliance Francaise, and in Paris. A native of Alabama, she lives today in New York City.

In addition, eGullet would like to thank Joyce for contributing three recipes to RecipeGullet: Hot Corn Fritters, Lemon Coriander Tea Cakes, and Spicy Grilled Corn. Besides her books, more of her recipes are available on her website, Soul in the Kitchen. We would also like to thank her publisher, Harper Collins, for donating 5 books as prizes for the best questions. The winners will receive their choice of Ms. White's books: Soul Food or Brown Sugar.

This Q&A moderated by Rachel Perlow.