Tanya Holland's California Soul
Recipes from a Culinary Journey West [A Cookbook]
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
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.
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Holland, owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland, Calif., peppers her layered take on soul food with stories of African American pioneers, among them Bridget "Biddy" Mason, an enslaved person who upon arriving in California in 1848 sued for her freedom and won, as well as leaders in contemporary Black-owned foodie enterprises like date grower Sam Cobb. The text digs deep, framing how African crops—such as the black-eyed peas in a dip served with benne seed crackers—traveled to the Americas. Organized by season, the recipes marry influences of the West Coast and the South, where Holland's parents hail from: think fried chicken–style paillards dredged in rice flour, and baked ham with kumquat glaze. Summer brings desserts including a chess pie infused with dried lavender, while winter is represented by a mahogany-hued spatchcocked chicken brined in sweet tea, and sweet potato pots de crème. Innovation and originality run through the entire volume, whether that means savory zucchini and scallion waffles or a tour of an educational urban microfarm. Holland's voice is encouraging throughout: "If you can get past the prep, you've won," she notes in a recipe for a New Orleans po' boy featuring fried artichokes. The mix of personality, regional flavors, and history make for a winning combination.
