Letter to a food legend
Andi Oliver w rites to Edna Lewis
The restaurateur and presenter of Great British Menu pays tribute to the pioneering black American chef and food writer who championed Southern and African-American cooking for over 50 years and inspired Andi’s love of soul food
FOOD STYLING: JESS MEYER. STYLING: SARAH BIRKS
PHOTOGRAPHS: TOBY SCOTT.
Dear Edna
PORTRAIT: SKY UK LTD
Really this letter is to say thank you – for your inspired cooking and your clear poetic writing. The pace of your books got me thinking about what’s beautiful in a kitchen and how culinary achievement is quantified – and by whom. When I look at the world of respected cooking, I don’t see many faces that look like mine. I don’t taste many dishes coming out of those kitchens that use the ingredients I’ve grown up eating and cooking.
YOU are the cook who got me to start looking at the heart of what we call soul food. Because of you, I feel proud of the food I grew up eating and reading about. Because of you, I understand
there are many ways to find your voice on the plate, and hundreds of ways to achieve elegance. Because of you, I have found my voice in the kitchen. And I’ve come to realise it’s this bit, finding my voice – even feeling like I have a RIGHT to a voice – that’s the most important part. There is an art to allowing the voice to flow. There is artistry in understanding the nuance of that voice – and this, of course, I am still learning. I often find myself looking to your work for guidance in this.