For too many years, writer and pastry chef Klancy Miller sensed something missing from mainstream food media: stories that centered Black women. So she decided it was time to tell those stories herself. That was the idea of For the Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food: Interviews, Inspiration, and Recipes. Originally a biannual print magazine celebrating Black women in food and wine—with contributions from only Black women—For the Culture is now a stunning, informative, beautifully illustrated, immensely inspiring cookbook.
Klancy Miller’s culinary journey didn’t originally involve food writing. Her story started in Paris, where she attended school to specialize in baking, with dreams of opening a French bakery when she returned to the United States. But Miller quickly realized that running her own shop wouldn’t be sustainable, at least, not for her. The work is thankless. The hours are long. And Miller, self-described as “slow in the kitchen”, was unlikely to fare well in a fast-paced environment like a restaurant. So she transitioned to food writing and recipe development, eventually publishing her first cookbook, Cooking Solo: The Fun of Cooking for Yourself, in 2016.
Years later, Miller was approached to do an editorial piece on Black women in food that after research and interviews didn't end up working out. But it did lead her to what would would eventually become For the Culture, the magazine.
The magazine answered a clear need in the world of food media. And it quickly became a hit. But even after her long journey to an exceedingly successful magazine, she still felt like something was missing. She wished she had a book—something tangible—for her younger self. So she wrote For the Culture.
For the Culture, the book, is an extension of Miller’s previous editorial feat and a road map detailing the journeys and experiences of Black women and femmes in the culinary world. Narrative-led, the cookbook is a gold mine of women and femmes across generations and disciplines that center both food and drink. The book begins with glowing profiles of culinary matriarchs, pioneers like Lena Richard—the first Black woman to have her own televised cooking show, predating Julia Child. Then continues to showcase a robust roster of contributors who laid the foundation for those who came after them.
Like Leah Penniman, a farmer using Afro-Indigenous methods to restore land and feed her community; Ashtin Berry, an activist, sommelier, and mixologist creating radical change in the hospitality industry and beyond; Sophia Roe, a TV host and producer showcasing the inside stories behind today's food systems; author and Cook’s Country editor in chief Toni Tipton-Martin; pastry chef and Bakers Against Racism founder Paola Velez; Mashama Bailey, Carla Hall, Nicole Taylor, Dr. Jessica B. Harris, Leah Chase, Edna Lewis, B. Smith...and many, many more activists and leaders from diverse array of food disciplines.
In For the Culture, we learn about what called these luminaries to their work and what challenges them. They share the vision that drives them, the mistakes they made along the way, advice for the next generation, and, of course, treasured recipes. In addition to the recipes they’ve contributed—which range from calypso persimmon baked chicken wings to watermelon poke—they offer honest conversation about mental health, money, and working conditions, and give invaluable advice to Black women and femmes in creative fields.
For the Culture is a reminder that the histories and contributions of Black women go further back than we might think. It is an homage to our culinary predecessors, a spotlight for our current disruptors, and a rich resource for the next generation of Black women and femmes in the space.
“The world is your oyster,” Miller says. “You can have a vision, and that vision is possible. You can make an imprint on the world through your very specific experience. You can bring that to the world through food.”
Accompanied by stunning, original illustrated portraits (done by the immensely talented
Sarah Madden) and vibrant food photography, the extraordinary women profiled within these pages—entrepreneurs, chefs, food stylists, mixologists, historians, influencers, hoteliers—will inspire anyone while simultaneously making you very, very ...very hungry. These collective profiles are a one-of-a-kind oral history of a movement, captured in real time, and indispensable for anyone passionate about food.
Here are a few Black-owned bookshops where you can purchase For the Culture online (and get it before Thanksgiving!):
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