“You know, a lot of African Americans just don’t choose to go to Mississippi. We don’t look at a map and decide to go there; in fact, we have pretty much avoided it. When I found out that I was going to Oxford as the Glory Foods Chef Scholarship recipient, I thought, ‘That’s great news—I get to go to Mississippi as a special guest. That’s a big deal.’ It broke through a little invisible barrier for me, and I loved my time there.”

Chef Todd Richards, although young at 36, has been around
the stove for a long time. He started working in kitchens when he was 14 years old. Before that, he was standing beside his father, helping to prepare family meals and learning that food brought people together. Richards loved creating something delicious for his family, was inspired by visits to restaurants, and decided to make a career out of cooking. Since then he has worked his way through the gauntlet of line and prep, sauté, fry, grill, and gardemanger; has worked in casual restaurants, done a stint as a cooking school teacher, cooked in fine dining establishments, and even battled on the Iron Chef America stage. To say he gets around good in the kitchen would be an understatement.

Currently Richards is the Executive Chef at Louisville’s handsome Oakroom, within the historic Seelbach Hotel. Todd strikes an elegant form in his chef whites, and he takes food and flavor seriously. He also takes location and history seriously, too; he knows who he is, where he is, and where he comes from. While his haute plates at the Oakroom fetch a good price, he is excited to think that there might be a return to regular folks cooking real food. “I believe that there is a cooking renaissance happening—that people see the need for a down-home meal. I hear talk about comfort food, and to me it translates to more than just what is on the plate; I believe that people really need comfort right now—socially, economically, politically, and physically. Home-style comfort food helps with some of that. While I love cooking high-end food, I am happy to see people turn to traditional comfort food to bring some joy to their lives.”

This past October, when Richards crossed the Mississippi state line and joined the SFA at the annual symposium, he was pleased to find a group that was thoughtful about food. Jessica Harris’s homage to the late-great black chefs of early America stirred Richards, and he had more than a couple of people turning around to wink at him when she asked “Where are our great black American chefs today?”

“I really felt like the entire group that was in attendance at the symposium was there in a spirit of not just fun and eating, but in a spirit of learning and also reconciliation. I felt like we all have the same concerns when it comes to food and culture. Of course, y’all are crazy, too—I mean to sit on the top of an open-air bus in the freezing cold to get some catfish was extreme, but it was fun and everyone was so nice and welcomed me to the group.”

Richards knows that the SFA is a lively organization and does important documentary work, but he also gets our real desire to “gather at the table in a spirit of reconciliation.” Chef Richards understands that many times there are barriers and stigmas that African Americans have to get through to feel comfortable “back in the kitchen.” He is proud to work in an industry that not only provides jobs to ambitious young black women and men, but could also become a place of honor and stature—a trade that provides a catalyst for working things out.

“When you sit down and eat together, you have to talk. If you have a problem with someone at the table, it gets talked about and hopefully worked out. The world’s problems could be solved over a dinner table. I believe that’s true and I am happy to be a part of something that can heal that way.”

ANGIE MOSIER

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Vegetarian Soul Food?

There’s an old Sanford and Son episode ("Funny, You Don’t Look It") in which that show’s grumpy protagonist Fred G. Sanford, tired of everyone walking all over him, proclaims himself the king of his salvage empire. Always eager to help out, Fred’s pal Bubba suggests that Fred pay a local company to trace his roots. Fred is, as it turns out, descended from kings: Ethiopian Jewish African kings, that is. Hilarity ensues as Fred traces his ancestry (which, as it turns out, is nothing more than a scam). And viewers learn a valuable, tied-up-in-22-minutes lesson: never judge a black junkman by his Judaica.

Which, in an admittedly roundabout sort of way, brings me to Charleston’s Soul Vegetarian Cafe and Exodus Takeout, a restaurant that conjures Garvey as readily as it does gravy. Run by the African Hebrew Israelites, Soul Vegetarian’s cuisine is more or less soul food—African in origin, like so much of the area’s cuisine—except sans the meatstuffs. The only vegan restaurant in North Charleston, Soul is located behind a daycare center on Rivers Avenue.

What’s on the menu? Garlicky mac and cheese, black-eyed peas, kale, collards, candied sweet potatoes, cornbread, blueberry cheesecake, and pineapple upside-down cake. And barbecue tofu. Those who don’t like tofu, made of the ever-Southern soybean, have yet to have it cooked properly. There’s also vegan lasagna, vegan gyros (admittedly not all that Southern, but then again, we do have a large Greek population), tofu falafels, a barbecued “twist” on whole wheat pita served with medium spicy sauce and homemade mustard, and more.

Perhaps the biggest shocker? Nothing is made with milk or meat, and nothing is fried. Lunches usually are under $10 a person—drink and dessert included—and dinners only a couple bucks more.

The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem Community’s Soul Vegetarian South Complex: 3225-A Rivers Avenue in North Charleston, South Carolina. Phone: 843-744-1155.

TIMOTHY C. DAVIS

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