Skip to content
Search
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • Events
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • Podcast
  • More
    • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
    • Black Wineries
    • Videos
    • CN Review
    • Donate
Cuisine Noir Magazine
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • CN Review
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
  • Events
  • Black Wineries
  • Videos
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
Search
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • Events
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • Podcast
  • More
    • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
    • Black Wineries
    • Videos
    • CN Review
    • Donate
Cuisine Noir Magazine
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • CN Review
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
  • Events
  • Black Wineries
  • Videos
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate

Dillard’s Inaugural Conference to Tell the Story of Creole Cooking

Zella Palmer and Leah Chase
Pictured: Zella Palmer and Leah Chase | Photo credit: Zella Palmer
April 1, 2015
V. Sheree Williams
Share this article
       

This August marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  Over the years, we have all watched the tenacity of New Orleanians reclaim the history and culture that makes it one of the most treasured U.S. cities.  Say the words “New Orleans” and immediately eyes light up with sounds of trumpets and jazz music playing down the street and visions of beignets and po boys dancing through one’s head.  On April 16 & 17, Dillard University Ray Charles Program in African American Material Culture will honor the history of Creole cooking with its inaugural conference, The Story of New Orleans Creole Cooking: The Black Hand in the Pot.

Curated by the program’s director, Zella Palmer, the two-day conference will focus on the history and contributions of African-Americans to Creole cuisine. With origins dating back to the Civil Rights Movement, it is one of the most recognized cuisines in the world along with Leah Chase who has been dubbed the Queen of Creole Cuisine.

Connecting New Orleans Black Culinary Community

Palmer, who was raised in Chicago, has strong roots in New Orleans with family members still remaining in the city after her grandfather moved up north.  Between summer visits as a child and pursuing a degree in Museum Studies, Palmer says, “I feel that my life has always led me to food. I didn’t want to necessarily go outside and play as much. I would rather help out in the kitchen and listen to my elders’ stories.”  Prior to joining Dillard last summer, her past experience entails an internship at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans as well as being a curator at the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago.

RELATED: Farmer Brown: Southern Hospitality Meets the West

RELATED: How Did Those Black-Eyed Peas Get So Lucky?

The Ray Charles Program in African American Material Culture came about after Ray Charles received an honorary degree in 2003 from Dillard and a conversation followed regarding the concerns about the culinary contributions by Blacks in the city that seem to be dying.  Charles, who once lived in New Orleans, was a huge supporter of New Orleans culture and cuisine. Through an endowment he left, the university created the first African-American Food Studies and Material Culture program with a mission to, “research, document, disseminate, preserve and celebrate African American culture and foodways in the South.”  The program’s first professor was culinary historian and author, Dr. Jessica B. Harris.  Palmer says her main focus now is building awareness about the program and connecting with chefs, cooks, historians, etc.

April’s conference will certainly provide an amazing backdrop to the history and culture of Creole cuisine by bringing together top historians and chefs. 

Conference highlights on Thursday, April 16, which are free, open to the public and scheduled from 9 am – 4 pm, include:

  • Ibrahima Seck, academic director of the Whitney Plantation and Senegalese historian, will present “Memory Dishes from Gritsland and Riceland.” The Whitney Plantation, the country's first museum dedicated to slavery, was the subject of a recent New York Times article.
  • Civil rights activist A.P. Tureaud Jr. will talk about Louisiana cuisine and its relation to civil rights activism.
  • Liz Williams, director of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, will speak on “Before There Was Martha Stewart, There Was Lena Richard” and the life of the culinary icon.
  • New Orleans Creole historian Barbara Trevigne will talk about the ingenuity of the Creole street vendors in New Orleans.
  • “From Palm Fronds to Crawfish Ponds: Religion and Food in the Black Community and How It Relates to Creole Cuisine” is the topic of educator, master gardener and caterer Austin Sonnier.
  • Dillard professor, poet and folklorist Mona Lisa Saloy will talk about “Creole Cuisine in Literature.”
  • Palmer will speak about “Uncovering the Culinary History of Dillard University, 1935-2014.”
  • Keynote address by Michael Twitty titled, “Reading the West & Central African Presence in the Creole Culinary Repertoire.”

The afternoon will host a lunch featuring traditional Creole dishes that Dillard students and faculty used to eat back in the day.

The late Rudy Lombard who coined the term, “Black Hand in the Pot,” will be honored on Thursday at the conference as well for his civil rights work and contributions for preserving the culinary stories of chefs and cooks of color. The program will name their future lecture series after him.

On Friday, April 17, culinary historian Michael Twitty will host The Black Hand in the Pot culinary workshop inside of the Whitney Plantation.  The cost is $30 per person and is currently sold out.

A Wrap-Up Party will take place from 6 – 10 pm at the Second Vine Winery in the Marigny neighborhood. Must be 21 and over and to RSVP to attend, email Palmer at zpalmer@dillard.edu.

After the conference, be sure to follow the program for future events and additional programming announcements.  For more information about the conference or the Ray Charles Program in African American Material Culture, contact Zella Palmer at 504.816.4091 or zpalmer@dillard.edu. Be sure to follow the program on social media on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

MORE FROM CUISINE NOIR

Quentin Love: Transitioning Communities One Meat at a Time with TurkeyChop
Chef Govind Armstrong: California's Culinary Ambassador

  • under Etiquette Etiquette in Public Places
  • Aiyana Victoria Mathews in Japan
    under Travel Tips for African American Travelers in Japan
  • under Food & Drink Saluting the Vinous Odyssey of Zimbabwean Wine Whiz Job Jovo
  • under Food & Drink Biology and Science are Put to the Test with Twins That Cook
Share this article
V. Sheree Williams

Sheree has been penning stories since the fifth grade. Her stories took a delicious and adventurous turn as an adult when she became a foodie.

Related Articles

Loading...
Featured Food & Drink

Legendary Football Star Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders Joins Oikos® for an Epic Family Battle

2023 James Beard
Black Chefs Food & Drink

2023 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Semi-Finalists Announced

Haitian chef Findler Charles
Black Chefs Food & Drink

Haitian Pride and Island Flavors Drive Success for Food Truck Owner Findler Charles

Be the first to know about the latest online, industry updates, world news, events and promotions that connect the African diaspora through food, drink and travel.

    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising

    #IAmCuisineNoir

    This site participates in affiliate programs. See our full disclosure for more information.

    © 2022 The Global Food and Drink Initiative d/b/a Cuisine Noir Magazine. Privacy
    Site by ACS Digital

    Any unauthorized duplication, download or reprint of images or content from this website for promotional or commercial use is strictly prohibited without written permission from The Global Food and Drink Initiative. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Trademark pending.

    YES!  We’re excited you are signing up too!  

    Get ready to receive our weekly newsletter about:

    • New articles online
    • World news and industry happenings throughout the African Diaspora
    • Mouthwatering recipes
    • Promotions and giveaways

    Right in your inbox!