The Power of Choice

While visiting the Bay Area with my husband Floyd (my favorite travel companion) back in 2014, I picked up a magazine called Edible Marin & Wine Country at some point while exploring the bucolic town of Mill Valley, shopping in what seemed to be an endless supply of the most incredible independent shops, galleries, restaurants, and boutiques.

The pages were full of interesting articles about the region with engaging photographic images, including a write-up about a chef named Bryant Terry featured under the caption “Activist”.

As I began to read, I quickly noted that our upbringing around food were very similar. Like me, he understood that the farm to table lifestyle characterized today as only for a certain wallet is in fact how our family and community were able to survive on “limited means”. Terry is quoted in the article by Sarah Henry saying:

“I want people to know that when we talk about farm and table, garden and table, people of African descent are the originators of that. I think that needs to be recognized...For solutions to the health problems that our community faces, we need look no further than our own heritage.”

I loved that this sentiment was the undercurrent of his latest book at that time, Afro-Vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed. I sought out the cookbook as part of our offerings at the store, and the rest is history.

His newest cookbook, Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes, honors the diverse world of vegetables by placing them at the forefront of every innovative dish.

Terry’s books are far more than collections of vegan recipes. They are a celebration of culture and health facilitating an empowering cooking experience.

Let’s be reminded that each of us has the power of choice. So let’s choose to live well in beautiful spaces, enjoying full and healthy lives, never leaving behind the valuable practices from our childhood and prior generations as they are the foundation on which we stand, build, and thrive.