The Ancestors' Apron

The Seed Keepers

The Seed Keepers

Sustaining a community’s culture and survival under the brutal conditions of the 18th-century transatlantic slave trade required unparalleled resilience and true mastery. Across the early American South, that mastery belonged...

The Seed Keepers

Sustaining a community’s culture and survival under the brutal conditions of the 18th-century transatlantic slave trade required unparalleled resilience and true mastery. Across the early American South, that mastery belonged...

Ed Mitchell

Ed Mitchell

In the late 20th century, the landscape of Southern wood-smoke cooking was heavily commercialized by industrial gas smokers, waiting for a historic milestone to honor the foundational heritage of African...

Ed Mitchell

In the late 20th century, the landscape of Southern wood-smoke cooking was heavily commercialized by industrial gas smokers, waiting for a historic milestone to honor the foundational heritage of African...

Norbert Rillieux

Norbert Rillieux

  Born on March 17, 1806, in New Orleans, Norbert Rillieux was the son of Constance Vivant, a free woman of color, and Vincent Rillieux, a wealthy white engineer and...

Norbert Rillieux

  Born on March 17, 1806, in New Orleans, Norbert Rillieux was the son of Constance Vivant, a free woman of color, and Vincent Rillieux, a wealthy white engineer and...

Thomas Downing

Thomas Downing

Sustaining an elite culinary reputation under the harsh social conditions of the 19th-century required true mastery. Across Manhattan, that mastery belonged to a skilled culinary expert who revolutionized early American...

Thomas Downing

Sustaining an elite culinary reputation under the harsh social conditions of the 19th-century required true mastery. Across Manhattan, that mastery belonged to a skilled culinary expert who revolutionized early American...

The Barbacoa Architects

The Barbacoa Architects

In the pre-Columbian era, building a functional elevated smoking framework—and later, perfecting the underground earth oven—was an extraordinary milestone for Indigenous communities navigating the unique tropical environments of the Caribbean...

The Barbacoa Architects

In the pre-Columbian era, building a functional elevated smoking framework—and later, perfecting the underground earth oven—was an extraordinary milestone for Indigenous communities navigating the unique tropical environments of the Caribbean...

The Plantation Provisioners

The Plantation Provisioners

Sustaining communities under the harsh conditions of 18th-century agrarian estates required true mastery. Across the Americas, that mastery belonged to skilled West African agricultural experts who revolutionized early American cultivation...

The Plantation Provisioners

Sustaining communities under the harsh conditions of 18th-century agrarian estates required true mastery. Across the Americas, that mastery belonged to skilled West African agricultural experts who revolutionized early American cultivation...