JESSICA B. HARRIS
discusses
High on the Hog: a Culinary Journey from Africa to America

From ham hocks and chitlins to fried chicken and vegan soul, Dr. Jessica B. Harris celebrates the delicious and beloved foods of the African American experience, detailing how each became a quintessential part of the country's culture and identity. She tracks down the people who shaped this history from George Washington's charismatic cook to hardworking house slaves, from cowboy camp cooks and Pullman waiters to contemporary chefs in today's best restaurants.

While many of these people and their traditions have withstood the violent uprooting of the slave trade and long centuries of repression, Dr. Harris' take on the African American culinary journey is ultimately one of endurance and triumph-- a celebration of the hard-won place of African's at the American table.

As a cookbook author and culinary historian, Dr. Harris has long been recognized as an expert on the food of Africa and the African Daspora. Her articles have appeared in Eating Well, Food & Wine, Essence, and The New Yorker, and she has been profiled in The New York Times. She is a member of the IACP and Les Dames d'Escoffier, and is currently teaching English at Queens College with a Ph.D. from NYU.