Edible Michiana Holiday 2022

HOL I DAY 2022 • I SSUE 46

THE STORY ON LOCAL FOOD

heritage

Member of Edible Communities

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Serves 2 Chocolate martinis are a classic after dinner indulgence. We take this one up a notch with homemade chocolate syrup and notes of fragrant cardamom. It’s smooth and delicious. Once you have the syrup and garnishes prepped, this cocktail comes together quickly, making it great for holiday parties and festive dinners. Chocolate Cardamom Syrup 1½ cups water 1½ cups granulated sugar 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cardamom Garnish 1 ounce dark chocolate bar 1 tablespoon granulated sugar ¼ teaspoon cocoa powder teaspoon ground cardamom Martini 2 ounces Godiva chocolate liqueur 2 ounces dark crème de cacao 1½ ounces Chocolate Cardamom Syrup Combine water, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Whisk frequently until it begins to bubble and thicken, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and cardamom. Pour into a jar and set aside to cool. The syrup can be prepped ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. For the garnish, shave the edge of the chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler until you have about ½ teaspoon of chocolate shavings. Add to a shallow, wide bowl and whisk together with the sugar, cocoa powder and cardamom. Melt the remainder of the chocolate bar in the microwave. Spread the melted chocolate onto a plate the width of your cocktail glasses. Dip the rims of 2 glasses into the chocolate, then dip the rims again into the sugar and shavings mixture. Place the glasses in the refrigerator or freezer to set and chill. In a cocktail shaker, add the martini ingredients and a large handful of ice. Shake for 1 minute and pour into the garnished glasses. 2 ounces vanilla vodka 1½ ounces half-and-half

CHOCOLATE

CARDAMOM MARTINI

RECIPE AND PHOTO BY Ashley Swartzendruber

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PUBL I SHERS Trevor and Breanna Daugherty EDI TOR IN CHI EF Trevor Daugherty trevor@ediblemichiana.com MANAGING EDI TOR Lisa Barnett de Froberville lisa@ediblemichiana.com RECIPE EDI TOR, STYL I ST

& PHOTOGRAPHER Ashley Swartzendruber DES IGN Hannah Gerig Meyer

COPY EDI TORS Carrington Morris Deb McAuliffe Sprong WEBS I TE Sarah Highlen, Grapevine Local Food Marketing

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FOOD NOTES EMAI L NEWSLETTER EDI TOR Breanna Daugherty CONTRIBUTORS Jane Simon Ammeson Lisa Barnett de Froberville Brittany Culby

CONTENTS Holiday 2022

Rebecca Daublin Trevor Daugherty Anne Magnan-Park Mayra Perkins Deborah Rieth Melissa Washburn Jon Zirkle

DEPARTMENTS 6

FEATURE 20

From Our Table to Yours

A Conversation About Black Food Traditions

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Spilling the Beans Jake’s Country Meats

RECIPES 2

CONTACT US Edible Michiana P.O. Box 208 Goshen, IN 46527-0208 info@ediblemichiana.com ADVERT I S ING trevor@ediblemichiana.com 574.903.9731 SUBSCRIPT IONS This periodical is published quarterly by Edible Michiana LLC. Distribution is throughout Northern Indiana and Southwest Lower Michigan and nationally by subscription. Subscriptions are $36 for four issues and can be purchased online at EdibleMichiana.com. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you. No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. ©2022. All rights reserved.

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Farmers Markets

Chocolate CardamomMartini

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In Season Chocolate

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Chocolate Salami

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Chocolate Madeleines with Matcha Chocolate Shells Beef and Sweet Potato Stew with Chocolate East African Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk

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Food for Thought A reflection on food heritage Worth the Trip Flamingo Pizza in Gary, Indiana

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From the Good Earth American persimmons

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Spiced Persimmon Cookies

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Advertiser Directory

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Last Bite Holiday gift guide

ON THIS PAGE: Chocolate, photo by Ashley Swartzendruber . ON THE COVER: Chocolate Madeleines with Matcha Chocolate Shells, photo by Ashley Swartzendruber .

from our table to yours

Publishers’ Letter

By the time this issue of Edible Michiana hits newsstands, our trees will have changed colors and the midterm elections will be over. Another season of change has swept through our region. Now, the holidays are at the front of our minds. There will be stress, and there will be laughter, drinks and yummy treats for our children and the young at heart. We’ll gather around the turkey and tree with our families, whether family in the traditional sense or with the friends we’ve made along the way. For the two of us, this issue marks the conclusion of our second year as owners of Edible Michiana . Over the last eight issues, we’ve seen a consistent motion of change throughout the region as our towns and cities have navigated peculiar times. As we look ahead to a new year, we’re reminded that this rhythm of life and change will not cease.

In a time when much of the world around us seems uncertain, we take great joy and comfort in those things that remain consistent in our lives. The grocery store that always has our favorite treats. That Saturday cup of coffee from the corner shop. The sounds of holiday classics radiating from any of our beautifully restored theaters across the region. Within the constant winds of change, we take solace in the traditions of our beloved community. Whether you’re in Bridgman or Elkhart, St. Joseph or Michigan City, we hope this holiday season brings the familiarity of beloved traditions and the comfort of those things that stay the same. Happy holidays. —Trevor and Breanna Daugherty our history: immigration, adaptation, environment, economics, politics, religion—it’s all on our plates. In this issue, we want to share some of the stories of our local food heritage. We focus on Black food traditions with a lively conversation in which panelists share their memories of food and family—what they ate and why, and what it means to them today. We also trace the roots of a family, originally from the Netherlands, that has been farming the same land since 1870. Known today under the banner of Jake’s Country Meats, they continue to work together and evolve, adapting to the market and the times. Many of the dishes that make up our daily bread as Americans were once considered exotic. In the middle of the last century, “pizza pie” swept the U.S. as a new food craze, worthy of coverage in

Photo by Sherry Earley

Editor’s Letter

the national press. Flamingo Pizza in Gary, Indiana, was part of the story then and is using many of the same recipes today. Tracing foodways through time, we can learn about ourselves, and also about the wisdom that has been lost, as healthier, more sustainable and more equitable practices have fallen away. In her essay on the subject, Anne Magnan-Park explores her complicated relationship to food heritage and what she would like to pass on to the next generation. The holidays are naturally a time for nostalgia and celebrating with cherished food traditions. Whether you are cooking from Grandma’s recipes or creating new traditions, may your tables be laden with goodness and surrounded by love! —Lisa Barnett de Froberville

“When someone cooks for you, they are saying something. They are telling you about themselves: where they come from, who they are, what makes them happy.” This quote from Anthony Bourdain seems especially suited to our heritage theme. What we eat carries the traces of

Photo by Peter Ringenberg

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spilling the beans

Jake’s Country Meats evolves from generations of farming and relationships

GOOD HARD WORK

A cold rain accompanied me on the drive through Michigan’s sweeping Cass County farmland. As the skies began to clear near Cassopolis, a substantial farmstead came into view, complete with a huge red barn and a farmhouse under the watchful guard of old-growth trees and an old-growth dog. The door to the house swung open and there stood Nate Robinson, sixth generation steward of this family-owned farm that has been in existence since 1870. I was warmed not only by Nate’s welcome, but by the smiles of his wife,

Lou Ann, and daughter, Renee, who twirled their chairs away from their computer screens and offered me a chair in their farm office—the headquarters of Jake’s Country Meats. This is also the home of Renee and Nick Seelye, who represent part of the seventh generation. Minutes later, generation eight would toddle in and out of the room: Nick and Renee’s cute and curious children. On 600 acres, the Robinsons collectively raise pigs (around 1,000 at any given time) and beef cattle (95 or so)

BY Deborah Rieth PHOTOS BY Brittany Culby

All the animals raised by Jake's Country Meats spend their lives in the fields on pasture. Fencing provides protection from predators. Beef cattle are totally grass-fed, while poultry and pigs receive non-GMO feed.

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year-round. Five thousand chickens and 500 turkeys are cycled in during the warm months. All the animals are raised on pasture, outside, with non-GMO feed and hay that is produced on-site. The farm is annually certified through an Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) program. Another branch under the canopy of this 150-year-old family tree is Nate and Lou Ann’s son, Jake. An agronomist, Jake manages the farm’s cropland while maintaining and sustaining the integrity of the soil and pastures. “The heritage part of our farm is in the way my great great-grandfather raised his animals.” The first roots though, were put down by Robinson ancestors from the Netherlands. “All the generations endured with just good hard work,” says Nate. “They helped each other survive, and neighbors helped neighbors.” Nate and Lou Ann have farmed together for nearly 50 years and live around the corner and over the hill from Renee. They experienced the extremes of a volatile and wildly fluctuating pork industry market, and through the years they gradually shifted to a path toward a better product that could sustain their farm for the future. Nate sums it up: “The farmers were getting paid by quantity, not quality. I wanted to flip it around and get paid for Top: Sixth-generation farmer Nate Robinson has big boots to fill at age 3 with his father, A. J. Robinson, in 1958. Photo provided by Robinson Family, Jake's Country Meats. Bottom: Generations of knowledge are passed down, and new ideas are evaluated. Nate (left) stands with his son-in-law, Nick Seelye. Nick’s wife and Nate’s daughter, Renee, says, “This is why farms can last generations, creating a rich heritage. You continue to look back while moving forward.”

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A pause on the porch, rare in day-to-day farm work, captures three Robinson family generations: (left to right) Renee (Robinson) Seelye with son, Kane, and Lou Ann and Nate Robinson. The farmhouse was built circa 1890.

quality. The heritage part of our farm is in the way my great-great-grandfather raised his animals. It was outside. So we reached back in time and did it the old way. And everybody said we had something new!” When Jake’s Country Meats was launched in 1998, they needed to figure out who their customers were. Lou Ann recalls, “That takes time. We invested a lot of time at the farmers markets, and we still talk to those customers all the time. Food and relationships work together.” There’s also the relationship between the farmers and the animals. Renee’s husband, Nick, oversees all the livestock “That’s the beauty of farms. There are so many different things you can create out of one...” and manages the warehouse. He respects the circle of life: “Seeing all aspects of it from start to finish. The good and the bad.” The unique structure of a working farm family has its advantages. “It gives us flexibility to be involved and do life together more often,” Nick says. “I prioritize my family over working by having a strong employee base I can trust to support the farm.” Renee says, “That’s the beauty of farms. There are so many different things you can create out of one, that can apply to different personalities and siblings, and that way we can all connect through the farm.” Leaving Lou Ann and Renee to get back to their work in mission control, Nate walked me out to The Meat Shed, their

on-site farm store that is open every day and features frozen pork products, beef, chicken and fish. Their fleet of white box trucks stood ready to roll toward farmers markets, restaurants and retail outlets. Nate is the family visionary, and as he walked back to the farmhouse, chances are he was thinking of some new flavor for Jake’s bacon or sausage. Me, I drove home with chorizo on my mind.

Jake’s County Meats 55721 Decatur Rd.

Cassopolis, MI 269.445.3020 For info about where to find Jake’s products, go to jakescountrymeats.com/locations

Deborah Rieth writes from a Michigan small farm, where her soul is nourished by gardens, kitchens and words.

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Farmers Markets Indiana Holiday 2022

ELKHART COUNTY Goshen Farmers Market 212 W. Washington St. Saturdays 8am–1pm All year

PORTER COUNTY The Off-Season Market 1400 E. Lincolnway, Valparaiso Sundays 10am–2pm (CST) ST. JOSEPH COUNTY Purple Porch Co-op 123 N. Hill St., South Bend Wednesdays 5–7pm All year River Valley Farmers Market 401 E. Colfax Ave., South Bend Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays 7am–3pm All year South Bend Farmers Market 1105 Northside Blvd. Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays 7am–3pm All year Michigan CASS COUNTY Nelson’s Herbs and FarmMarket 65391 Dailey Rd., Edwardsburg Thursdays–Sundays noon–5pm All year

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in season

BY Ashley Swartzendruber

Chocolate, luxurious in flavor and texture, has been prized for centuries, sometimes at great cost. Evidence of cocoa consumption dates to 1900 BC in Mesoamerica. A focal point of Indigenous culture, it was even used as currency. Once the Spanish colonization of the Americas began, cocoa made its way into the hearts of elite Europeans. As the desire for chocolate intensified, so did the slave market. Inhumane working conditions and child labor continue today. Fortunately, fair trade chocolate is readily available at most supermarkets, and local makers like Violet Sky Chocolate in South Bend, Indiana, are creating artisanal chocolate using direct trading practices. Once a cacao pod is harvested from a cacao tree, the cacao beans are extracted from the pods, fermented to develop

flavor, dried, roasted and shelled. The resulting cocoa nibs are ground into a paste and processed in different ways. It’s important to note that “cacao” often refers to fermented beans that have not been roasted. Cacao nibs and powder retain more nutritional value but are much more bitter than cocoa beans and powder. The average cacao bean is made of equal parts cocoa butter and cocoa solids; a special press can be used to separate the two. The extracted cocoa solids are ground into a fine powder to make natural cocoa powder. Alternatively, cocoa beans can be bathed in an alkaline solution before being ground, which neutralizes their acidity. This is known as Dutch-process cocoa powder. Ground cocoa paste is heated and additional cocoa butter, sugar, milk,

vanilla and other flavorings are added in varying quantities, resulting in bittersweet chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and milk chocolate, among others. White chocolate is created by using the extracted cocoa butter along with milk solids, sugar and sometimes vanilla. Since it doesn’t contain any cocoa solids, some believe it shouldn’t be considered chocolate. Selecting: Natural cocoa powder is bitter and acidic, with a highly concentrated chocolate flavor. Select it when a recipe calls for baking soda, as the acidity of the powder is crucial for a good rise. Dutch-process cocoa powder is darker in color, milder in flavor and should not be used in recipes that call for baking soda. These two cocoa powders are

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Ashley Swartzendruber is Edible Michiana ’s recipe editor, stylist and photographer based in Goshen, Indiana. She can be found cooking, eating and photographing local food in her home or exploring Michiana with her family. You can find more of her photos, styling and motherhood musings on her Instagram@mywildhaven. interchangeable for recipes that don’t call for a leavening agent. Bittersweet chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and milk chocolate can be used interchangeably based on the level of intensity and sweetness you’d prefer. You’ll find them in bar or chip form. Chips have added stabilizers to help them keep their shape when baked, so keep that in mind when you want your chocolate to melt easily. Unsweetened chocolate, also known as “baking chocolate,” melts quickly, has no added sugar or flavors and is intended for baking only. It’s not a good choice for eating straight out of the pantry. Storing : Chocolate easily absorbs odors, so it’s best to store it in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry place. If properly stored, darker chocolates will keep for close to two years, while milk chocolate will keep for one year. Unopened cocoa powder has an even longer shelf life, at around two to three years, although the flavor might weaken over time. Opened cocoa powder should be consumed within a year. Avoid storing chocolate in the refrigerator or freezer because the humidity and moisture can affect the appearance and the chocolate is more likely to absorb unpleasant odors. Pairing: Alliums, allspice, apples, avocados, basil, beans, beef, beer, beets, berries, butter, cardamom, carrots, celery, cheese, chicken, chilis, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coconut, coffee, corn, cumin, eggs, fennel, fish, ginger, grapefruit, honey, lemon, lime, liquor, mango, matcha, milk, mint, mushrooms, mustard, nuts, olives, orange, oregano, peppers, pineapple, pork, potatoes, rice, rosemary, sage, salt, sesame, spinach, squash, sugar, sweet potatoes, tea, thyme, tomatillos, tomatoes, turkey, vanilla, wheat, wine

Chocolate Salami

Serves 8–10 Sometimes called chocolate sausage, this make-ahead, no-bake dessert is perfect for the holidays. It originated in Europe, where it exists in too many variations to count. The main ingredients are cocoa powder, butter and sugar, with leftover tea biscuits emulating the specks of fat in a roll of salami. These ingredients were the most readily available during the Soviet era and prevented housewives from wasting the precious commodities. You can replace the pistachios with other nuts, and the coffee with milk, port wine or spiced rum. The possibilities are endless with this traditional treat. ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, divided cup unsweetened cocoa powder ½ teaspoon salt 1¼ cups chopped tea cookies/biscuits ¼ cup pistachios 3 tablespoons brewed coffee, espresso or instant, cooled ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the butter and 1 cup powdered sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy and combined, about 5 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and salt and beat on low for 1 to 2 minutes or until fully combined. Add the chopped cookies, pistachios, coffee and vanilla and beat on low until just combined. Lay down a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper that is 24 inches long. Dump the cookie dough in the middle and roughly form into a 12-inch-long log shape. Begin rolling the plastic wrap or paper over the dough and keep rolling until it is completely sealed. Twist and tighten the two ends so that the dough looks like a roll of sausage. Place clips or twist ties on the ends to keep it tightly bound. Place in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours to set completely. When time to serve, sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar on the outside of the log. Slice and serve immediately. The log can be stored in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for a few weeks—just make sure to let it warm up slightly before slicing if it’s been in the freezer.

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Chocolate Madeleines with Matcha Chocolate Shells ½ cup mini choc late chips 1 cup white chocolate chips

Makes 24 The origin of these classic French sponge cakes is unknown, but legends dating back to the 18th century attribute the name to a female character, whether a young baker or the St. Mary Magdalen. The distinct scallop shape is achieved from baking in traditional madeleine molds. Madeleines are an elegant teatime treat, with their tender inner sponge and crisp outer shell. They are endearing and delicious, perfect for the holidays or any day of the year. 1 tablespoon for greasing pan 2 tablespoons milk, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 teaspoon for the pan ¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus 1 teaspoon for the pan ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 2 eggs, room temperature ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup unsalted butter, plus

the remaining 1 teaspoon of flour and 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder. Using a fine mesh strainer, sift the flour and cocoa powder mixture onto each buttered mold. Add 1 level tablespoon of batter into each mold. Bake for 10 minutes. Place finished madeleines on a cooling rack while you finish with the remaining batter, making sure to butter and dust the molds each time. When the madeleines are cool, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave or on the stove top until they are fully melted and smooth. Sift in the matcha powder and stir until fully combined. Dip each madeleine into the chocolate halfway. If using a silicone mold, press the dipped cookies back into the mold to set for a more defined shell shape. Alternatively, place the dipped madeleines on a parchment paper–lined tray to set. It is best to consume these the day they are made for a crisper shell, but they can be stored in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

2 teaspoons matcha powder, sifted With an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar on high for about 8 minutes or until thick and pale in color. Melt ½ cup butter and set aside to cool. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the milk and vanilla, whisking until combined. Sift ¾ cup flour, ¼ cup cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into the bowl with wet ingredients. Sprinkle in the mini chocolate chips only and gently fold everything together until combined. Gently fold in the melted butter until batter is smooth. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 375°. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Generously brush the butter onto each mold of your madeleine pan, making sure to get every crevice. Whisk together

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Beef and Sweet Potato Stew with Chocolate

Serves 8–10 Chocolate is often the secret ingredient in warm chilis and hearty stews, and for a good reason. It adds depth and complexity to the classic flavors we love, preserving the savory essence of the stew without adding too much sweetness. This stew is earthy and comforting, with a touch of sweetness from the sweet potatoes providing a beautiful balance. Serve alongside corn bread or a crisp salad and don’t skimp on the toppings. 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons chili powder 2 teaspoons dried oregano ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1½ teaspoons salt, divided ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch pieces ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 large yellow onion, diced 4 garlic cloves, minced 6 ounces tomato paste 2 cups chicken broth 1 28-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder Toppings Sour cream Cilantro Sliced avocados Lime wedges 2 dried ancho chilis, stems and seeds removed 1½ cups water

Place the dried chilis in a saucepan with the water. Cover and simmer until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Blend chilis and water in a food processor or blender with the cumin, chili powder, oregano and cinnamon. Set aside. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper on all sides of the beef. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a large soup pot. Brown the beef on all sides in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pot: about 3 batches, cooking 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil halfway through if the pan becomes too dry. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.

Place the onions and garlic in the pot and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the ancho chili mixture, 1 teaspoon salt, broth, tomatoes, brown sugar and browned beef to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 60 minutes. Then add the sweet potatoes and beans and finish cooking for 30 minutes, covered. Stir in the chocolate and cocoa powder. Cook, uncovered, until the chocolate is melted and everything is incorporated, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper if needed. Ladle into bowls, add toppings and serve.

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FOOD THAT FEELS LIKE HOME

A CONVERSATION ABOUT BLACK FOOD TRADITIONS

EDITED BY Lisa Barnett de Froberville ILLUSTRATIONS BY Rebecca Daublin

Like any rich food culture, Black food is not a monolith. While preparing for this forum, Dr. Dé Bryant, professor at Indiana University South Bend, reminded me of the many threads running through this complex culinary cloth: traditions from Africa and the American South, of course, and also from the Caribbean, the Muslim community and recent immigrants from all over the globe. She graciously agreed to moderate a diverse

panel of locals sharing their stories about family, meaning and identity in Black food traditions. The conversation was edited and condensed for this article. Many wonderful parts, including a discussion about sweet potatoes/ yams and about East andWest African cooking, had to be left out. To read the full transcript online, go to ediblemichiana.com/blackfood .

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a nice vegetable garden, so there were always plenty of vegetables. She had an English pea. I think we just called them green peas, but she called them English peas . They grew in our garden. She had a special dish that she did with that. I know that there was onion in it, and salt and pepper. But there was something else that made those peas like nothing else. I’ve never tasted a pea like that before. But coming home, it’s not been the same. And she’s been gone—I’m 73 now, I was 20 when she died—so she’s been gone a lot of years, but I’ve never had that same sense of coming home. We were poor, but we were never hungry, and on Sunday there was always enough for us, and my Uncle Pate, who had been drunk from the night before, but knew where to come—to go to the cotton field on Monday, he would come and eat with us. Uncle Charlie would come and eat with us and a couple of other men who were single men, and not all just single men. But they came, and they ate. My first home would be at my grandmother’s table. There have been some others since. But there was something different about that feel that just can’t be replaced. “A KITCHEN IS SOMETHING THAT UNITES THE WHOLE FAMILY.” Johari Lweno: I was born and raised in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Because I am a woman, cooking is part of my culture. In Swahili we say mwanamke jiko , a woman is a kitchen. A kitchen is something that unites the whole family. So, as a woman, I am required to learn and know how to cook. Cooking for me is—is me. It’s Johari. I love the art of cooking. I went through difficult times and cooking helped me to go through those times. I used cooking as a therapy.

I’ll talk about a dish: a pilau . It is an Indian rice, but the Swahili culture is kind of mixed with Indian, Arabic, English, Portuguese, Germany. So, from all those people who came to the coast of East Africa, we took a little bit here and there, and we formed Swahili culture. Pilau rice, mainly when I was growing up, it will be eaten on the special occasion, for example, Eid Mubarak, Christmas day, a wedding day. It’s a special food. You don’t eat pilau every day, unless you’re very wealthy, because you have to get the best rice. There’s a lot of spices that have to be mixed together. You have to put some potato; it’s either meat or chicken. There’s a lot that goes in it, so you need money to make pilau rice. It becomes a community thing, because first of all, it’s cooked on the wooden cooking place, so the guys would go look for bricks, would go look for firewood. And the girls, everybody, one of them will be peeling onions, another one peeling garlic, another one will be mixing the spices, another one will be chopping potatoes, and another one will be making sure the rice is clean, another one preparing peas, this one is cutting carrot. Until the pilau is done. You’re all tired, and everybody took part in making that pilau. That’s what I miss: making things, and the whole house being part of that process of cooking that particular food. It takes the whole community to come to make food for special occasions. When those times come, I feel alone. Olyvia Searcy: For me, same as Johari, I grew up cooking. My family is originally from Canton, Mississippi. I probably learned how to do black-eyed peas and white northern beans at 8. Choosing just one thing is hard, because I would want to go with collard greens, I would want to go with my Aunt Meat— and we called her Aunt Meat because she was big. Wheelchair-bound and big. But she did all her cooking from that wheelchair. As long as you could move her around, she was able to cook and stir from that wheelchair. That’s amazing to me.

Dé Bryant: Tell us the story of that dish or ingredient that makes you feel like home. And home can be this place that everybody gathered, or it might be that dish that everybody in the family keeps trying to duplicate, but we can’t, because Grandmama brought it over from the home country and she, like our grandmama—we called her Mama Little Bit. She’s taller than I am—most people are taller than I am—but we called her Mama Little Bit because she really was the smallest of them before I came along, and bless her heart, she gave us everything in the recipe except one ingredient, so it never quite tasted like hers. But she would pat us on the back and tell us how good it was, and there’d be that secret smile. We didn’t find out until much later that we were doomed to failure, but we had great fun making stuff. So what’s the story? What’s your story? Nimbilasha Cushing: I’m certainly the oldest person here. I was born in St. Louis, but I grew up in western Tennessee with my grandparents. They raised me after my mother had died when I was 2, so my first exposure to cooking would be my grandmother, whom we called Big Mama for a couple of reasons: She was big, and everybody called her that, Big Mama or Cook, because there was always a pot of something going, and people knew that they could stop by, especially on Sunday, and there was going to be enough to share. After we spent half a day in church we would come, and she would have prepared most of the food the night before, so it was just heating up. We lived in the country. We were sharecroppers—we had no running water in the house, anything like that. So we carried water to wash everything in the tub outside. She had a wood stove that she cooked on top of. She cooked in the oven with not a gauge about what temperature or how long, and there was nothing peculiar to her, that’s what the women did that I grew up with, who were like my grandmother—and they could just put down! We always had

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“PORK IS THE ABSOLUTE KING OF SOUL FOOD. WE

cooking the bacon in the morning to saving that grease to put it in the collard greens with the smoked ham hocks. But the meal would be pork ribs . I lived around, and every time I came back home there was always a grill, always lit, always having that aroma. You’d see my stepdad out over there looking at the meat, smiling. Knowing he has gold on that grill. And that was our big gatherings. We definitely had the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, where everyone got together. But we had so many summer barbecues where friends and family from the neighborhood, and from all across town, would come to get some of my stepdad’s famous ribs or rib tips. And, of course, there were traditional Memphis-style ribs with the dry rub—no sauce. The dry rub, over coals, cooked perfectly. Sliced in two so you could have two bones with all the meat. I would definitely say ribs, the smell of ribs, is the food that reminds me of home. Lisa Harris: In terms of family dishes, we would go back to Denver and see our grandparents, and my grandmother— my mom’s mother—would always make pot roast. That’s one of my main loves of food, her pot roast . I think I’ve been closer to making it than anybody else in my family. You know, everybody’s talking about what those ingredients are. It’s the love, I think, because she just put a little sliver of bell pepper in there. You have the carrot, and like there’s nothing in there. It’s like the stone soup almost, and that made this beautiful pot roast. We traveled a lot around the country, and somehow, very young, I also learned WOULDN’T HAVE ANY SOUL FOOD WITHOUT PORK...”

But it would probably be tomato gravy: Mississippi tomato gravy . I didn’t grow up knowing what that was. I knew that Grandma canned a lot—she grew up with, like, 18 brothers and sisters, so they were poor in Mississippi. But she would always say, when they didn’t have a lot, her mother, our great-grandma Cooney, would always get a jar of tomatoes. And she would put that jar of tomatoes down with some seasoning, some onions—she would either use okra as a thickener, or flour if she didn’t have okra. And she would spoon it over hoe cakes; it would be spooned over white rice, fresh biscuits. It’s always done in the cast-iron skillet, and typically we always make it after frying something, some type of protein that came before it. So whether that’s cube steak—the poor man’s steak is what I used to call it—fried chicken or fried pork chops, you always pour off the majority of that oil, but you always leave the burnt stuff, the remnants and oil in the cast iron. Then I start to build in my gravy, chopped onions, flour. And now that I’m older and I have my own sense of taste, I do more fancy things. I’ll add some rosemary in there or a sage leaf. Things that Grandma wasn’t doing but to build those flavors.

You can eat that over anything. It’s very filling. Any time I’m eating tomato gravy, it’s really hard for me not to think of Gramma Lou, her name was Loudors, or Great-grandma Cooney, or Aunt Meat or Aunt Sebay—you know, all these crazy Mississippi women—I have to think of them. DaiVaughn Searcy: I grew up with my great-grandmother. She was from the South. Every time we went to her house, everything was on the table, everything from scratch—pie crusts, beans, everything. The house was smelling wonderful. It was a small house, so the living room was pretty much the kitchen. So you were in the kitchen! My stepdad was from Memphis. He came up here when he was a teenager with his recipes from grilling. He was famous for his Memphis-style ribs, which definitely played a part in me getting into barbecue myself. It started off where we would have ribs on holidays, then every day, especially in the summertime. The ingredient that always reminds me of home is pork, because pork is the absolute king of soul food. We wouldn’t have any soul food without pork, from

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about seasonal and local cooking. And just I remember going to Georgia and having peaches fresh from there, and it’s never been like that. And Hawaii, pineapple from Hawaii is—there’s nothing like that. I went to culinary school in Vermont, and it was a French-based culinary school. I figured I wanted a bigger box of crayons to play with. It was DOING IT A SPECIAL WAY BECAUSE YOU LOVE SOMEBODY.” “...IT’S JUST GETTING THE RIGHT INGREDIENT AT THE RIGHT TIME AND

interesting because they did talk about how the French way is the way to cook. And I’m thinking, well, what about people who heat up a bunch of rocks and bake bread on it. That’s not French, but it’s amazing food. And people cook in the tagine, and people cook in all kinds of things. I had a wider belief system around food than a lot of people there because they were honing in on the French way of cooking. I feel like when I do cook something, it’s often just something very simple. Probably like Nimbi, like the peas. There’s probably not a lot in there, but it’s just getting the right ingredient at the right time and doing it a special way because you love somebody. Dé Bryant: I so appreciate you all for bringing us amazing flavors and stories. Thank you all for spending part of your evening with us. We will cross paths again, and forks and knives and plates.

Dr. Dé Bryant is a community psychologist and director of the Social Action Project and its initiative Rest for Our Weary, a community-based trauma response network. She is also on the leadership team of BLM-South Bend, the local chapter of the national movement to bring about racial justice. Because the struggle for justice is global, she has worked with partners from Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda and Ayiti (Haiti). She is on the Psychology faculty at Indiana University South Bend. Nimbilasha Cushing , known by her friends as Nimbi, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1948. From age 3 to 14, she lived with her maternal grandparents in a small town 40 miles east of Memphis, Tennessee. They were sharecroppers and she joined them in the cotton fields at age 5. In addition to being an Air Force veteran, former flight attendant and published author, she is a member of League of Women Voters, Kiwanis and South Bend Reparations Working Group. Johari Lweno is an immigrant from Tanzania. She has been in the United States for six years, working as a caregiver for people with mental and physical disabilities. In her free time she cooks Swahili food (samosas, chapati and sweet potatoes) for family and friends. She learned how to cook by helping her mother and stepmother in the kitchen and crafting their special recipes to share with others. DaiVaughn (Dai) and Olyvia (Lyv) Searcy run Mad Bull BBQ, born of their mutual respect for craft barbecue. The dying art of traditional pit master fire control and whole hog barbecue fuels their passion. Mad Bull operates as a pop-up food venue and catering company throughout Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan. Everything Mad Bull BBQ serves is made from scratch, with an intense focus on heritage and traditions. Dai’s grandparents, Willie and Tommie Pritchet, opened Fifth Street Barbecue in Niles, Michigan, in 1976. The family lost Willie in 1986, but his recipes and techniques live on through Dai and his wife, Lyv. Lisa Harris grew up in Michiana enjoying Mom’s home-cooked meals, including the annual New Year’s Day ham, sweet potatoes, coleslaw, black-eyed peas and corn bread for good luck. During summer trips to Denver, Colorado, her grandmommy made pot roast dinner, and her grandaddy fried fish that he caught in the Rocky Mountains. Lisa attended culinary school, where she played with food professionally. She is known as The Savory Muse and still cooks with Mom.

Lisa Barnett de Froberville is a French teacher and translator and the managing editor of Edible Michiana .

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EAST AFRICAN SWEET POTATOES WITH COCONUT MILK Serves 6–8 This recipe was inspired by a dish described by Johari Lweno during our discussion about Black food traditions. In her home country of Tanzania, root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and cassava are eaten for breakfast, as well as other meals throughout the day. Sweet potatoes with coconut milk are a favorite meal to break the fast during Ramadan. At once comforting and original, this combination of flavors makes for a great update to an American holiday staple. 5 medium sweet potatoes, (3 to 4 pounds) 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk, divided 1 cup water ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, plus more for serving ¼ cup maple syrup ½ teaspoon salt cup chopped pecans, optional Wash and peel the sweet potatoes and slice them into ½-inch rounds. Rinse the cut rounds. Heat a wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes, half the coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cardamom, maple syrup and salt. Continue simmering, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the remainder of the coconut milk and simmer with the lid off until the sweet potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 3 minutes. Move the sweet potatoes with a slotted spoon to a serving dish. Continue cooking the coconut sauce until it has thickened and reduced by half. Let the sauce cool briefly, then pour over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with a small

pinch of cardamom and chopped pecans if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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food for thought

The Unstable Seed of Food Heritage

STORY AND PHOTO BY Anne Magnan-Park ILLUSTRATION BY MelissaWashburn

As a “Franco-Hoosier” (a first-generation immigrant from France who acquired her American citizenship in Indiana), I see heritage food as an invaluable yet unstable seed. I do have a green thumb for French cuisine, and I am lucky to have inherited a culinary tradition that is well-established and valued. However, I have come to question what “heritage” cooking means and to whom. What I have learned about heritage food comes less from French chefs and family members than from visionary Indigenous chefs, farmers and thinkers from Turtle Island and Aotearoa New Zealand. In my idealist mind, heritage food is sustainably grown, accessible to all, and the ABCs of its cuisine are highly nutritious. Heritage food is genealogy and storytelling. It is reconciliation. It is sovereignty. It sustains the communities—past and present— who have nurtured the ingredients we choose to purchase. In this respect, heritage culinary traditions and food— especially stemming from marginalized populations—must be protected from cultural appropriation for commercial gain. How did I arrive at these conclusions? My mother, Geneviève Magnan, my upbringing in the South of France and my research have something to do with it. Because Geneviève was a full-time school principal and teacher, she requested my siblings and I give her some space when she started cooking after a long day. We obliged. She shared

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her recipes with us at the table to satisfy our curiosity when it was voiced. Still, the practical principles she instilled in us boiled down to this: “No one should expect you to cook as women, but you may want to know what’s on your plate. Your physical and emotional well-being depend on it, and you may want to budget for what you eat, because your financial health rests on it, too. Nurture an inquisitive palate, experiment and share. Now, step out of my kitchen, my darlings, will you?” In the rural village where I was raised, biking to school taught any curious kid who grew what and when. Simone, the lunch lady in our elementary school, single-handedly cooked almost every meal from scratch. Even though her salad dressing was often too oily, we knew to give her a forced smile for fear of offending her. Food wore the faces of those who grew it and served it to us. And yet for all that, we stayed indoors when the farmers sprayed the crops that surrounded our homes heavily with pesticide. We cursed the traditional candied fruit factory that was largely responsible for our meager local river, le Calavon, being labeled one of the most polluted rivers in France in the early 1980s. Heritage food danced awkwardly with economic imperatives, and there was

something unsettling about this. One of my friends tells me that in recent years, seasonal folkloric festivities in the South of France have opted for roasted pork instead of the traditional roasted mutton in some villages where the Muslim population has increased. Paradoxically, I came to rethink the notion of heritage food through food sovereignty, an international food justice movement that calls for a radical shift in our food system. one may wonder: Is heritage food always sustainably produced and inclusive? More recently, I came to rethink the notion of heritage food through food sovereignty, an international food justice movement that calls for a radical shift in our food system, including food production and consumption. More specifically, I chose to rethink my own food heritage and what I wish to pass down to my daughter by exploring the visionary stance of Indigenous chefs,

growers and thinkers such as Chef Sean Sherman ( The Sioux Chef ’s Indigenous Kitchen ), Chef Monique Fiso ( HIAKAI: Modern Māori Cuisine ), Dr. Jessica Hutchings ( Te Mahi Māra Hua Parakore: A Māori Food Sovereignty Handbook ) and African-American Jewish culinary historian Michael W. Twitty ( The Cooking Gene, Kosher Soul and Rice ). Their teachings and practices are far too rich to detail here. Sherman, Fiso and Hutchings provide access to pre-colonial Indigenous food and knowledge by tracing them back into culinary history. In a similar fashion, Twitty uncovers African and African-American foodways. Collectively, they aim to rectify historical and structural injustices. Chefs Sherman and Fiso revitalize Indigenous foodways, which, in turn, impact the physical and mental health of the communities they cater to, expand their knowledge and provide business opportunities. In this world, where chefs have risen to the status of celebrities, Sherman and Fiso have become spokespersons who debunk the notion of an ego-driven, technique oriented cuisine to propose instead an ideologically immersed kitchen that thrives with the community and supply chain around whom and for whom it was built to sustain. While I know where I stand intellectually on food heritage, the

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practical applications of this knowledge in our home are still messy and very much a work in progress. We are a multi-ethnic family who came together through adoption, so heritage for us has partially been passed down, but it has also been suppressed and will most likely be researched, traced back and braided together with other cultural strands. It will take a village. What is certain is that the next generation is hungry, and she has been comfortable taking over the kitchen lately. At times, my daughter announces at the grocery store that she is cooking dinner. I watch her confident 8-year-old body meander through the aisles with her own cart and wash her ingredients with energetic purpose once we are back home. As she chops and mixes ingredients I have never seen partying together before, she tells me, “I’m a wild chef. I cook off-menu. I make up my own dishes. This one is called ‘question soup!’” “An excellent name for a surprise soup!” I remark as her sous-chef. A most appropriate name for the unstable seed of heritage food blossoming in our home. of this knowledge in our home are still messy... While I know where I stand intellectually on food heritage, the practical applications

Anne C. Magnan-Park is a literary and film translator who teaches the literatures of the Pacific at Indiana University South Bend. Her motto: Eat local, read global.

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MARKETPLACE

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worth the trip

Flamingo Pizza’s prized family recipes have delighted diners for generations

That’s Amore!

The Flamingo Lounge was one of a handful of restaurants highlighted in Collier’s magazine for a new dish they were serving called “pizza pie.” This photo from the article shows Bruno Itin, a Swedish immigrant who worked at the Flamingo and then opened his own pizza places, including one still in business in Lafayette, Indiana, and several that carry his name in South Bend. Photo provided by Flamingo Pizza.

BY Jane Simon Ammeson PHOTOS BY Mayra Perkins

When Gus Romeo opened the Flamingo Restaurant and Lounge in downtown Gary, Indiana, he didn’t look any further than his mother’s kitchen for the recipes he wanted to serve his customers. The year was 1941, and just over a decade later, Flamingo was featured in Collier’s magazine as one of several eateries nationwide focusing on the newest food trend—pizza pie. No matter what you think you know about Gary now, 60 years ago it was a thriving community, the 100th largest city in the U.S., with an award-winning education system. Posh apartments in such architectural styles as Art Deco, Spanish, Gothic or Tudor Revival lined what is now known as the West Fifth Avenue Apartments Historic District. Among the many mansions in Gary were several homes designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. If you wanted swank when going out to dine, you could head to the Palm Grove, with its large palm tree bathing the street in splashes of neon light. Inside, it was all smoke (because everyone smoked back then), glamor, laughter and the tinkling of martini glasses. Men in suits and blondes in mink stoles sat in the pink banquettes, dining on that quintessential Chicagoland dish, Shrimp de Jonghe (think shrimp scampi with sherry added to the already rich butter and garlic sauce) and Chicken-in-the Rough. The former still graces menus throughout Chicagoland, but the latter is just an obscure footnote in culinary history. The Palm Grove closed its doors years ago. The apartments aren’t so chic, and the Wright homes are either endangered or gone. But Gus Romeo’s recipes are still used for the hand-stretched pizza dough for pizzas and the au jus for the Italian beef sandwiches. The Flamingo relocated

After working as manager of the Flamingo for years, Christie Simpson-Rinker bought the restaurant with co-owner Nicholas Divich about six years ago.

in the mid-1970s to Miller Beach, an eclectic enclave of bungalows, mid century modern and mega-houses on the shores of Lake Michigan. It’s close enough to the beach that you can walk there and choose between fried blue gill or lake perch to go. Inside, black-and white photos of Gary in its glory days line the walls, and you can order hand cut steaks and a salad dressed with a special dill vinaigrette—Romeo’s recipe, of course. Or go for the pizza—they still grind their own sausage daily. “people would come and watch us tossing the dough into the air and catching it. They’d never seen anything like it.”

Though Flamingo has a newish location, part of old Gary remains. “The bricks are from the Dixie Dairy and the Memorial Auditorium, the pavers from the corner of 13th and Massachusetts and the tin ceiling is from the old Sears building that was downtown,” says co-owner Christy Simpson-Rinker. Former owner William Lavack used these landmarks when he expanded the Flamingo in a former Texaco station. Emil “Nick” Barcevic recalls working at the Flamingo when Romeo, his father’s cousin, owned it. “I started working there when I was 15 years old,” says the 83-year-old Barcevic, whose father, Emil Barcevic Sr., also worked at his cousin’s restaurant. “Pizza was new back then; I think Gus had the first pizza place in the state. We would dress in chef ’s hats and make pizza in the front window and people would come and watch us tossing the dough into the air and catching it. They’d never seen anything like it.”

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