Over the decades that followed, a new chapter of Charleston’s culinary story was written, when, according to David Shields, co-host of “The Savors of Flavor” and Carolina distinguished professor emeritus, University of South Carolina, an enslaved woman, Sally Seymour, who oversaw the house and kitchen of Thomas Martin, had the opportunity to study under the tutelage of Adam Prior, one of only two Frenchtrained chefs in the city. Seymour, who was manumitted by Martin in 1795, then established a bakery at 80 Tradd St., where she taught many enslaved and free people of color how to become high-level pastry chefs. Rhonda noted, “Sally Seymour built an institution in Charleston that rivaled European-trained chefs and raised an entire generation in the French and Gullah Geechee style.” Chef Kevin added that as Seymour expanded her business into cooking and catering for Charleston society, she had to use enslaved laborers such as Camilla Johnson, Eliza Dwight, Martha Gilchrist, Cato McCloud and the Holton sisters, who later became her competitors. When Seymour passed away in 1824, her daughter Eliza Seymour Lee took over the business and continued training cooks and chefs, some free and some enslaved. From the family tree of students rooted in Seymour and Lee’s instruction, Charleston became the culinary envy of all the colonies. Throughout the ages, Gullah Geechee women have upheld the standard that Seymour, Lee and their proteges set in their kitchens over two centuries ago. As a granddaughter of enslaved people, the late Edna Lewis, who worked as the chef at Middleton Place and lived on the premises, authored “The Taste of Country Cooking,” which the New York Times deemed as “the most influential American cookbook of the past 100 years.” Local treasure and renowned queen of Southern cuisine, 83-year-old chef Charlotte Jenkins grew up in Awendaw learning the Gullah traditions from her grandmother, trained at Johnson & Wales culinary institute in Charleston, owned the landmark Gullah Cuisine restaurant in Mount Pleasant and wrote the celebrated cookbook “Gullah Cuisine: By Land and By Sea.” Now her daughter Kesha Jenkins, founder of Gullah Tings, has her own farm where she grows herbs and dries them in the same technique that chef Charlotte used to create seasonings in her restaurant. As a sixth-generation Daufuskie Island native, celebrity chef and cookbook author, Sallie Ann Robinson has spent her life rooted in the rich traditions of the Gullah people. In June, she was inducted into the James Beard Book Awards Hall of Fame for “Sallie Ann Robinson’s Kitchen.” For Ganaway, the takeaway here is that full-stop there would be no culinary scene in the Holy City without the Black community who built and fed it. “Out of so much trauma, a deep, beautiful, rich history has evolved and from that, Charleston’s food should be understood as the cornerstone of cuisine in America,” she said. Ganaway added, “We all have a responsibility to carry that legacy forward by supporting local farmers, shrimpers and fishermen. And good chefs should know how to work with agriculture rather than ordering all of their ingredients from Sysco.” She emphasized, “Do your due diligence to understand what you’re working with and sharing with the world.” While the tradition of African and Gullah Geechee cooking is very much alive and well, Ganaway said that for a major culinary destination woven together by ancestral threads, it’s curious how few Black-owned-and-operated restaurants there are in Charleston. “To have true Gullah food here, you have to make a friend and go to someone’s house,” she advised. “Feeding people shows we care, love and accept you.” 23 WWW.CHARLESTONWOMENPODCAST.COM | WWW.READCW.COM | WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/CHARLESTONWOMEN FOOD & FASHION Chef Kevin Mitchell and his wife Rhonda Mitchell Catfish and Crab Stew Photo provided by Breea Kelly from Chefworks Photo by Rhonda Mitchell
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