Adrienne Cheatham Instagram – Preshift is where everyone in a restaurant working service gets together before doors open to get on the same page. New menu items, 86’s, shoutouts, everything we need to have a successful service.
As a guest chef @dakarnola (and anywhere I pop-up) preshift meant going over the whole menu, beginning to end. What made this so special was while I’ve always highlighted regional southern cuisine and the cultural influences that shaped them (local Indigenous, diverse West African, and immigrants from Europe/Middle East/Asia) this was the first dinner where I got to explore a singular influence, the origin and foundation of it all.
After giving out high-fives in the kitchen, guests arrived and we started with Dakar’s hand washing ceremony, a traditional part of eating at someone’s home in Senegal. Freshly baked bread starts the meal, and I always begin meals with an ingredient that was new to our ancestors when they were brought here but became one of the most important staples in most diets to sustain life, corn. We learned from Indigenous people how to grow, preserve, and unlock the nutrients in corn. Cornbread, grits, hominy, hushpuppies, Johnny cakes, hoe cakes, spoon bread, hot water cornbread, all things we learned, adopted and developed.
Along with Dakar’s Palm bread we served Cornbread Madelines, with smoky pepper-infused butter. It was a beautiful and delicious(!) way to connect the dots of where we came from with where we are.
There’s much more to share from this collab coming soon, but it was truly one of my favorite dinners and I’ve been digesting (pun intended) the love and inspiration that came from working with such great folks.
#collab #collabdinner #westafricanfood #southernfood #connectthedots #origins #wherewecamefrom #whereweare #chef | Posted on 15/Dec/2023 19:55:30
