That started my journey, and I wanted to specialize in my traditional food, which is soul food.Īnd for reference, how do you define “soul food?” In the depth of my depravity, I said to myself, 'I should read something.' I went to a local bookstore, and while browsing, I came across a copy of John Egerton's “Southern Food: At Home, On the Road, In History.” Early in that book, Egerton wrote (paraphrasing) that the tribute to African American in cooking had yet to be written. The job market was slow, and I ended up watching a lot of daytime television. The short answer is 'unemployment.' I had just finished a stint in the Clinton White House, and I was trying to get back to Colorado to begin a career in politics. We recently caught up with Adrian as he’s quarantined at his Denver home, working on his third book, “Black Smoke ,” exploring the history of African American barbecue culture.Ĭan you give us a little bit about your background? How did your interest in food scholarship come about? How did you become the 'soul food scholar?' In “Somewhere South,” Adrian joined Vivian for a barbecue tour of eastern North Carolina where vinegar-based, whole-hog pork is king. His book, “ Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine,” took home the 2014 James Beard book award for reference and scholarship, while his follow-up, “ The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, From the Washingtons to the Obamas ,” received an NAACP Image Award nomination and high praise from food scholars and American history buffs alike. The Colorado-based lawyer-turned-writer has followed his curiosity for soulful cuisine around the country, documenting endangered stories of Black foodways and unsung culinary trailblazers.

Adrian Miller’s path to becoming a biographer of African American food histories was not straight nor narrow.

I am the rose that grew from concrete