Soul Food Love

Praise

“Soul Food Love has preserved our traditions but reinvented how they’re prepared. Its focus on health is a godsend.”
—Viola Davis
 
“Two brilliant writers, novelist Alice Randall and her daughter, poet Caroline Randall Williams, have set out here on a mission to do nothing less than extend black women’s lives. They do this by sharing their encyclopedic knowledge of African American foodways and their versions of how soul food can be healthfully prepared. This beautifully written compendium is literary history, cookbook, family album, motherwit, daughter-grace, and the gospel truth. Alice and Caroline include family history that seeks to tell the tough truth, plus absolutely delicious recipes as well as photographs that showcase the soul-pleasing aesthetics of an exquisitely set table and a lovingly presented meal. I’ll be cooking from this book for years to come, and every time I turn to it, I will treasure the wisdom and pure pleasure within.”
—Elizabeth Alexander, poet and professor

“Like Proust’s madeleine, the exquisite prose and delicious recipes in Soul Food Love carry us to a sacred place of memory. In telling their family story, Alice and Caroline help a fractured nation rediscover its history. More than a cookbook, this is an act of redemption for Americans of every color.”
—Susan Fales-Hill, author of Always Wear Joy
 
“This wonderful book answers one of life’s most important questions: Can I eat some tasty, soulful food without killing myself? Because I don’t want to choose between flavor and health. Thanks to Soul Food Love, I don’t have to.”
—Reginald Hudlin, director of Boomerang and producer of The Boondocks and Django Unchained
 
“Soul Food Love is a feast. Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams serve up morsels of flavor and love spanning three centuries, five kitchens, and six states. With tender, poetic memories, they lift the ancestors up, stirring cherished family recipes with ingredients for a healthier future.” 
—A’Lelia Bundles, author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker

“Readers of The Wind Done Gone (Mariner) and Ada’s Rules (Bloomsbury) know that author Alice Randall can write. Who knew that she could throw down in the kitchen? The novelist combines her literary and culinary skills for Soul Food Love. Joined by her daughter, Caroline Randall Williams, Alice whips up savory dishes remixed with healthy ingredients that your tast buds and spirits are certain to appreciate.”
—Essence

“[T]his is a book about redefining soul food for the future, not romanticizing its often calorie-laden past.”
—The New York Times

“[Soul Food Love] shows how a little creativity and smart ingredient swaps can take a century’s worth of family recipes and make them healthier.”
—Parade
 
“The book is beautifully written, and the recipe and photos are mouthwatering.”
—The San Diego Union-Tribune
 
“This is a book that will resonate with those who value their culinary heritage and are looking for ways to ensure that heritage leads to a healthy future.”
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette