Hi y’all.
I’m a Mississippi girl and my partner was raised in the mountains of North Carolina. Between us, we’ve lived in six southern states, from Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta. I love the south, care about our region’s roots and know that our region’s history and struggle has made us (for good and bad) what we are today. And sometimes I want to yell and scream at the south and wonder where it’s going and why some of our ugliest “traditions” refuse to die, but through it all, the south is my home. I’m a home-cook, feeding my family and anyone else who stops in. I learned from both my grandmothers, my mama and daddy, and my Master’s of Divinity degree that shared food brings people together, warms their bellies and their hearts, crosses divides, and can just remind people of someone they knew. It’s my love language.
After a few years as a vocational counselor and public education advocate, my honey and my son and I moved farther south to be closer to my parents. Through it all, Mess of Greens has been my spot to write and share what’s cooking in our kitchen, explore southern hospitality, and wrestle with the south’s complex and troubled history with food, race, and culture.
Why?
Oh, well… I love southern food. I love the smell of food, how it tastes, and the way it reminds me of being at home in my grandmother’s kitchen or helping clear the table from my parents’ dinner party. Especially I love how the taste (and smell) of southern food can make you feel warm and homey and sometimes like you need to put on your going-out-dress and drink too much.
Don’t you? I love how food is central to my faith, and how sharing a meal is one of the most central symbols of friendship and hospitality in the universe. Also because I’m driven to know more about our region’s roots, and how food and food justice plays a role in how they were shaped.
Mess of Greens is my vehicle, and I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
Although there are a lot of people out there making southern food, I’d still like to share the recipes
of what my family is making with you. Mess of greens is about being full, sincere, satisfied, and hospitable. If you like the way that sounds, come on in.
