LOCAL
Ross Terrell, The Oklahoma Eagle
Chef Kelly L. Crisp dishes out shrimp and grits at the chef showcase on Thursday. Photo: Molly McElwain/The Oklahoma Eagle
Despite the pouring rain and gray cloud cover, dozens of chefs arrived Thursday in Tulsa to kick off the four-day State of Black Food Festival.
Daryl Shular is one of only about 70 certified master chefs in the U.S. When he earned the designation in 2014, he became the first African American and minority to do so. Once chef Chad Cherry, the host of the event, invited Shular to Tulsa, he knew he had to attend.
“It was my obligation to be a part of it because all of us are representatives and ambassadors of our community,” Shular said. “When you can have some of the best and brilliant chefs and food service professionals in the country come together in one place to exchange ideas and share strategic plans on how to grow the messaging, you have to be a part of it.”
The Atlanta-based Shular said that given Tulsa’s history, it made sense to host the event here.
“We know the historical impact of what happened back in the day,” Shular said, referring to the 1921 Race Massacre. “To be here again, it’s almost thumbing our nose up at what happened to us and saying, ‘We’re here, we’re back again and we’re thriving.’”
Part of the discussion through the weekend will center around the eponymous name of the festival: What is the state of Black food?
“It’s in transition,” said KJ Kearney, a James Beard award winner who runs the Black Food Fridays brand. “Part of what it means to be a Black culinary in this country is simultaneously trying to hold on to the past, like preservation of culture, but also trying to find ways where we can innovate and see what the future of our food is going to be.”
For Debra Freeman, there is a sense of optimism seeing people start to take control of the narrative beyond the kitchen.
“I love seeing so many Black culinarians that are starting their own restaurants or writing books,” said Freeman, a Virginia-based author and anthropologist. “People are starting to pay attention to storytelling. We’re moving outside of ‘We can cook’ to ‘Here are these stories that tie back to really important things in our country.’”
The first day of the festival also featured a chef showcase. There, about a half dozen cooks dished out dishes and showcased seasonings. Options ranged from shrimp and grits from Chef Kelly L. Crisp to pimento cheese on toast with peach and mint-infused sweet tea by Tylisha Thompson.
The showcase also featured unique samples from Chef Fiefe of Geisha House Experience, who served up hollowed out watermelon bites, filled in with cucumber or melon, topped with a Haitian spice dish called pikliz. She also offered samples of lemon cake with blueberry toppings.
The SOBF event continues throughout the weekend with film screenings, tours of Black Wall Street, panel discussions and a brunch. A Friday night food sampling with live music is open to the public at New Story Brewing starting at 7 p.m.
