In Conversation: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food

Since launching 37Ink, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in April 2013, Dawn Davis has published Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, a National Book Award finalist; Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge; the national bestseller Heart Talk by poet and artist Cleo Wade; and several New York Times bestsellers, including Tough Love by Susan Rice; The Butler: A Witness to History by Wil Haygood; The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae; and I Can’t Make This Up by Kevin Hart. For twelve years prior to joining S&S, she had been at HarperCollins, directing the Amistad imprint, where she published numerous well-known, highly acclaimed bestselling authors, including Edward P. Jones, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Known World. She was named the 2019 Editor of the Year by Poets & Writers.

Marcus Samuelsson is the acclaimed chef behind many restaurants worldwide. He has won multiple James Beard Foundation awards for his work as a chef and as host of No Passport Required, his public television series with Vox/Eater. Samuelsson was crowned champion of Top Chef Masters and Chopped All Stars, and was the guest chef for President Obama’s first state dinner. He’s the author of several cookbooks in addition to the New York Times bestselling memoir Yes, Chef. Osayi Endolyn is a James Beard Award–winning writer with work in Time, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, Eater, Food & Wine, Condé Nast Traveler, and the Oxford American. In The Rise (Voracious) Samuelsson gathers together an unforgettable feast of food, culture, and history to highlight the diverse deliciousness of Black cooking today. Driven by a desire to fight against bias, reclaim Black culinary traditions, and energize a new generation of cooks, Marcus shares his own journey alongside 150 recipes in honor of dozens of top chefs, writers, and activists—with stories exploring their creativity and influence. Recipes include a chilled corn and tomato soup in honor of chef Mashama Bailey, and grilled short ribs with a piri-piri marinade and saffron tapioca pudding in homage to authors Michael Twitty and Jessica Harris. Marcus serves up a crab curry with yams and mustard greens for Nyesha Arrington, and chef Edouardo Jordan is celebrated with a spiced catfish with pumpkin leche de tigre. The Rise is a celebration of a