Help Me Choose a Book Title!

We’re about a year out from the book release (dates tbd) but it’s time to select a title! I’m absolutely overwhelmed at the prospect so I figured I’d ask you for help. Please take a look at the below and weigh in via the comments by next Friday, January 14th. I’d love your feedback on the suggested titles as well as any other fresh ideas you have! I’ll collect them and send them to my publisher next week.

About the book

The book centers on the deep and enduring contributions of Black peoples to American cuisine. Part historical narrative, it also includes interviews, recipes, and gorgeous imagery and illustrations. It touches on a range of topics including: Black culinary expertise in fine dining; the transfer of plant materials and knowledge systems from Africa; wealth generation and American capitalism as it relates to our food system; changing definitions of Blackness and Black cuisine; and the influence of recent diaspora communities and migrants on domestic cuisine. The book also ensures that Black contributions to American cuisine are laid out as part of a tapestry of other contributions, beginning with Indigenous foodways and encompassing numerous other peoples and cultures.

Some title ideas so far

American Soul: A Black History of Cuisine in the United States

American Cuisine, Black Soul

American Food is Black Food

The Unseen History of American Cuisine

The How and Why of American Dining: A Black History