“The things like fried chicken, the glorious cakes, cobblers, all that stuff – that was once-in-a-while food. “Soul food is really the celebration food of the South,” Miller says. Miller started out looking at ethnic cuisines celebrated around America and wondering why soul food was overlooked. Host Frank Stasio talks to Miller about his book “ Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time”(UNC Press/2013) and his current project documenting the work of black chefs in the White House. His book is structured around the dishes that make up a typical soul food meal, including fried chicken, chitlins, yams, and “red drinks.” He explores how they got on the soul food plate and what it means for African-American culture and identity. He read cookbooks, African-American elders, and old newspaper articles in his research. “The most fun I had was eating my way across the country,” Miller says. Miller ate at 150 soul restaurants in 35 cities and talked to anyone he could find who was willing to talk about soul food. “Practicing law was not the thing for me,” Miller says.“I was singing spirituals in my office, so I figured I needed to do something else.” Adrian Miller calls himself a “recovering lawyer and politico turned culinary historian.” He went from working as a special assistant to former President Bill Clinton and a legislative director for former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to becoming a soul food scholar.
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