gastro & gusto
Fellowship Fare Soul food is the stuff of heartfelt gatherings by ROCHELLE KOFF
W
hen it comes to soul food, you’ve got to have that fried chicken, collard greens, mac ’n’ cheese and cornbread. That’s just for starters. Stop at Olean’s Cafe, open on Adams Street for 26 years, and you’ll also find smothered pork chops, green beans swimming in pot liquor, oxtail, chitlins and catfish, all served to a soundtrack of gospel music. The venerable restaurant is a storied place that has been visited by both President Obama and President Joe Biden; both have dishes bearing their names. “Biden loves soul food, too,” said owner Olean McCaskill. She learned to cook when she was just a girl, watching her mom and grandma cook on a wood stove in Conecuh County, Alabama. By age 14, McCaskill was working in Tallahassee restaurants. To this day, she cooks from the heart. “Soul food is something that is good for
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March-April 2021
TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM
your soul, and it makes you feel like home,” said McCaskill. “Customers, students, they come to Olean’s and they get soul food, they get gospel music, they get everything they need.” Jennifer Young understands the connections. For her, soul food has been synonymous with family and fellowship. “It was all about bringing family together
↑ The three young women who founded Bourne Brilliant in Tallahassee prepare for sale plant-based dishes like this one (recipe at right), baked goods and natural products.
↙ Sauteed
Kale & Sweet Potato Leaves
( from Bourne Brilliant) ➸ 1 bunch curly kale and 1 bunch of sweet potato leaves, washed, drained and torn into small pieces ➸ 3 tablespoons sunflower oil ➸ 1 medium red onion, chopped ➸ 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped ➸ 2 tablespoons tamari ➸ 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast ➸ 1 cup water ➸ 1 scotch bonnet pepper (poke holes in it, rather than slicing) Place the kale and sweet potato leaves in a large pot with all of the ingredients. Add one cup of water. Make sure all of the leaves are coated by tossing them together. Let simmer for 1 hour. Remember to remove the scotch bonnet before serving.
PHOTO BY NEHEMIAH NASH (BOTTOM) COURTESY OF BOURNE BRILLIANT AND REZ-ART / GETTYIMAGES / ISTOCK (TOP)
GOOD EATS
