Savannah magazine - September/October 2021

TA S T E TA S T E S A V A N N A H

Culinary Blessings Heritage recipes shine in Matthew Raiford’s Gullah Geechee cookbook Written by JESSICA LYNN CURTIS

Photography by SIOBHAN EGAN

“IT IS TRADITION among the Gullah Geechee that when we need answers, we turn to the wisdom of the ancestors, our source,” Matthew Raiford writes in the introduction to his new cookbook, Bress ‘n’ Nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth Generation Farmer. “And just as I returned to my source, Gilliard Farms, to follow my life’s calling, I have organized the recipes in this book according to their elemental beginnings: earth, water, fire, wind, nectar and spirits.”

The Gullah phrase “Bress ‘n’ Nyam” translates to “bless and eat.” And self-titled “CheFarmer” (chef and farmer) Raiford, along with his co-author Amy Paige Condon, truly blesses us with this exquisite more-than-just-a-cookbook. Although Raiford’s delectable recipes could easily stand alone, he chooses to create a window into his heritage and the Gullah Geechee culture. Raiford introduces us to his great-great-great grandfather, Jupiter Gilliard, descended from the Tikar people and born into slavery in 1812.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

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