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dFrom the elegant to the everyday, Freda DeKnight’s 400-page non-regional cookbook, A Date with a Dish, preserved the rich experience and culinary artistry of African American cooks. It “put magic into cooking,” wrote the author of the foreword, with its engaging blend of storytelling, insights and instructions that spoke quite personally to her readers.

A Date with a Dish: A Cook Book of American Negro Recipes, 1948

In 1948, Freda DeKnight (1909-1963) created the first major cookbook by an African American for an African American audience. A Date with a Dish: A Cook Book of American Negro Recipes presented a nuanced look at African American cookery, illustrating the culinary diversity and accomplishments of Black cooks — without the stereotypes.

DeKnight’s passion for the culinary arts was sparked early in life. Growing up on the Mitchell, South Dakota, farm of successful caterers Paul and Mamie Scott, a young DeKnight learned culinary skills from “Mama” Scott, whose talent for cooking came intuitively. DeKnight studied home economics at Dakota Wesleyan University, then moved to New York. In 1946, she became the first food editor for the recently established Ebony magazine — which focused on Black achievements and culture — presenting a monthly culinary column offering cooking tips, recipes and reflections. Two years later, DeKnight published A Date with a Dish, using what she called “ages-old” and modern recipes chosen from more than 1,000 gathered over a 20-year period from African American home cooks, professional chefs, caterers and celebrities.