Foodie Friday: The Jemima Code: A History of African American Cooks

Betty Simmonds, 1936  Former Slave

By Debbie Mitchell 

The screen-print image of Betty Simmonds stands 7 feet tall at the  Greenhouse Gallery of the James Beard House in Greenwich Village, New York City.  The print is one of several African American women cooks featured in The Jemima Code  a pop-up exhibit  here in New York City.  

Toni Tipton-Martin, the curator, is a culinary journalist who has put together this amazing visual history which is  also a part of a blog and an upcoming photo album and recipe book,  The Jemima Code A Gallery of Great Cooks Share Their Secrets and her 1995 historic reprint of a 108-year-old cook, The Blue Grass Cookbook.

The exhibit premiered in a private reception at the intimate James Beard House, where Toni and I are on the committee for the James Beard Broadcast and New Media Awards.

It was a great way to end a food weekend filled with seminars and demonstrations as part of the 34th annual conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).  The  rainy Sunday afternoon didn't stop foodies and fans from turning out to led support.

The black and white screen-printed images of African American women at work in and around the kitchen hearth in slave and sharecropper’s cabins, gardens, and in shotgun houses throughout the South  document their contribution to America's culinary history.  "Most of the time these women's recipes were oral, passed down by word of mouth." In a time, where chefs have become major stars in the mainstream these women are often forgotten. Tipton-Martin wants you to remember that these black women have "been the cornerstone of American cuisine having nurtured generations of families with fresh garden foods and crafted delicious meals from basic ingredients.

Mama Delany, 1995
St. Augustine's School cooking class
(from Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters First 100 Years, By Amy Hill Hearth, Sarah Louise Delany and Anne
Elizabeth Delaney 1993

The Turbanned Mistress

I asked Tipton-Martin why she chose the name The Jemima Code. She explained " The trademark Aunt Jemima resonates with previous generations in 2 ways. For some people it is a negative stereotype of the limitations for African American women in the food industry.  But for others the trademark of Aunt Jemima indicates a level of quality, perfection, dependability and consistency all the things you would want in a product.  The negative connection back to slavery has not been affirming to black women. Someone described it as the way they kept black women in a box. The whole idea behind the code is a language that is secret. It is a way of demystifying black women by showing all the positive values she brings as a servant." 

The evening was also  filled with youthful energy in the kitchen. Students from Pflugerville’s John B. Connally High and Austin’s Travis High flew in from Texas to be apart of event and have the opportunity many chefs can only dream of: cooking at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. For a couple it was there first time on a plane. Tipton-Martin says "They are high schoolers who have volunteered for me in the last three years. This was an opportunity for them to see the food industry operate at the top of the game.  One of the little boys said before the event "maybe now we can be more than the busboys."

Lena Richard
Caterer, restaurant owner, television personality, cookbook author

"The exhibit has been in 3 cities so far and the response has been overwhelming. Everyone has a personal reaction to the exhibit." says Tipton-Martin.  

The Jemima Code A Gallery of Great Cooks photo album will be out early next year. The exhibit is at the Greenhouse Gallery of the James Beard House in Greenwich Village, New York City until the end of April.                       

                                                       

TV/Social Media Producer Debbie Mitchell is currently a member of the James Beard Broadcast and New Media Awards committee.  If you are a food blogger interested in television placement or connecting with brands follow Debbie Mitchell @TVProducerDeb or email Ready4Airtv@gmail.com .