The Root – If the 2021 Netflix docuseries High on the Hog didn’t do a good enough job at convincing you of the overwhelming impact and influence Black Americans had and have on thisc ountry’s food ways and cultures, then allow the latest exhibition at New York’s Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) to further make the case.
Presented by The Africa Center in Harlem, “African/American: Making the Nation’s Table” seeks to celebrate the countless contributions of Black chefs, farmers, and food and drink producers who have laid the foundation for American food culture. Curated by acclaimed culinary historian and author Dr. Jessica B. Harris (who wrote the book that the Netflix series was based on, BTW) and advised by Chef Pierre Thiam (co-owner of Teranga the West African restaurant located inside The Africa Center), the exhibition includes notable highlights like The Legacy Quilt— composed of 406 blocks—sewn into a vast representation of African-American contributions to the fabric of American cuisine, a dynamic digital interactive feature that replicates a dinner table, allowing users to unlock stories about migration, movement, cultural evolution and more. Read more.