Come and get it!

I’m a big fan of learning about cultures through their food, so when the Verge Center for the Arts (625 S Street) announced a Southern Foodways dinner, I skedaddled online and got my tickets.

On Thursday, September 29, Jaymes Luu of Fat Face dished up a Southern-themed meal that used plenty of local products. It started with a salad of Babydoll watermelon and lemon cucumber, then on to mesquite-smoked Bledsoe pork with cabbage–green bean slaw.

Next up was jambalaya made with Cache Creek chicken and andouille sausage, grilled corn, and smoky tomatoes. The crowning glory was Luu’s specialty—popsicles, this time inspired by red velvet cake.

Dinner was followed by a series of short films from the Southern Foodways Alliance promoting Southern food culture, accompanied by Fat Face popcorn. The Southern Foodways Alliance documents, studies, and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the changing American South. While we’re hardly southern here, we can learn a lot from their traditions of farming, gardening preserving, and making delicious meals from humble ingredients.