The annual Soul Food Luncheon, which features various African American traditions and heritage foods, is almost here! Students and community members alike are invited to sample soul food selections from several local Black-owned eateries.
KCC welcomes you to attend the Soul Food Luncheon in the Binda Lobby from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22. The price for admission will be $5 for students and $10 for staff/general public. It is also very common to “pay it forward” by purchasing tickets for others to attend. If you wish to do so, you can buy student tickets and leave them at the front of the food line for students to participate who did not get the chance to purchase a ticket.
Soul food is described as follows by KCC History professor Michelle Wright:
“History is who we are. It is the blood that flows through our veins; it is the ideas that embed themselves in our minds, and it is the food that provides our nourishment. The history of soul food is broad and varied. Its roots span three continents and multiple centuries. It is rice, okra and yams from Africa brought to the Americas during slavery; it is corn (maize) from Native American communities ground into meal for cornbread and grits. It is collard greens which provided nutrients and vitamins from the southern United States and the readily available ham hocks, pork cracklins’ and catfish which offered much-needed proteins. Soul food is family, comfort and heritage; its ‘whole’ is greater than the ‘sum of its parts,’ and it is to be celebrated for its cultural longevity as well as its culinary pleasure.”
On the menu for the Soul Food Luncheon are:
- From Soul Good: Sweet potatoes and seven-cheese mac and cheese
- From Island Style BBQ: Brisket and pulled chicken, curry channa, rice and beans and assorted hot sauces
- From Kimberly Bennett (Taste-A-Licious Catering): Collard greens and cornbread
- From Sensational Berries: Strawberry Crunch and German chocolate cake
If you wish to learn more about soul food, there will also be a more hands-on exploration at a Soul Food Cooking Demonstration from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, in the Kellogg Room. Kimberly Bennett of Taste-A-Licious Catering will be making fried chicken wings for participants to enjoy!
