‘It’s About Time’: Black Chef Has Cookbook Inducted Into James Beard Hall Of Fame After 25 Years

Chef Joe Randall was honored with an induction into the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame for his 334-page book, A Taste of Heritage: The New African-American Cuisine, 25 years after its publishing.

Randall, 76, whose book explores African American cuisine from modern techniques to traditional “heirloom” dishes and features more than 300 recipes, had conflicting feelings about the award, according to Patriot News. “Well, I was surprised, but at the same time, it was one of those ‘it’s about time’ things,” he said. “I figured they forgot about me.” The James Beard Awards are amongst the top honors available to American culinary professionals. For the Hall of Fame, the foundation considers books “that have significantly influenced the way we think about food and honors authors who possess an exceptional ability to communicate their gastronomic vision via the printed page.”

Randall’s book offers an in-depth look at some of his most popular recipes and also includes profiles of and recipes from other prominent Black chefs. The inspiration for the cookbook was born out of the lack of visibility available to chefs in his community. “At that time, I had been cooking since 1962 and hadn’t seen a Black chef on the cover of a cookbook,” said Randall, a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who came to be known as the “Dean of Southern Cuisine.” His concerns led him to found The Taste of Heritage Foundation in 1993, which he used to promote Black chefs nationwide. After a move to Savannah, Georgia, Randall owned and operated a cooking school for two decades before becoming a consultant for Good Times Jazz Bar & Restaurant.

“It’s part of history. You know recipes are passed on either by verbal, and that’s the way African Americans did it for years,” Randall said. “Because we weren’t allowed to write, we weren’t allowed to write books. We were told people [would] write down what we said and put their name on it and take [our] contributions; we were invisible in a sense.” He continued, “I can only say this: If you live long enough, work hard enough sooner enough, someone will say something nice about you.”