#192: The Lowcountry Table with Amethyst Ganaway

About this episode

Amethyst Ganaway discusses her Gullah Geechee heritage and the importance of whole animal cooking while addressing the disconnect between chefs and farmers.

Every part of the animal. Every part of the story. Amethyst Ganaway grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, where food and land were never separate — fresh seafood, garden vegetables from neighbors, and what you were eating tomorrow was already part of today's conversation. In this episode, the chef, food writer, and cultural archivist takes us inside her Gullah Geechee heritage, how leaving South Carolina and working in restaurant kitchens brought her into whole animal cooking, and why she wants Black people to come to Charleston not with heaviness, but with pride. Amethyst also gets into the disconnect between chefs and farmers, what gets lost when Black food traditions get repackaged without context, and the story behind her forthcoming book From tha Roota to tha Toota — written entirely in her own voice, on her own terms.

People in this episode

Host: Melissa L. Jones

Guest: Amethyst Ganaway

Topics covered

• Gullah Geechee heritage
• whole animal cooking
• Black food traditions
• chef and farmer disconnect
• cultural storytelling

Keywords

• Charleston
• Gullah Geechee
• whole animal cooking
• Black food traditions
• cultural archivist

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Gullah Geechee

Books & works: From tha Roota to tha Toota

Places: Charleston, South Carolina

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