Welcome to the Bookum Author Talks Podcast!

In this episode, we sit down with culinary historian and James Beard Award winner Adrian Miller to explore the REAL history of soul food. We dive deep into Thanksgiving history and traditions, black food traditions, the soul food canon, and cooking through history. Adrian breaks down everything from cooking Thanksgiving dinner and the best soul food dishes to collard greens recipes and old world cooking techniques.

Discover the truth about soul food and how it's not slave food. Learn about mac and cheese history, the origins of chitlins, okra, hibiscus, neckbones, and how Caribbean food traditions connect to soul food culture. We also explore black and Asian chefs in the White House, the history of American BBQ, and the fascinating crossover between Asian cuisine and soul food.

Whether you're looking for collard greens recipes, want to understand black food traditions, or curious about cooking through history, this conversation has it all!

TIMESTAMPS:
1:12 - Thanksgiving + Soul Food Items
2:50 - History of Chitlins
5:10 - Starting Career in Culinary Writing
6:07 - Mac n Cheese History in Soul Food and Thanksgiving
8:14 - Soul Food Canon
9:43 - Preparing Collard Greens
12:01 - History of Hibiscus
13:21 - History of Okra
13:50 - History of Neckbones
14:52 - History of Gumbo
15:34 - Jamaican & Caribbean Foods
18:12 - Soul Food is NOT Slave Food
20:50 - Veganism in Soul Food
23:50 - Black Eye Peas on Stove for Holiday
25:45 - Black Chefs in the White House
29:02 - History of American BBQ
32:12 - Best BBQ City in America
32:45 - Asian Chefs in the White House
34:02 - Asian Cuisine & Soul Food Crossovers
36:12 - Documenting Family Recipes Histories
39:12 - Writing Process of A Cookbook
42:24 - Writing Food Reviews
45:01 - Rapid Fire Food Questions
46:42 - What Should Be in a Foodies Toolkit?

📚 ADRIAN MILLER'S BOOKS:
"Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time" (2013) https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Food-Surprising-American-Cuisine/dp/1469607352

"The President's Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas" (2017)
https://www.amazon.com/Presidents-Kitchen-Cabinet-African-Americans/dp/1469630494

"Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue" (2021)
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Smoke-African-Americans-United/dp/1469663406

"Cooking to the President's Taste: Asian Heritage Chefs in White House History" (2025) - Co-authored with Deborah Chang
https://shop.whitehousehistory.org/products/cooking-to-the-presidents-taste

Adrian Miller Social Media:
Website - https://adrianemiller.com/
Twitter - https://x.com/soulfoodscholar
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/soulfoodscholar/


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My guest today on the Bookum Author Talks Podcast is the generational powerhouse Cheryl McKissack Daniel. Cheryl is the President and CEO of McKissack & McKissack, a design and construction company founded by Moses McKissack in 1905. It is the oldest Black-owned architecture and construction company in the United States.

In this episode, Cheryl shares the incredible story of her family’s legacy spanning 5 generations, their impact on HBCU campuses, succession plans, major stadium projects, and lessons on leadership, entrepreneurship, and preserving family history.

This episode is full of history and business lessons!

Get Cheryl’s book: The Black Family Who Built America - https://www.simonandschuster.com/book...

Timestamps:

1:30 - Current Projects of McKissack & McKissack
3:18 - Family History of The McKissack
5:42 - Passing down family mottos
7:02 - Handling Succession in the Family
11:40 - Growing up in an affluent Black Family
14:10 - Building on HBCU campuses
16:38 - Working with Black Business
18:18 - Charlamagne tha God publishing the book
19:33 - Writing Process of the Book
20:10 - Building Stadiums
22:55 - Barclay Center in Brooklyn
24:12 - Being a role model as a Black woman builder
26:37 - Record Your Family's History
27:12 - What Should Be in A Builder's Toolkit?

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Download the Bookum App to join book-related discussions, connect with the community, and start your own book club at https://www.bookumapp.com

This Podcast is to brought you by Bookum - The book communities NEW and BEST way to host dynamic online book clubs.

Download the App and Start your Book club today at www.bookumapp.com

Catch all of conversations live on the Bookum App Nooks!

In this episode of Creators Talk Podcast, we sit down with @classicallyclare Juilliard-trained pianist, book content creator, and host of Study Hall Book Club We discuss her journey from Singapore to New York (Back to Singapore), the power of collective reading, how to engage with classic books (The Tempest by William Shakespeare), and the connection between music, storytelling, content creation, and social media.

Make sure to like and subscribe to our youtube channel @bookum

Timestamps:

1:12 – Reading in Singapore
2:23 – New York Reading Culture
3:12 – Playing Music as a Kid
4:01 – Music and Content Creation
5:33 – The Connection Between Playing Music and Storytelling
6:44 – Defining Classic
8:33 – Getting Back Into Content Creation
10:12 – Relationship with Social Media
11:29 – Collective Learning
12:01 – Nuance and Critical Thinking
12:52 – Tools for Content Creation
13:21 – On Reviews
15:44 – Making Classic Literature Relatable
18:04 – On Community
19:02 – Book Club: Study Hall
21:12 – Shakespeare's Tempest
24:02 – Prospero: Hero or Villain
26:10 – Artist and the Audience
26:49 – Exploring Good and Bad
27:20 – On Writing: Fermata Blog
28:54 – Writing Process & Perfect Day of Writing
30:40 – Last, Now, Next Books
33:21 – How to Annotate Books
35:04 – Rapid Fire Book Questions
36:40 – What Would You Like to See More of in the Book World?
36:48 – What Would You Like to See Less of in the Book World?

Places to Find more from Clare:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classicallyclare/?hl=en
Blog - https://clareyeo.substack.com/?
Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@classicallyclare?

To start your own book club, make sure to download our Bookum App at https://www.bookumapp.com

This Podcast is to brought you by Bookum - The book communities NEW and BEST way to host dynamic online book clubs.

Download the App and Start your Book club today at www.bookumapp.com

Catch all of conversations live on the Bookum App Nooks!