2007 TASTE OF THE SOUTH CHEFS' ORAL HISTORIES

In celebration of the achievements of the South's best chefs and artisans, Blackberry Farm, in concert with the SFA, is hosting a new edition of the annual Taste of the South gathering this week at Blackberry Farm in Walland, TN.

This year we honor and celebrate chefs and artisans, bringing those vital figures of Southern food culture together for enrichment and education, both as recompense for their contributions and as a catalyst for the practice of Southern foodways.

As part of the event, we are featuring oral history interviews with the five honored chefs, who also happen to be founding members of the SFA: Ben Barker, Karen Barker, Leah Chase, Louis Osteen & Frank Stitt. Read their interviews here.

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS GRAD STUDENTS ON THE BBQ TRAIL

The SFA is collaborating with the American Studies department at the University of Texas for the Texas leg of our Southern BBQ Trail. Dr. Elizabeth Engelhardt has dedicated her graduate level American Foodways class solely to the collection of oral history interviews relating to the tradition and craft of barbecue in and around Austin. SFA oral historian Amy Evans traveled to Austin in January to speak with the class about the project and conducting fieldwork. Look for the Texas addition to the BBQ Trail to premier online in May.

SFA FILM TO DEBUT AT OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL

ABOVE THE LINE: SAVING WILLIE MAE'S SCOTCH HOUSE, a documentary by SFA's Joe York, will debut at the 2007 Oxford Film Festival this weekend. Information on the festival, and its films, may be viewed online at www.oxfordfilmfest.com. This film will debut to SFA audiences this July, when we visit Houston for a Potlikker Film Festival.

Though the film's finished (temporarily), work continues on the Scotch House. The power is on, and finishing touches to the restaurant kitchen are in progress. We'll look forward to a movie update when the doors open.

"BEYOND COOKBOOKS" LECTURE AT UNC-CHAPEL HILL, FEB. 8

Sandra Oliver, food historian and author, will speak on "Beyond Cook Books: Researching Food History," in the Southern Historical Collection at UNC-CH's Wilson Library on Thurs., Feb. 8 at 5:30 PM. Oliver will examine the value of using cookbooks in food history, including what recipes really tell us, and she'll suggest other important sources for foodways research. Oliver is the founding editor and publisher of Food History News, now in its 18th year, a quarterly publication dedicated to four hundred years of North American foodways, and its companion website www.foodhistorynews.com, one of the top food history sites in the country. Oliver is the author of Saltwater Foodways: New Englanders and Their Food at Sea and Ashore in the Nineteenth Century (1995) and Food in Colonial and Federal America (2005). Refreshments will be served. This talk is co-sponsored by the Southern Historical Collection and the Curriculum in American Studies.

VIDEO BY SFA'S JOE YORK FEATURED IN AJC

SFA filmmaker Joe York has produced a streaming video on distilled spirits for the Feb. 1 issue of the AJC. To sneak a peak, visit http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/food/index.html

BOWEN'S ISLAND ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

It's peak oyster season in South Carolina. At Bowen's Island, across the Ashley River from the city of Charleston, oyster picker Victor "Goat" Lafayette is out on the water in good weather. He's still picking oysters for Bowen's Island Restaurant, a South Carolina icon, which was destroyed by fire in October of 2006. I'm here to document, as their t-shirts say, "the island, the restaurant, and the state of mind." The building may be gone, but Bowen's Island Restaurant is still very much alive. Stories from owner Robert Barber, his parents, employees, and loyal customers tell the story of this place and its people. When I leave, they'll still be talking. Bowen's Island Restaurant is open for business again. Oysters are once again being roasted in the dining room. Pay them a visit and hear some of the stories firsthand.

Look for the oral history project--interviews, photographs, and audio clips--to appear online in the coming months.

~Amy Evans, SFA oral historian