Something special is cooking over at Dillard, thanks to Ray Charles

4th March 2015   ·   0 Comments

‘Black involvement in the New Orleans Creole cuisine is as old as gumbo and just as important. It is unfortunate that local attitudes toward racial matters have not allowed the contributions of Black people to this cuisine
to achieve the preeminence they deserve.’ – Dr. Rudy Lombard, Creole Feast

By Charmaine Jackson
Contributing Writer

For decades, New Orleans cuisine has satisfied the palates of many locals and visitors around the world. In the ‘50s, music legend Ray Charles became a part of the local scene and loved eating red beans and rice with fried chicken at his favorite restaurant, Dooky Chase’s Rest­au­rant, known for serving Creole cuisine. In his song “Early in the Morning” blues, Ray mentioned the African-American fine dining establishment, with the line “I went to Dooky Chase to get something to eat/The waitress looked at me and said you sure look beat.” Proving nostalgic, the taste of down-home cooking reminded him of childhood, and perhaps a home farther than his native Georgia. Chef Leah Chase expressed Ray “felt that the food he grew up with would be gone if he didn’t do something to help preserve it.”

As years passed, Ray’s ties to New Orleans grew strong. During Dillard University’s commencement exercise in 2003, Ray was awarded an honorary degree. Before his death in 2004, he donated $1 million to Dillard University to develop the first professorship of African-American culinary history, as well as a program to preserve the culinary heritage in the Black community.

Ray sensed the importance of preserving and passing down the unique culinary traditions and culture to future generations. Because of his generosity, the Ray Charles Program in African American Material Culture was born, in one of the many cultural corners of New Orleans—the 7th Ward. Based on the program’s web site, the mission meets Ray’s vision, which is to research, document, disseminate, preserve, and celebrate African culture and foodways.

Well-renowned food scholar, Jessica B. Harris, who was previously connected to Dillard University as a scholar-in-residence, was chosen as the inaugural chair for the program. She delivered the first Ray Charles Scholar lecture, titled, “Creole Cousins-Culinary Connections and the African Atlantic World,” which explored African influence on local cuisine and the role of New Orleans and its connections to the American south and the Caribbean. While active as the endowed chair, Harris hosted a number of lectures for the community to attend.

In July 2014, Chicago native Zella Palmer was appointed to succeed Harris. As an experienced culinary scholar, Palmer has served as curator at the DuSable Museum of African American History and Southern Food & Beverage Museum, collaborated on projects with the Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, City of Toronto Collections and the Newcomb Art Gallery at Tulane University. Palmer, whose ties to New Orleans stems from her father, views this role as “an opportunity of a lifetime.”

“African-American foodways is something that needs to be acknowledged, especially in New Orleans because it is the culinary capital of the world,” Palmer expressed. “New Orleans and Southern food has migrated and become American food, but we need to not forget and celebrate those that were in the kitchen,” she added.

Palmer drew guidance and inspiration from New Orleans icon, Dr. Rudy Lombard, who she says began the movement by documenting Black chefs’ recipes and their stories in his book titled, Creole Feast: 15 Master Chefs of New Orleans Reveal Their Secrets. This book was an effort to give due credit to those Black chefs contributing to the culinary scene.

“I want to continue in his legacy and celebrate Black chefs and Black involvement,” Palmer stated.

Through the program, Palmer hopes to teach students how to document oral histories, particularly with home cooks, in conjunction with the Dillard film department. To pay tribute to Lombard and his work, the lecture series for the program will bear his name. In addition to developing lecture series, Palmer plans to host creative workshops, cooking demonstrations with local chefs and home cooks, publish a cookbook, conduct tours, and develop a cooking show for the university. Palmer declared, “We are in the works for some great things.”

According to Palmer, the program’s home is the perfect fit. “Dillard is the mecca of the arts and a pillar of the community,” she stated. She mentioned that it is not only community oriented, but academic oriented. The program aspires to develop a culinary studies program to mold aspiring food scholars and chefs and give them a platform.

In addition to working on the infrastructure, Palmer would like to initiate partnerships with campus and local organizations to help realize the program’s community-centric purpose, both on and off campus. While still in the fledgling stages, the program has already offered several events, including hosting the first in a cooking demonstration series with Fox Masterchef contestant Christian Green, with Dillard University’s dining services; another cooking demonstration with Chef Gason and Food Network’s Chopped winner, Linda Green, also known locally, as the Ya-Ka-Mein Lady, with partners from The Nola Chef Channel; a mason jar salad demonstration in the student union to promote healthy eating; and a lecture presented by Pitmaster Dr. Howard J. Conyers, who lectured about the tradition of barbecue.

On March 7, the Ray Charles in African American Material Culture will partner with the United Negro College Fund, along with the United Way of Southeast Louisiana to present, “Taste of Dillard” Cook-off Competition. All interested chefs and home cooks are encouraged to register for the competition to showcase and expose their culinary talent to the community. Individual tickets and corporate packages for groups are available, which entail all-access granted passes for the event including a tent, a specialty Ray Charles African American Material Culture apron, among other event exclusives. The first place winner will score up to $1,500 in cash and prizes. All winning recipes will be included in Dillard University’s 2016 cookbook, and the winners will participate in a cooking demonstration on-campus, and be named honorary ambassador chef. All proceeds from the event will provide student scholarships.

More program events are forthcoming including a conference in April, in which some little known facts in Dillard’s history, with regard to culinary history, will be revealed. There is an active social media presence on all social media outlets to stay informed on upcoming activities.

With regard to program legacy, Palmer stressed the significance of creating a solid foundation and remaining conscious of Ray Charles’ vision. Palmer stated, “Ray loved life, this city, and the food. I just want to make sure he is honored.”

For more information about the Ray Charles Program in African American Material Culture, visit: www.dillard.edu, or the “Taste of Dillard” Cook-Off Competition, please visit: http://give.dil­lard.edu­/tod-tickets, or e-mail Zella Palmer at zpalmer@dillard.edu or Erica Durousseau at edurousseau@dillard.edu.

[Editor’s note: In the print edition of this story, it was printed that Ray Charles was blind at birth. We regret that publishing error. Mr. Charles actually went blind after he was born.]