The Journey of Lowcountry Rice

1901 Vine Street,Philadelphia PA 19103

16 February, 2022

Description

Follow rice from the African continent to the American South to the Northeast to your plate "[I]f your family, like mine, came from the Lowcountry, loving Southern food means loving rice," says Valerie Erwin in "A Geechee Girl Speaks" (Cornbread Nation: the Best of Southern Food Writing, 282). This love extends so far that she dedicated her restaurant, Geechee Girl Rice Cafe, to the humble, fundamental ingredient, effectively preserving and bringing Lowcountry cuisine to a wider audience and serving foods that act as a thread back to Africa. Sisters Valerie and Alethia Erwin will guide us along the journey that rice took from the African continent to the American South and its later upward trajectory to the Northeast and our very own city. They will also share their writings about and personal connections to Lowcountry cuisine—all while demonstrating how to make an absolutely perfect pot of rice. All proceeds from ticket sales go towards supporting the Culinary Literacy's Center programs for youth, neighborhood engagement, and English language learning. Free tickets are available for SNAP eligible families and for anyone who cannot afford the fee right now but would still like to participate. Please email [email protected] for more information. In compliance with the mandate from the City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health, all attendees of this class must show proof of full vaccination or medical or religious exemption. This mandate applies to all attendees 5 years and 3 months of age or older. Masks are required at all times, except when eating or drinking, and seating is limited. Please contact [email protected] with any questions or concerns. North Philly natives Valerie and Leigh Erwin specialize in the food of the Lowcountry, where their grandparents were born. They opened and operated the critically-acclaimed Geechee Girl Rice Café, which showcased the foodways of the Geechees—descendants of enslaved Africans living on the coast of South Carolina and Georgia—during its twelve-year tenure in Mount Airy. Valerie has worked under a number of Philly food legends including Judy Wicks (La Terrasse) and Steve Poses (Frog Commissary) before opening Geechee Girl and later managing the pay-what-you-can EAT (Everyone at the Table) Café. She now focuses her attention on writing and speaking about food, culture, and food justice in the hospitality industry. She serves on the boards of the Southern Foodways Alliance as well as the Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network and was featured in Netflix's mini-series High on the Hog in the episode "The Rice Kingdom." Alethia Erwin was General Manager for Geechee Girl Rice Café, where she was responsible for restaurant operations, food preparation, staffing, menu planning, and overseeing events. She independently plans and caters events using the Geechee Girl imprint. Every bite of food we eat tells a story. Here’s ours: The Free Library is advancing literacy in Philadelphia in a unique and innovative way—with a fork and a spoon. Cooking and eating are educational acts and provide opportunities to learn math, science, languages, history and so much more. Using cooking as the vehicle for learning, the Culinary Literacy Center advances literacy through food and cooking around a communal table. Opened in 2014, the Culinary Literacy Center is the first space of its kind in a public library and serves as a model for libraries worldwide. The Culinary Literacy Center is based in our kitchen classroom at Parkway Central, but we offer programming at nearly all of our neighborhood libraries. Culinary Literacy Center programs teach healthy cooking, build community, and promote civic dialogue. Pull up a seat at our table and see what’s cooking at the Free Library of Philadelphia!