Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way by Sallie Ann Robinson

The iconic author was her grade school teacher, close friend and mentor. When she pulls up in front of her former schoolhouse, she talks about Pat Conroy with deep affection. Her private tour company shows a steady stream of visitors the historic buildings and gorgeous natural setting along the scenic mostly sandy, dirt roads. For me it was just really normal,” she said. Skinning deer, fishing, crabbing, raising crops, braving hurricanes and knowing the island like the back of her hand was part of growing up for Robinson. Daufuskie’s Sallie Ann Robinson will be part of a great culinary line up in October at Vines and Tides Her grandmother’s house is uninhabitable right now so she stays nearby. I’m living on prime property of an ancestor and it reminds me of the way it used to be!” Robinson’s goal is to build a house on her family property. I feel like I got all that space to work with. I just love waking up here and having that solitude. Three years ago, she achieved her long-time mission of moving back home after having raised her children and building her successful career while living in Savannah. It wasn’t any bar or places open to go so we just go to one another’s houses and talk about the good ol’ days and fun times on the island,” says chef, author and preservationist Sallie Ann Robinson, born on an island only accessible by boat.Īsk her about Daufuskie Island and she beams with pride. “We used to have fun being on the island over here…and we just drink and play cards at night because that’s all we had to do to get together.

She invites readers to share in the joys of Gullah home cooking the Daufuskie way, to make her family's recipes their own.The intoxicating aromas of fried chicken, lima beans and peach cobbler wafted in the air. 'Here are my family's recipes,' writes Robinson, weaving warm memories of the people who made and loved these dishes and clear instructions for preparing them. Gregory Wrenn Smith's photographs evoke the sights and tastes of Daufuskie. The one hundred home-style dishes presented here include salads and side dishes, seafood, meat and game, rice, quick meals, breads, and desserts. Living on a South Carolina island accessible only by boat, Daufuskie folk have traditionally relied on the bounty of fresh ingredients found on the land and in the waters that surround them. If there's one thing we learned coming up on Daufuskie,' remembers Sallie Ann Robinson, 'it's the importance of good, home-cooked food.' In this enchanting book, Robinson presents the delicious, robust dishes of her native Sea Islands and offers readers a taste of the unique, West African-influenced Gullah culture still found there.

Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way by Sallie Ann Robinson