Toni Tipton-Martin Author Talk • In Celebration of The Taste of Country Cooking: 50th Anniversary Edition & When Southern Women Cook

Toni Tipton-Martin is a three-time James Beard Book Award winner, and recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award. She recently wrote the forward to the new 50th Anniversary edition of Edna Lewis' A Taste of Country Cooking, and has published three acclaimed cookbooks: Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice: Cocktails From Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks, Jubilee: Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking, and The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks. Toni is former Editor in Chief of Cook’s Country magazine by America’s Test Kitchen, a cast member of its PBS television show, and in 2024 she shepherded a first-of-its-kind cookbook for the celebrated brand, When Southern Women Cook, which showcases the hard work, hospitality, and creativity of Southern women. She is the founder of a nonprofit organization using cultural heritage and cooking to build community; for this work she received the prestigious Julia Child Award, and the International Association of Culinary Professional’s Trailblazer Award.

The Taste of Country Cooking: 50th Anniversary Edition- the most beloved Southern cookbook of all time: a glorious celebration of seasonal eating that has shaped generations of home cooks, from “the first lady of Southern cooking” (NPR). Beautifully repackaged and redesigned, with a new foreword by Toni Tipton-Martin.

With the publication of The Taste of Country Cooking in 1976, Edna Lewis proclaimed the food of the American South one of the world’s great cuisines. From the field greens and salads of spring; pan-fried chicken and crushed peaches in summer; preserves and sweet potatoes for fall; and hearty soups and stews during the cold winter months, Miss Lewis (as she was almost universally known) extolled the vir­tues of the good food of her childhood, spent in a Virginia farming community founded by her grandfather and his friends after Emancipation.

A celebration of eating locally—decades before “farm to table” became common parlance—the book showcases the joys of cooking with the seasons.
The 150 accessible recipes in its pages include:
•Baked Virginia Ham, Buttered Jerusalem Artichokes, and Rhubarb Pie in Spring
•Green Tomato Preserves, Wilted Lettuce with Hot Vinegar Dressing, and Fresh Blackberry Cobbler in Summer
•Crispy Biscuits, Green Bean Salad with Sliced Tomatoes, and Country-Fried Apples in Fall
•Oyster Stew, Pan-Braised Spareribs, and Coconut Layer Cake in Winter

An affirmation of a distinctly American way of eating, fifty years after its publica­tion, The Taste of Country Cooking remains the definitive book on Southern food.

When Southern Women Cook- Shepherded by Toni Tipton-Martin and Cook's Country Executive Editor and TV personality Morgan Bolling, When Southern Women Cook showcases the hard work, hospitality, and creativity of women who have given soul to Southern cooking from the start. Every page amplifies their contributions, from the enslaved cooks making foundational food at Monticello to Mexican Americans accessing sweet memories with colorful conchas today.

• 70+ voices paint a true picture of the South: Emmy Award–winning producer and author Von Diaz covers Caribbean immigrant foodways through Southern stews; food journalist Kim Severson delves into recipes' power as cultural currency; mixologist and beverage historian Tiffanie Barriere reflects on Juneteenth customs including red drink. Consulting food historian KC Hysmith contributes important—and fascinating—context throughout.
• 300 Recipes—must-knows, little-knowns, and modern inventions: Regional Brunswick Stew, Dollywood Cinnamon Bread, Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwiches, Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi, and Oat Guava Cookies bridge the gap between what Southern cooking is known for and how it continues to evolve.
• Recipe headnotes contextualize your cooking: Learn Edna Lewis’ biscuit wisdom. Read about Waffle House and fry chicken thighs to top light-as-air waffles. Meet Joy Perrine, the "Bad Girl of Bourbon."

Covering every region and flavor of the American South, from Texas Barbecue to Gullah Geechee rice dishes, this collection of 300 recipes is a joyous celebration of Southern cuisine and its diverse heroes, past and present.