The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History has presented the next installment of its lecture series, “A Conversation with Alexander Smalls,” James-Beard-Award-winning chef, author and restaurant owner.
Alexander Smalls was the visionary co-owner of renowned restaurants The Cecil and Minton’s. Critically acclaimed and located in the heart of historic Harlem, Minton’s—the birthplace of BeBop in the 1930s—harkened back to the Jazz Age, evoking a sexy supper club, with live music and serving Low Country cuisine inspired by Smalls’ childhood.
His award-winning restaurant, The Cecil, NYC’s first Afro-Asian American restaurant, was named “Best New Restaurant in America” by Esquire in 2014. A 2019 recipient of a James Beard Award for his cookbook, Between Harlem and Heaven, Smalls was recently bestowed the Creative Spirit Award from the Black Alumni of Pratt by the inimitable Ms. Cicely Tyson.
His latest book, Meals, Music, and Muses: Recipes from My African American Kitchen, received immediate attention and praise, with appearances in both the New York Times and Food & Wine. Along with these other widely acclaimed books, Smalls has also published a memoir and cookbook, Grace the Table, which features recipes from his upbringing with Southern Revival cuisine.
The Wright Conversations, formally known as the President’s Lecture Series is a curated collection of events featuring dynamic speakers chosen by the President of the Charles H. Wright Museum, Neil A. Barclay. Dedicated to bringing insightful and robust conversation to the Detroit community, the series addresses critical topics in the areas of civic engagement, art, history, and culture.
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Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
