CRAFT by Under My Host® Issue No. 16 Made in America: Part I | Page 70

W W W. C R A F T BY U M H . C O M
mostly use cookbooks as reference and inspiration. Deborah Madison for her
ethereal and exquisite treatment of vegetables and Marcella Hazan for her
straightforward Italian cooking. For French, I reach for my mentor Anne Wil-
lan’s books such as LaVarenne Practique and Secrets of the LaVarenne Kitch-
en. I like science-based books that help me be a better cook such as Meathead
Goldwyn’s book Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling or The
Food Lab by Serious Eats and J. Kenji López-Alt. I seek out cookbooks that I
know I can trust and the recipes work. 
What are the three things that every Southern kitchen should have?
Every kitchen, Southern or not, should have a cast iron skillet. It’s an indispen-
sable tool that can be used to bake a cake or roast a chicken. Good, quality
knives are imperative. And, well, on that note — so are Band-Aids. 
What was the idea behind your book? Why was diversity an important
element? Why is it important for you to share? 
While I am proud of all of them — I feel that this book is “more” than one of my
typical cookbooks. The sentiment for Secrets of the Southern Table: A Fo