Taste it for yourself on a leisurely roadtrip.
For some visitors, it’s the Spanish moss hanging from the trees.
I went for the Gullah-Geechee people who created this food, for their stories and traditions.
Spanish-moss-covered oak trees at Morning Glory Homestead Farm on St. Helena Island, South Carolina.Olivia Rae James
It just so happens they are part of my story, too.
This journey was a homecoming, as well as a personal renewal.
The trips I’d taken before were about the dead.
Danielle and Mark Green, owners of Mother Smokin’ Good barbecue truck, in North Charleston.Olivia Rae James
This one was about the living.
I am a culinary historian turned culinary tourist.
This is where part of the story of Southern hospitality was born.
From left: The namesake dish at Shrimp & Grits in North Charleston; a menu at Mother Smokin’ Good.Olivia Rae James
As sure as you will sip pineapple iced tea, the Gullah-Geechee people are generous and obliging.
BJ and I spent a few days crafting my stopsSt.
Helena Island, North Charleston and Charleston, Johns Island,Daufuskie Island, and Savannah.
The ruins of St. Helena’s Chapel of Ease, built in 1740.Olivia Rae James
He has a reputation as a gatekeeper, but he’s more storyteller than anything.
He wants to re-create the journey of the Gullah-Geechee through his pots.
“Everybody needs to know that we’re not magical,” he said.
From left: Morning Glory Homestead Farm’s owner, Tony Jones; a palm berry picked on the farm.Olivia Rae James
“We’re just a people trying to survive.
We know we special.
The world knows we special.
From left: A pier sits over the marshy landscape of Country Club Creek in Savannah; the Art Deco exterior of The Grey, a former bus depot built in 1938.Olivia Rae James
We just don’t agree with outsiders on what thatspecialmeans.”
He caters events and hosts pop-up dinners throughout South Carolina, taking his guests beyond shrimp and grits.
They are the people who do more than just produce.
From left: Grilled octopus with feta, tomatoes, and olives at Vic’s on the River, in Savannah; The Grey, helmed by chef Mashama Bailey, also in Savannah.Olivia Rae James
They are the people who know.
Gullah-Geechee language used to be known as “baby talk,” considered a confused adaptation of old-world English.
Traditional Gullah-Geechee music crossed over into the mainstream during the Civil Rights era.
From left: Chef BJ Dennis near his home in Charleston; Lorraine Smalls, owner of North Charleston’s My Three Sons, with Antwan, one of her sons.Olivia Rae James
To put it another way, Gullah-Geechee folks are a quiet people with a loud reputation.
But most Gullah-Geechee have no interest in being performative or entertaining.
They don’t exist to demonstrate what makes them special.
From left: Guava and sweet cheese turnovers from Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah, Georgia; owner Cheryl Day at Back in the Day Bakery’s pickup window.Olivia Rae James
Trust and respect have greater capital in this region than other places.
She had a daughter, and that daughter had a daughter and named her Nora.
Think of this as my American story.
There is a through line that runs from Africa to the Lowcountry’s fields of shimmering rice to today.
I wanted to reacquaint myself with all of it.
COVID-19 has dampened but not halted the lives of Lowcountry chefs.
The day was sunny and sparkling, with the air becoming increasingly humid as we drove farther south.
The land was once part of a larger cotton plantation that Tony’s family had lived on since 1862.
He and his wife started in the egg and poultry business.
Sites of Civil Rights resistance, places of trauma and triumphall remarkably sleepy.
We drove south toBluffton, where we stopped at a fantastic little restaurant namedRed Stripes.
It’s run by a couple, Lakesha and Ezron Daley.
Green’s Carolina mustard barbecue sauce is the perfect way to enjoy the juicy, well-seasoned meat he prepares.
Our next stop was Daufuskie Island, which is isolated and rustic.
On the ferry ride over, we saw dolphins leap into the fresh salt air.
The proceeds support her effort to save the land belonging to the remaining Black families.
Just don’t ask her to make okra.
Go on the tour, and she will tell you why.
Successive waves of exposure to the rest of the world began in the 1930s.
The Gullah-Geechee had achieved fame as a cultural and linguistic entity of Black Southern culture.
(Coincidentally, Sallie Ann was a student of Conroy’s in Daufuskie’s two-room schoolhouse.)
(Bailey is one of the few Black winners of the James Beard Award.)
Picnic tables had been set up across a field with social distancing in mind.
“That’s what makes us specialnobody can do this like us.
BJ seemed satisfied with his work.
“That’s what makes us specialnobody can do this like us,” he said.
Three young men were cooking the food, doing their part to keep the culture alive.
My past, my people, and the plates that have sustained us for centuries.
1452 Sea Island Pkwy.
Morning Glory Homestead Farm: Visit this 12-acre farm to learn about sustainable agriculture.
Bluffton
Mother Smokin' Good: Check Instagram for the location of this roving barbecue truck.
Red Stripes: A Caribbean-Lowcountry fusion restaurant known for its jerk chicken.
Entrees $12$22.
Savannah
Back in the Day Bakery: A place for outstanding cupcakes and other treats.
The Grey: Modern Southern cuisine in an Art Deco former bus station.
Prix fixe from $65.
Vic’s on the River: This fine-dining restaurant is housed in a 19th-century warehouse.
Entrees $15$30.
North Charleston
My Three SonsYou can’t go wrong with the red rice and smothered pork chops.
Entrees $12$20.
Nana’s Seafood & Soul: The garlic crab with shrimp is a must-try.
Entrees $9$20.
Nigel’s Good Food: Don’t miss the signature stewed turkey wings.
Entrees $10$19.
Shrimp & Grits: Famous for cheddar grits with salmon or garlic shrimp.
Entrees $9$13.
Johns Island
Joseph Fields FarmOrganic fruit and vegetables grown on 50 idyllic acres.
