#VoicesfromtheStacks

Image taken from his Facebook.

Sam Choy–a man of Chinese, German, and Hawaiian descent is a Hawaiian chef and the Culinary Ambassador of Big Island. He was born and raised in Laie, Ohau, and is known for his kindness, welcoming smile, and colorful personality. He has a restaurantin Hawaii called “Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai,” and poke restaurants and food trucks in Seattle, Tacoma, and Washington. He’s one of the foundingcontributors of Pacific Rim Cuisine, which is a cookingstyle that combines local ingredients from Hawaii and a fusion of other ethnic culinary influences. He describeshis cooking as “a melting pot of the freshest ingredients from every culture on the Hawaiian islands…true Hawaiian heritage cooking.”

Sam Choy’s Sampler: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Hawai'i’s Cuisine(found in our Szathmary Culinary Collection) captures over 80 of Choy’s recipes that reflect a mixture and melding of East, West, and Polynesian food cultures, along with his own added twists for the dishes. The recipes included are his own creations, and his version of some Island favorites. The recipes range from poke, to seafood appetizers, to Hibachi Tofu Salad where the Tofu is grilled, to traditional Hawaiian cuisine like Kalua Pork and Squid Lu'au.

Try out some Pacific Rim cuisine with Sam Choy! We also have two of his other books, which can be found in our catalog.

Happy AAPI month everyone!

-Matrice Y, Special Collections & Archives Olson Graduate Assistant

Image of Quintana taken from her twitter.

#VoicesfromtheStacks

Patricia Quintana– A critically acclaimed Mexican chef, author, teacher, businesswoman, and once a culinary ambassador in the Mexican Ministry of Tourism, Quintana is an inspiration to many. Having started her journey in cooking with her great grandmother and grandmother’s kitchens in Oaxaca and Veracruz, Quintana dedicated her career to teaching and researching Mexican gastronomy, and the 32 distinct cooking styles contained within it. Quintana has stated that her “style of cooking brings sophistication to traditional recipes and giv[es] Mexican food the recognition and honor it deserves.”

The Best of Quintana is the tenth book Quintana wrote, and it consists of 60 of her favorite recipes. Some are traditional cultural dishes from different Mexican states, and others are created from Quintana’s research and brilliant mind. The recipes included are favorites of those she worked with, and her own personal favorites– dishes that she’s served at birthdays, weddings, and baptisms, and ones that simply hold special memories for her. The dishes vary from guacamole to mole poblano to churros. If you’re looking for a new chef to learn from, and some Mexican food recipes to try, give Quintana’s books a look.

We also have other books written by her, which can be found by browsing her name in our catalog!

Happy International Women’s Month everyone!

-Matrice Y, Special Collections & Archives Olson Graduate Assistant

#Voicesfromthestacks

What does it mean to de-colonize a meal?

Sean Sherman – an Oglala Lakota chef born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and the founder of The Sioux Chef, focuses his culinary skills on the “revitalization and awareness of Indigenous foods systems in a modern culinary context.” Sherman took it upon himself to study the foundations of the food systems particular to the local Dakota and Ojibwe tribes, gaining knowledge of Indigenous farming techniques, land stewardship, hunting and fishing, salt and sugar making, the usage of wild food and harvesting, food preservation, elemental cooking techniques, Native American migration history, and Native American Culture and history in a more general sense to get a more holistic understanding of Native American cuisine and how to bring that back in the present.

The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchenis an introduction into modern indigenous cuisine of the Minnesota and Dakota territories. The recipes are all focused and centered around ingredients indigenous to America. No European staples like dairy products, sugar, or domestic pork. Instead, there’s duck, venison, blueberries and wildflowers to name a few.

In his introduction, Sherman states “This book is about the joy of indigenous cooking. It reveals the delight in finding ingredients right outside our kitchen doors. … These recipes, inspired by methods handed down through the ages, generation after generation, are integral to our culture, and, as with all good recipes, the dishes will change from cook to cook. These recipes are meant to be guidelines, not formulas. … These recipes along with the stories of goodness and resilience are told with hope and joy.”

-Matrice Y, Special Collections, Olson Graduate Assistant

#VoicesfromtheStacks

Hungry for some Southern cuisine?

Alexander Smalls– an opera singer, a James-Beard-Award-winning chef, a Tony and Grammy award winner, the co-owner of two renowned restaurants: The Cecil and Minton’s– could be just the chef you can take inspiration from! He’s appeared on numerous TV shows, magazines, and served individuals such as Toni Morrison, Spike Lee, and Quincy Jones. Here at the University of Iowa’s Special Collections & Archives, one of his books graces the shelves.

Grace the Table: Stories and Recipes from My Southern Revivalis a memoir consisting of a combination of storytelling from Small’s childhood and hometown in South Carolina, through Europe, and to Manhattan, detailing Small’s love for food. He interconnects culture, family history, and more while sharing 100s of his recipes created during his travels. This book sheds light on how he fell in love with cooking and his upbringing with Southern Revival cuisine. Some of his recipes include Southern Revival dishes like mac and cheese terrine with Creole sauce, caramel cake, and black-eyed peas with arugula. There are tales from the first meal he cooked at 6 years old, to meeting Joan Sutherland, to touring Europe as one of the star singers of the Houston Grand Opera production of Porgy and Bess.

Small, his recipes and stories, his history and his southern cooking (a mix of traditional and international flair inspired by his travels), are worth the read!

-Matrice Y, Special Collections, Olson Graduate Assistant