What exactly is art; who defines it; who makes it, and where in Atlanta do poets, thespians, and artists congregate and create? We’ll use this space to catch up with a few for a few…some you may know; others we hope you’ll be pleased to meet their acquaintance.
I have purchased a few cookbooks over the years. Still, after reading Michelle Braxton’s Supper With Love, I felt like floating to the farmer’s market and frolicking amongst the vegetables—picking out the prettiest heirloom tomatoes, the greenest greens, some Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and going to town. I rarely consider leeks—but I do now, and I cannot wait to try my hand at her Liquid Gold Vegetable Broth.
Braxton has always enjoyed cooking for the people who need a warm, nurturing meal. It simply brings her joy. Ten years ago, she began sharing images of the meals she made for her partner, Alex, and herself on Facebook/Instagram. She received so many requests for recipes that she started a blog to spread her delight in plant-forward and pescatarian cooking. She named it Supper with Michelle, an ode to her partner’s grandmother, who often referred to the last meal of the day as supper.
When not hanging out at her home in southwest Atlanta, Braxton frequents Your Dekalb Farmers Market in Decatur, her hometown. And when she looks for specific seasonal produce, she supports community farmers’ markets like Grant Park Farmers’ Market, Freedom Farmers’ Market, and Truly Living Well. She also enjoys local art festivals like the Inman Park, Dogwood, and Malcolm X Festival.
I enjoyed reviewing your cookbook so much that I FaceTimed a friend in California who is a poet-playwright gifted at preparing plant-based meals to discuss your book. (She’s ordering a copy, by the way.) We both agree that Supper With Love is a work of art. Can you share your creative process when crafting your recipes?
Oh, wonderful! You’d probably laugh at me if I told you I dream of them. They always start with inspiration…from everywhere, e.g., walking down the produce aisle or beautiful finds from the farmers’ market. Then there are family recipes inspired by my childhood or dishes I’ve enjoyed at restaurants that I put a spin on, in addition to inspiration from magazines, cookbooks, cooking shows, or social media. Next, I develop and test it, which moves quickly. My goal is to find balance…the moment you taste something and say, “Mmmmm, that’s good.”
Supper with Love is over 85 of my favorite plant-forward and pescatarian recipes highlighting natural and in-season ingredients every step of the way. Bringing meatless twists to some classic comfort dishes, I craft approachable, easy-to-prepare, nourishing, and crave-worthy meals. As a firm believer in finding the food lifestyle that works best for you, I encourage readers to get into their groove and “freestyle it” by offering countless variations and substitutions for ingredients, ways to “veganize” meals, pairings, and ways to repurpose leftovers. From simple one-pot meals to Sunday suppers, there is something for every taste, mood, and schedule.
Your book is aesthetically gorgeous. It is framed by beautiful images of a) your hands rolling and cutting collard greens and b) your and your partner’s hands framed in green, connected. Can you speak about its symbolism, personal or universal?
You know the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child?” Well, in my village, preparing food was something I saw my mom and community elders doing. The images of snapping green beans, cutting up collard greens, or peeling potatoes are engrained within me. The relationship we share with food, the preparation of it, are a reminder to slow down and enjoy the cooking process and will hopefully resonate with readers. When I met with my photographer, Erin Scott, I wanted to ensure we captured care, warmth, resilience, and growth… and the book’s last image represents our striking melanated hands connecting it all.
What are the top 5 lessons you’d like your readers, fans, fledgling cooks, and wannabe chefs like me to take from your journey and/or cookbook?
I recommend a few things for those wanting to work more plant-forward meals into their lifestyles or get more comfortable working their magic in the kitchen. 1) Start with something like “Meatless Mondays” and slowly add more veggie-filled recipes into your weekly rotations. 2) Forgo the meat on your salad and ad hearty roasted vegetables, flavorful smoked tofu, or your favorite beans. 3) Bulk up your pasta dishes with flavorful mushrooms. 4) Find vegetables you enjoy eating and incorporate them into grain bowls and other dishes; and 5) I’d be remiss if I didn’t say, make the recipes in my cookbook!
In Like Water for Chocolate, the main character’s emotions become an ingredient in her food, embodied by the people eating it. I became emotional after reading your cookbook’s introduction,” A Journey of Food, Love, and Life”, and “A Note About Mom.” Your story took me back to my mom’s kitchen, a great cook who, like you, soothed souls with food, though her recipes are now lost inside dementia. In your intro, you speak about grief after losing your mom in 2019—on the precipice of another cataclysmic event, the pandemic. How did you navigate the intersection of the art of cooking and grief and return to it after you lost your desire to cook?
Your mom truly sounds like an amazing woman. Everyone’s journey with grief is different, but grief is something that never really goes away completely. However, it eases a little each day with time. And I gave myself time to go through the various stages of grief and time to heal, though I’m still healing, in all honesty. I took a break from social media, etc., finding joy outside the kitchen. Sometimes, I would go to my favorite restaurants like Desta Ethiopian Kitchen (in my book, Salmon with Tomatoes & Red Onions, is inspired by them,) Upbeet, Antico Pizza, or La Fonda Latina and slowly worked my way back to cooking, creating dishes, until I could begin tasting the joy coming back to the food I would prepare.
Your cookbook is filled with vegetables. What has been your relationship with vegetables over the years? And what is your secret to making vegetables taste good?
I was the type of kid who never had to be swayed into eating all my vegetables to get dessert. So, when I decided to change my dietary lifestyle to more of a plant-forward approach, that transition was easy for me. Some vegetables taste good in their natural state, others need a little more attention. If so, I recommend a few things: 1) Season your vegetables well; salt, pepper, spices, herbs, fat, acids, etc. go a long way. 2) Char, grill, or caramelize them; sometimes, even the slightest bit can add depth or umami flavor to your vegetables. 3) Use sauces, pastes, condiments, and dressing/vinaigrettes to add flavor and take your dishes to the next level.
Listen to Braxton’s Supper with Love Playlist for more inspiration while you’re in the kitchen.