Our South

Chef Ashleigh Shanti takes readers on a culinary journey through the microregions of the American South specific to her upbringing and life. Her unique perspective as a Black, queer, female chef, combined with her familial roots, has led her to become an expert in this unexplored subject. In this book, Ashleigh explores five regions; Backcountry (Black Appalachia South), Lowcountry (Gullah-Geechee), Midlands (The Black Agricultual Mecca), Lowlands (the dishes from Ashleigh's Coastal Virginia childhood), and Homeland (the food she cooks today). Ashleigh invites everyone to have a seat at her table, with the hope that her recipes expose you to dishes you've never tried before, or you find dishes that remind you of home.