Therese Nelson on Muck Rack

Therese Nelson

(She/Her)
New York
As seen in: Black Culinary History, Allrecipes, The Kitchn, Southern Living Magazine, EatingWell, First We Feast, TASTE Cooking
Covers:  Black Identity, Black Foodways, Professional Cooking, African Atlantic Foodways, American Dining, Culinary History
Chef. Writer. Podcast Host. Steward of Black Culinary History.
Back to Therese Nelson’s profile

Therese Nelson’s Journalist Portfolio

View as a grid

The book "High on the Hog" nourished me as a Black chef when "New American Cuisine" had no place ...

The book "High on the Hog" nourished me as a Black chef when "New American Cuisine" had no place ...

The Counter — When even other Black chefs said I had to go French or Italian to make it, Jessica B. Harris' writing taught me the centrality of Black creativity and labor to U.S. cookery. Photo caption: Black minds-and hands-made this country's cuisine what it is today. But chef Therese Nelson didn't get that education in culinary school.
Who shared?

Maroon: Musings on Fugitivity

Maroon: Musings on Fugitivity

Sandwich: The African Scramble Vol 4 — Black foodways is a fugitive space that offers cultural respite from the rest of the world and this essay explores how professional cooking can be more than a vocation, but a critical battleground for personhood.
View PDF Who shared?

Cookbooks, Not Restaurants, Are Giving Black Foodways An Identity

Cookbooks, Not Restaurants, Are Giving Black Foodways An Identity

TASTE — I remember the first time I ever heard Etta James Sing "At Last." I'd never really understood the blues on an elemental level before, but when I heard her sorrow and her raw humanity in those honest words, I understood instantly the power of the form.
Who shared?

Hot Sauce in My Veins

Hot Sauce in My Veins

TASTE — A few years ago, Beyoncé made an offhand comment in a lyric extolling the virtues of readily available hot sauce. It was a subtle wink and nod to black folks affirming a very real part of our foodways.
Who shared?

The Origins and Traditions of Kwanzaa-Plus the Delicious Ways People Celebrate Today

The Origins and Traditions of Kwanzaa-Plus the Delicious Ways People Celebrate Today

Eating Well — Kwanzaa is a holiday that evolves with the times and has a particular resonance in this era of social change. Kwanzaa is a seven-day holiday that starts on December 26 and ends on January 1. It is one of my favorite holidays, right up there with Juneteenth, because it's a time of year that offers a clear and intentional space to celebrate Black culture.
Who shared?

She Rewrote the History of American Cooking

She Rewrote the History of American Cooking

TASTE — Toni Tipton-Martin introduced the forgotten founders of black cooking. Now she’s showing us what they cooked.
Who shared?

Michael Twitty Wants Us to Savor the South Through Rice

Michael Twitty Wants Us to Savor the South Through Rice

The Kitchn — We independently select these products-if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. I met Michael Twitty in 2011 when he launched what he called his Southern Discomfort Tour. This completely community-sourced research project took him across the American South to find his familial lineage on the sites of the plantations on which his ancestors were enslaved.
Who shared?

The Story of Georgia Gilmore: This Montgomery, Alabama Cook Helped Fund the Civil Rights Movement

The Story of Georgia Gilmore: This Montgomery, Alabama Cook Helped Fund the Civil Rights Movement

Southern Living — In searching for the legacy of Georgia Gilmore, you will find the soul of American cuisine. It's 1955 and Montgomery, Alabama, is embroiled in its legendary bus boycotts. These events would come to represent the epicenter of the civil rights movement, where some of the most transformative, if not yet fully realized, laws were fought and died for.
Who shared?

The Life-Affirming Blackness of Southern Cakes and Pies

The Life-Affirming Blackness of Southern Cakes and Pies

TASTE — Dolester Miles winning the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef is the culmination of a long road traveled for African-American pastry chefs.
Who shared?

My Crush on George Washington Carver

My Crush on George Washington Carver

TASTE — A botanist, chemist, professor, and tireless advocate for African-American empowerment, he was the Beyoncé of the early 20th-century scientific community.
Who shared?

The New Agenda of Black Chefs in America

The New Agenda of Black Chefs in America

First We Feast — I am BLACK. I luxuriate in my blackness. From my hair, to my art, to my politics, I live a life steeped to the marrow of my bones in the fullness of the black experience in America.
Who shared?

6 Black Cooks and Writers Pay Tribute to the Culinary Heroes Who Shaped Their Food Journeys

6 Black Cooks and Writers Pay Tribute to the Culinary Heroes Who Shaped Their Food Journeys

Allrecipes — In 2008, I was in the middle of a mini-career crisis. The economy was down turning, and I began asking myself serious questions about my priorities. It wasn't just that I didn't see a clear pathway for the next phase of my career, but I felt disconnected from the purpose I thought I had just eight years earlier when I first committed to a culinary life.
Who shared?

Black Culinary History Year in Review 2015

Black Culinary History Year in Review 2015

Kwanzaa Culinarians — When I thought about what I wanted to contribute to this year's Kwanzaa Culinarians collection I knew immediately that I wanted to talk about Ujimaa. It's a favorite principle of mine because it suggests that if we recognize the stake we each have in our collective success then...
Who shared?

Out of Our Past

Out of Our Past

Kwanzaa Culinarians — "We begin with history" - Dr. Nikky Finney, Nation al Book Awards opening line from her 2011 Acceptance Speech In preparing for this year's Kwanzaa Culinarians, I reread some of my favorite books. Dr. Nikky Finney's "Head Off and Split" and "Rice", Dr. Jessica B. Harris' "High on the Hog", and Adrian Miller's "Soul Food:...
Who shared?

An Ode to Carver and a Chance to Win a Prize from Peanut Butter and Co.

An Ode to Carver and a Chance to Win a Prize from Peanut Butter and Co.

Kwanzaa Culinarians — I have to admit that I have a huge historical crush on George Washington Carver. I love the spirit he brought to his life and his work. He was an artist first and had a way of connecting to the beauty in seemingly simple things...
Who shared?

Actions

Share this page

Is this you?

As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile

Get in touch with Therese

Contact Therese, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.

Learn more about Muck Rack
 •  Privacy  •  Terms  •  Security and Legal  •   •   •   • 

© 2026 Muck Rack

SOC 2® Certified