Mashama Bailey

"Food brings people together, but can it help heal the racial divide? At The Grey in Savannah, Georgia, a rising-star black woman chef and a food-obsessed white businessman are equal partners who're breaking barriers--one plate at a time. Black, White, and The Grey is a story about the mission, trials, and triumphs of two individuals who had little in common--except an obsession for great food--until they came together through an awakened determination...

Mashama shares the significance of water in the African American experience. She explains the dish's origins, then teaches you how to make seafood broth and middlins and how to prepare the shrimp and fish for final plating.

Mashama introduces you to the importance of gumbo and to Leah Chase, who popularized this preparation in New Orleans during Lent. She then demonstrates how the dish is cooked, including her methods of making a dark gumbo roux and charring okra.

Mashama explains the importance of pickling in Georgia and the significance of the McIntosh oyster in the Savannah economy. She then demonstrates how to create brining liquid and shuck and pickle an oyster before plating and presenting the dish.

Mashama describes the origins of succotash and explains why the inclusion of tomatoes truly makes it a Southern dish, as does the okra, a by-product of the slave trade. She demonstrates how the vegetables are cooked and integrated on the plate.

Mashama describes the deep connection between the people of Savannah and the water, and shares options for hand pie fillings. She details ingredients in the crust and steps to make the dough, then she shows you how to cook and fill the pies.