chef in residence x moko tottenham
aug 2023 - july 2024
the good people at jumbi peckham let me loose in the kitchen of their north london hi fi listening bar celebrating the sounds and flavours of the african - caribbean diaspora. for a whole year we brought modern vegan soul food to london foodies, introducing the rich culinary history and traditions of Black american foodways that have long been overlooked and misrepresented. thank you to the management team, owners, foh team, my suppliers and my incredible kitchen team for all of the blood, sweat and tears you poured into this project! from being named one of the best vegan restaurants in london by time out to winning the uber eats black business fund we had a whirlwind of a year. i was equal parts exhausted and exhilarated every single day, met some amazing wonderful people and got a chance to really explore and refine my practice. we sold over 2000 rude boy sandwiches and an immeasurable amount of mac n cheese and delivered some incredible collaborative events along the way.
so what do we mean by modern vegan soul food?
soul food originated in the american south in the 1800s and has become a core part of the black american collective identity. the term was coined in the 1960s, amidst the black power movement and the black arts movement that ushered in a renaissance of black creativity, community, resistance and radical black imagination.
the belief by many that soul food is unhealthy, uninspiring and low quality is an egregious misrepresentation of the range and possibility of the cuisine. with this menu i hope to tell the story of soul food through delicious plant forward dishes that nourish the mind, body and soul, and introduce london to the unique flavour combinations that have been noticeably missing from its food scene.
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a note on authenticity:
i was born and raised in london, to a black american mother and a mixed jamaican and english father, and this cultural mixing is reflected in the dishes that i create. while i strive to always stay true to the essence of the traditional dishes, it is also important to me to highlight those additional influences. thus, on this menu, the louisiana po’boy sandwich becomes a rude boy, using fresh coco bread from rainbow bakery in dalston instead of new orleans french bread and reflecting both my own jamaican heritage and the significance of the caribbean community on london’s food culture. to me, this is not fusion food - using what is local and available is an important and defining element of soul food.
one more thing... soul food is not suddenly worthy just because it is plant based and health conscious. plant based just happens to be my journey. soul food in all its forms is an expression of joy, survival, community and nourishment. remember to give thanks to the ancestors with every bite!
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the key components of soul food
soul food is more than chitlins and collard greens, ham hocks and black-eyed peas. soul food is about a people who have a lot of heart and soul.
- vertamae smart grosvenor, culinary anthropologist and “vibrational cook”
THE HOLY TRINITY
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onions, bell pepper and celery - the typical flavour base for cajun and louisiana creole cooking. similar to a mirepoix in french cooking (carrots, onions and celery) or the sofrito found in mediterranean and latin american dishes (garlic, onion, peppers). it is typical to add “the pope” (garlic), alongside cayenne, bay leaves and thyme. cajun and creole cooking are distinct from traditional soul food but have similar roots and influences and belong to the legacy of black american foodways.