Freedom Flavors

Chef-owners of Honeysuckle Provisions in Philadelphia, Cybille St.Aude-Tate and Omar Tate share a Juneteenth menu that celebrates a rich amalgam of traditions.

- OMAR TATE

Salad Russe Caribbean foods reflect the influence of European and African traditions. That's how a creamy "Russian" potato salad evolved into a beloved Haitian dish. This pink-hued spin combines pickled beets, sweet pickle relish, eggs, carrots, and potatoes. Black-Eyed Pea Hummus In the café, we swap chickpeas for purple-eyed peas (a cousin of the black-eyed pea) and add bay leaf, thyme, and miso for a unique savory flavor. Various field peas, such as the purpleand black-eyed peas, were transported from West Africa to the Americas by way of the transatlantic slave trade.

Black culture is food, and food invites people into a conversation with one another and with history. Cybille's and my family business is a neighborhood café, but we also see it as a place to share a bigger story for people to consume, more than just food. The food is a conduit of truth, and our space is an arena for exchanging stories and ideas.