Emily Meggett Embodied the Beauty of Gullah Geechee Life and Cuisine
The beloved South Carolina chef, who passed away in April, taught generations how to not just enjoy food, but respect its true origins.
It struck me that during my first meeting with Emily Meggett — a meeting in which she was supposed to be vetting me, a first-time cookbook collaborator, to essentially write her remarkable life story and recount her life’s work — her primary concern was making sure I had enough to eat. She’d prepared a full spread, complete with fried shrimp paired with her lauded pink sauce, fried chicken, and various casseroles. It would set the stage for the remainder of our time together — two years that would include a bounty of seafood dishes and days spent chatting on her porch, overlooking her front yard in Edisto Island.
In April, Mrs. Emily (as she was affectionately called by most who knew her) … Read more