Grace the Table: Stories and Recipes from My Southern Revival

This is a book that's passionate about food and culture--one that is unique to America. Like southern France, the American South has contributed so much to the national cuisine (some would argue that it IS the national cuisine). This book is a celebration of how family,food, and community can make art.

Whether you're looking for a collection of colorful short stories flavored with recipes or an array of creative recipes tossed with life stories, pick up GRACE THE TABLE by Alexander Smalls. Sharing personal and family intimacies along with familiar and foreign dishes, Smalls introduces us to his world and lovingly guides us to and through all it offered him. From South Carolina to Germany, readers follow Smalls as he follows his singing passion and steadily amasses dishes and culinary techniques to tempt and satisfy even the ficklest of taste buds. Serving as an autobiography and a cookbook, GRACE THE TABLE is just as educational as it is entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed how Smalls began by centering the chapters on featured dishes and who he saw preparing them. He has written some quite enjoyable stories based on those people, delving into their lives and their role in his life. Each chapter could stand alone as a short story, a story stocked with mouthwatering descriptions that will make you want to run down to the kitchen and whip up the dish just to see what all the fuss is about. I did try out a few of the recipes. Mmmm mmmm! There are some crazy dishes in here, like a few of the low country recipes in chapter 5 where Aunt Daisy stirs up some surprises with fish heads and rabbits. Yet, however unusual the dish, the recipes are clear and easy to follow. Reading this book was difficult at times because the passionate way Smalls describes food just kidnaps your senses and transplants you to where he is, be it Sparkle City or Paris. Aside from being a successful chef and an excellent opera singer, Smalls also proves to be a fantastic storyteller. His writing style is easy, flowing in a manner that politely demands your attention while convincing you that what he has to say is worth listening to. And it is. There are recipes here for everything from the "basics" like macaroni and cheese and cinnamon toast to the extravagant like spaghetti e Pomodoro with garlic, basil, and olive oil and spicy lamb loaf with currants. And there are stories which are just as delicious to go with each recipe. One of the things I love about Smalls is that he says recipes are just a basic outline; it's up to the cook to add the panache! This nontraditional cookbook is an added bonus for any reader and any chef. (RAW Rating: 4.5) Reviewed by Natasha T. of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

This was well written! I could almost smell the food as he described the meals, not only what they ate, but how the food was prepared, the moods of the people preparing the food.I was reminded of the movie Soul Food and the connection between family, friends, and our love affair with good, well-prepared meals. I even tried his recipe for fried chicken and I got rave reviews from my family. He's led an extraordinary life, one that adds to the notion that African-Americans are truly multi-facted people. The combination of Soul Food and Opera is one that doesn't come to mind immediately, but Alexander Smalls expands our thinking and shows us that anything is possible with enough drive and determination.Well worth reading!!

...with the extra added flair that this author /chef brings through his "magic hand" and colorful adventures in the U.S. and abroad. The reader is regaled with sumptuous feasts created by him and shared with family and friends (many famous in their own right). The imagery conjured up is that of pure delight - of people who not only enjoy food, but love life! Pure joy! (and the recipes work too!)

This wonderful book transported me to an delicious world with incredible new sights, sounds and (literally) tastes. To be a part of Mr. Smalls adventures from a small southern town to the prominent people and stages of the world.This book allows you to get inside Mr. Small's mind and experience his journey along with him. The only problem is that I didn't want the book to stop! I've read it twice and have been an absolute hit at dinner parties with the recipes from the book. I've bought this book for friends and always get a great response as well as edible treats in reply. I recommend this book to anyonewho relishes food, adventure and family.