As featured in August 1997

Dishing Out History...

In and out of the kitchen with Chef Joe Randall

By Thomasine Mosley Williams

A man in full uniform enters the hotel's main ballroom in Washington, D.C. He is decked out in a two-piece white outfit outlined with an engaging kente cloth kerchief around his neck and a matching pencil-thin trim going down both sides on the front of his jacket. His white hat is fluted vertically, about 24 inches high with a 6-inch band at the bottom. He is a chef. Not just any chef. He is a chef who dishes out historyãin and out of the kitchen.

As he begins to speak, his voice has the quietness of a tamed Muhammad Ali, and the rasping of the trumpet player Miles Davis. He is about to expose the vestiges of time, and how important the field of gastronomy is in our lives, a mission that he has been on for most of his life.

At 50, Joe Randall is a veteran of 30 years in the hospitality and food service industry who has but one message: "Through food, we hope to culturally open the eyes of people who have been blind or just ignorant of our contributions."

His fight for recognition takes on two battle fronts. The first is to disavow the prevailing view of young African Americans who believe that food service careers are menial and dead-end. "They learned this largely as a result of tales told to them by folks in older generations," Randall says.

And secondly, to distinguish between the Anglo-Americanized version of African-American cooking and the "real thing" in our homes. "We must dispel the notion of the simple 'soul food-style cookery,' which is based on original Southern cuisine now enjoyed by populations outside our communities, and the food which is really being created and enjoyed in African-American communities," adds Randall.

"As early as the 1700s, African Americans were making their mark on the American culinary scene. They seemed particularly skilled at marrying the bounty of America with the simplicity of their home countries. It is well-documented that African-American cooking was highly regarded among people from the upper class," he remarks.

When enslaved Africans introduced African-American cuisine to this country some 300 years ago, its popular dishes included fried chicken and pork chops smothered with gravy, served with rice. Fresh greens were prepared with smoked meat for seasoning, and macaroni and cheese rounded out the table.

Historians have recorded that the services of George Washington's black slave and cook, known as Hannibal, were in demand and that he traveled extensively with the general and first president.

The third president, Thomas Jefferson, also had a black chef. His name was James Hemmings, who lived abroad in France with Jefferson. While in France, Hemmings studied classical French cuisine which made him the first chef of African descent to study in Europe.

As a food historian and promoter of African-American foods, Randall has studied the migration of his people from the South during the early decades of the 1900s. "African Americans migrated from the South by employment pipelines often set up by older relatives and business owners in the North," he says.

Jobs were booming in the food service and hospitality industry, which hasn't changed much since it is still the largest employer in the nation today.

Randall reminds us that sweets and desserts were meant to give us a happy diversion from the harshness of the realities of our ancestor's lives. "Big Mama, and countless other women like her, would labor to transform leftover ingredients like rice and stale bread, and fruits and whatever else was at hand, to serve us up those delicious cobblers and puddings that made life worthwhile," Randall says.

As founder and president of A Taste of Heritage Foundation, Randall has introduced African-American cuisine to radio and television audiences, sustained budding chefs, and given scholarships to this generation's culinary students in the field of gastronomy. And now the world can find his expertise on the Internet (see below).

Raised in Pennsylvania, Joseph Randall began his culinary career under the tutelage of his uncle, Richard Ross, who was a Pittsburgh restauranteur and caterer. He went on to complete apprenticeships under Harrisburger Hotel chef Robert W. Lee and Penn Harris Hotel chef Frank Castelli.

One of his greatest joys was during his stay in California. "I developed recipes and menus from Norm Nixon and Brad Johnson at their Los Angeles theme restaurant known as Georgia. I was able to establish authentic food around African-American cuisine." His work is a family affair. His wife, Barbara, and their children often travel with him as he lectures, guides, and advises others in the practical aspects of food quality, and profitable food service operations.

Recently, at the Philadelphia Benjamin Franklin Multicultural Center on the campus of Cheney State University in Pennsylvania, he prepared the State Dinner for the university's president, and the next day held a career day demonstration on campus hosted by hospitality manager, Bill Williams.

Randall has dedicated his life to professional excellence, which has earned him respect from professional chefs, food distributors, and culinary experts.

Along the way, honors have included the Distinguished Service from the National Institute for the Food Service Industry, and Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals for culinary competitions. He is proud of the 1995 honor -- a Lifetime Leadership Award -- for his efforts to advance the culinary contributions of African-American chefs by the Culinary Institute of America's Black Culinary Alumni.

As we approach the third millennium and the celebration of the 200th anniversary of cookbook publishing, Randall has a book on the horizon -- A Taste of Heritage: A New African-American Cuisine (Macmillan, 1998). The book will showcase numerous African-American chefs and their exquisite recipes.

This August Randal and his partner, Joseph Kennedy, will open their Heritage House Restaurant, located at 5507 Reisterstown Road in Baltimore, Maryland. The full-service, white tablecloth restaurant will feature authentic southern cuisine. Also, Randall's Smokehouse Cafe (located within the same building), will feature down home barbecue and smoked meats, catfish, chicken, ribs, beef brisket, and beef back ribs. For more information, call (410) 358-5230.

From Sept. 26 to Sept. 28, Joe Randall will host a three-day Taste of Heritage Foundation National Conference in Washington, D.C., for anyone interested in the art of African-American cuisine. For information on the cooking demonstrations and panel discussions offered at the conference, contact the Taste of Heritage Foundation, 1730 K Street, NW, Suite 304, Washington, DC 20006, or call (202) 508-3388 or fax (202) 331-3759.

At year's end, he will be in Williamsburg, Virginia, at Tressel's to serve some delicacies featured in the upcoming book.

He has told audiences that "In New Orleans, they don't care about the rules...they break them all." Joseph Randall is changing the rules and giving them new meaning and dignity as he breaks new ground in one of the oldest and largest workforces in America.

Related articles:

Reflections of the family's dinner table leads to "An Elegant Taste of Heritage" dinner

Internet Food Channel interview with Chef Joe Randall

Chef Joe Randall article for Internet Food Channel

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