Soul food originated in Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama, in the deep south of America. Enslaved African people were given food in rations and little nutritional value during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. 

During this time of struggle and survival, the enslaved people took the food they were given (usually only “undesirable cuts of meat”). They adapted their traditional recipes and food traditions into the food made with love that everyone enjoys today. Soul food serves as a reminder of the African culture and the traumatic history of Black Americans being enslaved for centuries. 

​

Soul food dishes often include rice, okra, pork, greens, watermelon, and coffee – foods brought from Africa. Traditional foods were mixed with European foods resulting in dishes such as macaroni and cheese. However, the term “soul food” originated in the 1960s, growing into a movement when Sylvia Wood opened her iconic restaurant leading to her being called “the queen of soul food.” 

​

The rich culture of Black American soul food grew as cooks and chefs served these meals at church gatherings and saved the best for Sunday dinners. Fried chicken, cornbread, sweet potato pie, black-eyed peas, banana pudding, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and fried catfish are just foods that evolved from these traditions. 

​

Here at Bee Soulful, we honor those who came before us, we hold in our hearts the struggles and suffering they had to endure, and we cook our soul food with love and respect this food tradition deserves.