After college, chef Stephanie Tyson wanted to leave her Southern roots behind her and start life anew in the North. She left North Carolina for New York with hopes to become an actress, but things did not quite work out as planned.
After a few years of wandering, she went to culinary school, and spent time working in some “bougie” restaurants. She eventually realized that she wanted to reconnect with her Southern roots and cook food that celebrated her Southern heritage. She came back home for good and she and her partner, Vivian Joiner, opened the restaurant Sweet Potatoes in Winston-Salem.
Host Frank Stasio talks with Tyson about the story behind her acclaimed restaurant and her new book “Soul Food Odyssey” that looks at her journey to understand the food her grandmother called ‘sump’n-ta-eat'.
Tyson will be talking about her book this Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Literary Bookpost in Salisbury and this Saturday at 4 p.m. at Barnes & Nobles in Winston-Salem.
