Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South

Filled with the stories, traditions, ingredients, and recipes that define and celebrate the South, Deep Run Roots is the definitive record of modern Southern food through Vivian Howard's eyes. It weaves the story of her life through twenty-five chapters on the ingredients that make the food of Eastern North Carolina--and all of the South--so special, and shares more than 225 classic and contemporary recipes along the way. There is a dish in every chapter for cooks of every level of skill and interest. With tradition as the starting point, the recipes grow in complexity from simple things to make on a weeknight to more elaborate dishes served at Vivian's restaurants. In the summer, when her walk-in is flooded with blueberries, she makes Blueberry BBQ Chicken, Crispy Corn Cakes with Blueberry Corn Salsa, and Buttermilk Blueberry Sherbet. In the winter, when crates of turnips overrun the restaurant, she makes Seared Sea Scallops, Turnip and Butternut Agrodolce, Cider Braised Pork Shank with Roast Turnip Gremolata, and Potlikker Soup and Sweet Potato Cream. This book is Vivian's love letter to the South, preserving and reinterpreting the traditional foodways of her home.

“You won't find a fried chicken recipe anywhere in [ Deep Run Roots' ] 570 pages...Vivian has the opportunity to redefine the cuisine of her region. -- Vice Munchies”

"A refreshing update of rural North Carolina's traditional foods."--Better Homes and Gardens "Howard's book is a big, gorgeous example of an approach to food that gets to the heart of the recent love-fest for southern cooking. Farm to table is the real deal here, and Howard organized Deep Run Roots the way she determined the menu for her restaurant, Chef and the Farmer-by ingredient-in order to focus on what is fresh and local throughout the year."--Omnivoracious "Vivian Howard offers a tome for cooking in the New South-a place where myriad cultures and a modern sensibility build on a rich culinary tradition.... This is big picture South."--Star Chefs "Award-winning chef and PBS show host Vivian Howard's new cookbook is a deep dive into Southern food. Rather than publishing a few well-known recipes from this region and that, Howard focuses on the ingredients and techniques that have sustained her native North Carolina for generations. Get your hands on this hefty tome and prepare to see the Tar Heel State as never before."--Food Republic "Readers will enjoy Howard's clever, warm writing as much as her recipes."--The Advocate "There are recipes for every meal and occasion--for beginners to more experienced cooks--and plenty of practical tips... it's truly a year-round resource."--Try Small Things "Clocking in at 576 pages, with 200 recipes organized by ingredients that define the region around her hometown of Deep Run, NC, Deep Run Roots is a deliciously ambitious volume that doubles as biography and cookbook... Howard gives us a feel for who she is."--Wendell Brock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "There are more than 200 recipes and they appeal to anyone with an interest in cooking."--Savannah Morning News "[Deep Run Roots] is no ordinary cookbook.... The reader who finishes these chapters about foods will also have read Vivian Howard's memoir."--Richmond County Daily Journal "In Deep Run Roots... [Howard] introduces readers to the foods of her world, explaining butter beans and calling cheesy grit fritters the Southern brother to arancini while giving insight into the difference between turnip eaters and collard eaters. It's regional and Southern, with a thoughtful approach elevated by ingredients and technique."--Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel "Lucky for us, [Vivian's] decided to share the experience of growing up in a Southern farm community via passed-down tales and crowd-pleasing recipes."--Modern Farmer "She's been doing something right.... Howard's ability to make us identify with the person behind the chef's apron makes her vision of exploring the South one ingredient at a time a vital one."--Nashville Scene "Howard likes to keep the focus on the farmers and the 'unsung heroes' of Southern food... [and] ties her food and her roots in North Carolina together.... Howard is looking toward new culinary horizons."--Lexington Herald-Leader "With a straight-forward, personal tone, it's hard not to come away charmed as well as enlightened."--The Charlotte News & Observer "Vivian Howard can write as well as she cooks... [with] endearing, revealing honesty... it's the writing in the book that should be the real star of the show-a book entirely written by a working chef, mother, and TV star all without the help of a ghost writer."--Charleston City Paper "A love letter to [Vivian Howard's] culinary backyard."--Forbes "The Southern chef and A Chef's Life star gives you a reason to love eastern North Carolina. More than 200 reasons, in fact, including fried yams with five-spice maple bacon candy and cucumber crab dip. Each recipe shows just how tuned in Howard is to Southern cuisine traditions, and her stories will leave you homesick--wherever you're from."--Tasting Table "An intriguing story of reconnecting with family and rediscovering ingredients such as turnips, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peaches, and collards. Home cooks of all skill levels will devour Howard's recipes...whose appeal goes far beyond that of typical Southern fare. A standout collection of regional Southern foods, both simple and restaurant-worthy."--Library Journal "It's rare that reminiscences and recipes mix holistically in one book. Remember, though, that . . . Howard hails from North Carolina, where a penchant for storytelling is in everyone's DNA. . . . A must-read compendium of wisdom."--Booklist (starred review) "In this outstanding debut... fans of Southern cooking will find plenty of catfish, corn cakes, cast-iron skillet dishes, and cooking-with-Grandma stories--but it's not all biscuits and gravy... Going beyond the glories of grits, Howard's text is storytelling at its best, rich in mouthwatering detail and reminiscences... This tribute to her family roots is destined to become an enduring classic."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Sandwiched amid the fine culinary writing are many delicious recipes... Howard is happily unafraid to offer her readers shortcuts, such as already-shelled raw peanuts or Uncle Ben's rice.... For 10 years, [Vivian's] honesty and authenticity have been on display at her restaurants and on TV. Her new book shows them off, too."--The Washington Post "You won't find a fried chicken recipe anywhere in [Deep Run Roots'] 570 pages...Vivian has the opportunity to redefine the cuisine of her region."--Vice Munchies "The first lady of Carolina cooking.... Howard has been restoring Kinston's soul."--Saveur "Chef and television star Vivian Howard can now add cookbook author to her impressive resume. Deep Run Roots focuses on her brand of Southern food and country cooking, both from her home and from her acclaimed Kinston, NC restaurant, Chef and the Farmer. These are compelling recipes, like fried yams paired with five-spice maple bacon and fried okra updated with a tempura batter. There are over 200 recipes and, remarkably, each has a photo."--Hillary Dixler, Eater "[One of] our favorite new cookbooks... Vivian Howard overdelivers on the comfort food of her Southern home with drippy, crunchy, tangy dishes for every season."--Food and Wine "My favorite cookbook of the season--the one doomed to the most splatters--is Vivian Howard's Deep Run Roots... Howard cooks with what can only be called wit... but also magnificent heart.... [It] will keep your soul fed for weeks."--Jonathan Miles, Garden & Gun "The book reads like a memoir, with lengthy and lush descriptions of Howard's hometown thoughts...I was prepared to pick this book based on the story... alone.... Certifiably delicious... [and] Howard's voice is folksy and endearing, and I loved her stories about her family and the Piggly Wiggly-and I wanted very badly for her to be cooking instead of me.... Gorgeously photographed, with [an] encouraging, warm voice, and scores of enticing recipes."--Emma Straub, Food52 "[Vivian's] warm banana pudding is a dream come true."--Bon Appetit "A comprehensive, thoughtful study of the food and culture of North Carolina's coastal plain."--The New York Times "This is an epic work of art.... It is stunning. It is so beautiful. And what I love best about this book is the storytelling. It's such a vivid work."--Rachael Ray One of the Best Cookbooks of 2016--The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Amazon, Food & Wine, Saveur, People, USA Today, Garden & Gun, Eater, Cherry Bombe, Tasting Table, Nashville Scene, Epicurious, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Library Journal, Sun News, Star Chefs, Food Republic "There are recipes for every meal and occasion-for beginners to more experienced cooks-and plenty of practical tips... it's truly a year-round resource as it celebrates regional ingredients." Try Small Things" One of the Most Exciting Cookbooks of 2016--Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, People, Garden & Gun, Eater, Tasting Table, and Epicurious "This is an epic work of art.... It is stunning. It is so beautiful. And what I love best about this book is the storytelling. It's such a vivid work." Rachael Ray" One of the Most Exciting Cookbooks of 2016--Bon Appetit, People, Garden & Gun, Eater, Tasting Table, and Epicurious "The first lady of Carolina cooking. . . . Howard has been restoring [its] soul." Saveur" One of the Most Exciting Cookbooks of the Season--People, Eater, Tasting Table, and Epicurious

Vivian Howard is the owner and chef of acclaimed restaurant Chef and the Farmer in the small town of Kinston, NC, fifteen miles from her home of Deep Run. Before the restaurant opened in 2006, she trained under Wylie Dufresne and Sam Mason at WD-50 and later was a member of the opening team at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market. She created and stars in the award-winning PBS series A Chef's Life, which is in its third season.

Vivian Howard, star of PBS's A Chef's Life, celebrates the flavors of North Carolina's coastal plain in more than 200 recipes and stories. This new classic of American country cooking proves that the food of Deep Run, North Carolina -- Vivian's home -- is as rich as any culinary tradition in the world. Organized by ingredient with dishes suited to every skill level, from beginners to confident cooks, Deep Run Roots features time-honored simple preparations alongside extraordinary meals from her acclaimed restaurant Chef and the Farmer. Home cooks will find photographs for every single recipe. Ten years ago, Vivian opened Chef and the Farmer and put the nearby town of Kinston on the culinary map. But in a town paralyzed by recession, she couldn't hop on every new culinary trend. Instead, she focused on rural development: If you grew it, she'd buy it. Inundated by local sweet potatoes, blueberries, shrimp, pork, and beans, Vivian learned to cook the way generations of Southerners before her had, relying on resourcefulness, creativity, and the traditional ways of preserving food. Deep Run Roots is the result of years of effort to discover the riches of Eastern North Carolina. Like The Fannie Farmer Cookbook , The Art of Simple Food , and The Taste of Country Cooking before it, this is landmark work of American food writing. Recipes include: Family favorites like Blueberry BBQ Chicken Creamed Collard-Stuffed Potatoes Fried Yams with Five-Spice Maple Bacon Candy Chicken and Rice Country-Style Pork Ribs in Red Curry-Braised Watermelon Show-stopping desserts like Warm Banana Pudding, Peaches and Cream Cake, Spreadable Cheesecake, and Pecan-Chewy Pie. You'll also find 200 more quick breakfasts, weeknight dinners, holiday centerpieces, seasonal preserves, and traditional preparations for all kinds of cooks.

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