Vesta's Table ~ A Food Blog

A conversation with Chef Andrew Wong and Anthropologist/food historian Dr.Mukta Das.

Given Oakland’s diversity and history as a migration hub for Black people in the 1930s and 1940s, he says the town is a perfect spot to forge a new interpretation of Black food, weaving in Vietnamese, Mexican, and Filipino ingredients. “Kind of in the same way Creole food got made by forcing all these people together, [with] respect for their techniques and ingredients — they all become one food that’s no longer fusion anymore,” he says.

'In the west, what was once considered taboo or ill-mannered has now become run of the mill: “finger food” exists as an entire category of culinary delights, and it is considered normal to eat certain foods with hands.'

Pawpaws are having something of a moment these days. Throughout the fruit’s native range—it grows wild in twenty-six states, including most of the South and as far north as Michigan—craft brewers are making pawpaw beer and ale. You can find pawpaw ice cream in high-end restaurants.