The Hub Entertainment Watch List: Searching For Soul Food
Good food has been known to make people happy and even bring people together. Of course, there is a wide variety of food categories, but soul food in particular manages to communicate a story of both struggle and triumph. The term did not become popular until the 1960s, but the meals associated with soul food have a history dated much further back and it was rooted in American slavery. Chef Alisa Reynolds decided to pack her bags and travel across the world to find soul food in other cultures. Reynolds’ quest led to the creation of the Onyx Collective series, Searching For Soul Food.
The eight-episode series debuted in June and takes viewers along on a journey to learn what soul food looks like around the world. Chef Alisa makes sure the audience knows that she is culinary trained but rooted in soul food. The show kicks off with a stop in Mississippi as Chef Alisa goes back to her roots to uncover the origins and legacy of this beloved food genre. Her second visit was to Oklahoma where she met with Native Americans to learn about traditional dishes that have withstood the test of time. The celebrity chef continued to make a stop in Appalachia where she bypassed stereotypes and was able to get a true taste of the region.
After making several stops in the U.S. Chef Alisa took her search abroad to Cape Town, South Africa. This visit was packed with rich food and history that is marked by its troubled past with apartheid. She also visited Italy to learn how a dish – pizza – once enjoyed by the country’s poorest residents became a meal enjoyed by foodies everywhere.
Chef Alisa continues her journey, which takes her to Jamaica. In addition to learning about the practices of Rastafarianism, Chef Alisa was able to indulge in iconic food items such as jerk chicken and enjoy a meal crafted in an open kitchen by Belinda Gray, a popular cook tucked away in the hillside of Portland Parish. After spending time in the Caribbean, viewers follow Chef Alisa to Lima, Peru where she is able to sample new foods in a local market and shine a spotlight on Peruvian cuisine.
With seven stops under her belt, the traveling chef returned back to the United States and took a special look at the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles was Chef Alisa’s final stop on the voyage and it is also where her restaurant, My 2 Cents, is located. The restaurant prides itself on offering food “fresh from the soil to your soul.”
Individuals interested in watching the series can check it out on Hulu. Episodes range in length from 22 to 27 minutes, making it a fairly easy binge-watch option.
