The Legacy is in the Soil: An Evening with CheFarmer Matthew Raiford

The UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) and Bookshop Santa Cruz present a book talk and signing event with CheFarmer Matthew Raiford, farmer, chef, and graduate of the CASFS Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture. 

Raiford will discuss his new cookbook, Bress ‘n’ Nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth-Generation Farmer, a collection of 100 heirloom recipes from the dynamic chef and farmer working the lands of his great-great-great grandfather at Gilliard Farms in coastal Georgia. This groundbreaking and beautiful cookbook pays homage to the cuisine that nurtured Raiford’s family for seven generations and traces a history of community and family brought together by food.

Gullah Geechee food is an essential cuisine of American history. It is the culinary representation of the ocean, rivers, and rich fertile loam in and around the coastal South. From the Carolinas to Georgia and Florida, this is where descendants of enslaved Africans came together to make extraordinary food, speaking the African Creole language called Gullah Geechee. In this groundbreaking and beautiful cookbook, Matthew Raiford pays homage to this cuisine that nurtured his family for seven generations

CheFarmer Raiford will be available to sign books following the event. The book talk and signing will be outdoors at the UCSC Cowell Ranch Hay Barn, 94 Ranchview Rd. Free Parking in lots 115/116: follow Campus signage and cross the street to the Hay Barn

All visitors to UC Santa Cruz, including employees and students, must complete the COVID-19 symptom check questionnaire 24 hours prior to coming to campus the day of the event. Please bring proof of your email release to come to campus on a print out or mobile device.  All visitors, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a face covering while indoors.

The ticket package is $45 and includes one ticket for entry and one copy of Bress ‘n’ Nyam. 

More information and registration at casfs.ucsc.edu and bookshopsantacruz.com