One of America’s authorities on Southern food history is coming to Charlotte

Michael Twitty always has something interesting to say, whether it’s his new book “The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South” (illustrated by Rock Hill’s Stephen Crotts, by the way) or his stands on the ownership issues in Southern food.

“The Cooking Gene” was recently included in Smithsonian magazine’s list of the 10 best books about food in 2017. And if you read our recent story on the role of macaroni & cheese in African-American Thanksgiving celebrations, Twitty also has written on that, on his blog and last year in The Washington Post.

You’ll get several chances to hear Twitty saying a lot of things next week in Charlotte:

▪ He’s the star of a guest-chef dinner at The Asbury from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Twitty and Asbury executive chef Matthew Krenz will collaborate on a menu using recipes from “The Cooking Gene.” Tickets are $109 and include a copy of the book, plus wine and spirit pairings. Reservations are required; call 704-342-1193 or find information on Facebook.

▪ On Monday night from 6-8 p.m., St. Peter’s Episcopal Church will host a discussion and Q&A with Twitty. This one is free and the public is welcome to attend.

▪ And finally, Twitty, Krenz and myself will all be guests on “Charlotte Talks” on WFAE on Tuesday morning from 9 to 10 a.m.

This story was originally published November 21, 2017 at 1:28 PM with the headline "One of America’s authorities on Southern food history is coming to Charlotte."