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.

Bress 'n' Nyam

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.

Matthew Raiford grew up breaking the dirt and trading crookneck squash for sweet potatoes, raising hogs and chickens, and only going to the grocery store for sundries. A chef, certified ecological horticulturist, veteran, and owner of Gilliard Farms, Raiford was named a 2018 James Beard Award semifinalist and has been featured in the New York Times, Bon Appetit, and Southern Living.

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

CheFarmer Raiford will be available to sign books following the event.

All UC Santa Cruz visitors/employees/students must complete the COVID-19 symptom check questionnaire prior to coming to campus the day of the event. Details to follow with the event confirmation.