Campus chefs celebrate soul food

If you need comfort, try the brand new soul food recipes at Houston Market.

In honor of Black History Month, the executive chef for Houston Market, Christopher Smith, and the sous chef, Kohri Thomas — both employed by Bon Appetit — began creating “soul food recipes.” They are inspired by Patrick Clark, a famous black chef.

This initiative will continue through the month of March.

The program is meant both to honor Clark and to raise awareness about the black population around the world and at Penn, according to Smith.

“Kohri and I believe his story should be told, not just from a culinary aspect but from the person he was. He was not only passionate about food but he was passionate about his family,” Smith said.

“It’s a good idea to expose more people who wouldn’t be exposed to black culture as much,” Nursing freshman Samantha Anderson said. “I haven’t actually eaten it, but I think it’s a good idea.”

This month, the staff at Houston Market has served Clark’s barbecue ribs served with spicy coleslaw and buttermilk chili corn muffins, as well as other Smith and Thomas original dishes, such as southern fried chicken with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and blackened catfish with baked macaroni and cheese and braised string beans.

These dishes are located at the station titled “Hemispheres” in the Houston Market.

When Smith and Thomas decide what food to prepare, they factor in which cuisines were popular in the past, Smith said.

“It’s not like how my momma makes it at all, but it’s a good attempt,” Nursing freshman Spencer Stubbs said.

This celebration of culture through cuisine will continue in the upcoming months, according to Smith and Thomas.

“We are looking to do Cinco de Mayo and usually we switch to a different cuisine every two weeks,” Smith said. “In the future, we look to expand on the different cuisines we offer.”

Some cuisines that are offered at Houston are familiar to Penn’s diverse student body, which adds to their popularity, Smith added.

“This is definitely something we want to do annually,” Smith said.

Many students have not heard about the initiative.

“I didn’t know anything about it. Maybe if they had advertised more, more people would have been interested in trying the food,” College senior Tatini Datta said.

Business Services Spokeswoman Barbara Lea-Kruger explained that because Bon Appetit is new to Penn, “it is sometimes hard to get the word out about specific events.”

“This year is our experiment year to try things and if people really respond well to this, we will reach out to more of the community next year,” Lea-Kruger said.

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