Toni is author of The Jemima Code, an award-winning, beautiful, full-color book showcasing her rare collection of black cookbooks, which date to 1827. The New Yorker magazine named The Jemima Code “One of the Best Cookbooks of the Century So Far.” The annotated bibliography also won a James Beard Award, the Art of Eating Prize, and a Certificate of Outstanding Contribution to Publishing from the Black Caucus of the Library Association. From these books, Toni curated a traveling exhibit of historic photographs of African American women at work in and around southern kitchens. The images have been installed in diverse venues, including Project Row Houses in Houston, the James Beard House in Manhattan, Zingerman’s Road House in Michigan, and the French Legation Museum in Austin, Texas. Proceeds from these fundraising exhibitions are donated to Toni’s foundation, The SANDE Youth Project, which raises community wellness by demonstrating that heritage matters. Toni founded SANDE in 2008, with support from the University of Texas Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. The 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization is dedicated to promoting race tolerance, economic opportunity, and wellness through its signature events: the Children’s Picnic and Real Food Fair (spring), and Soul Summit: A Conversation About Race and Food.
The Jemima Code
