TAMPA, Fla. — We are taking a dive into the soulful symphony of flavors that have been simmering in our region for generations.
From grits to glory, it’s time to explore the melodic history of soul food right here in the Tampa Bay area.
From the swampy bayous to the sun-kissed shores, Gaston Meredith, owner of Gaston's Culinary Services, says the soul food symphony has played for generations.
“Soul food derived from the slaves that came over from the transatlantic trip, so it originated in the South," Meredith said.
Meredith is the maestro of the kitchen and he shared with us how dishes like okra, yams, black-eyed peas, and even fried chicken waltzed their way into Tampa’s culinary scene.
“A lot of the food we ate back then was food that was basically thrown away or considered not very good food," he said.
Meredith explains that enslaved African people were given meager food rations that were low in quality and nutritional value.
“The yams came over, this is actually what they served them, not these yams, but yams so Africans can eat them on that very long, long trip,” Meredith said.
And while dishes like mac and cheese and cornbread are often associated with comfort, Meredith says these recipes were born out of struggle and survival.
“It’s what we grew up on, it’s what we became accustomed to, it's what’s in our DNA,” he said.
But here in the Tampa Bay area, Meredith explains soul food has been infused with a dash of flavors from creole, Cuba, the Caribbean and even Asia.
“If you go to a lot of soul food restaurants, I think it has a huge influence because if you go to a soul food restaurant, you’ll see people eating of all different races," he said.
Meredith says these dishes embody stories passed down from generation to generation, all starting right in the kitchen.
“All that became soul food in all these different regions, but now it’s served in all these different restaurants,” he said.
Meredith says soul food is also served in a more health-conscious way, substituting many of the fats, without compromising the decadent dishes and culture.
“So now what you may find people saying they're cooking collard greens, we used to put pig tails in there and ham hocks, now you might put smoked turkey in there with a little bit of olive oil.”
And for Meredith, in a melting pot of cultures, the soul food scene in Tampa Bay is sizzling with flavor and rich history.
“So Tampa is very unique, you might find oxtails which is southern mixed with some yellow rice from the Caribbean,” he said.