Michael W. Twitty (born 1977) is an African-American Jewish writer, culinary historian, and educator. He is the author of '' The Cooking Gene'', published by HarperCollins/Amistad, which won the 2018 James Beard Foundation Book Award for Book of the Year as well as the category for writing.

Early life and education

Twitty was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in 1977 to parents William Lee Twitty and Patricia Anita Townsend. He is of Mende, Akan and

Irish descent The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been co ...

. His Irish ancestors were

enslavers Enslavers may refer to: * List of slave owners * Slavery * ''Enslavers'', an expansion for the 1998 video game ''StarCraft ''StarCraft'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by ...

; Twitty wrote an article for the ''

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

'' explaining how he discovered his Irish ancestry through a combination of

genetic testing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

and historical records. Twitty's great-great-grandfather, Elijah Mitchell, was on a nearby street when

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

surrendered to

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

at the

Appomattox Court House Appomattox Court House could refer to: * The village of Appomattox Court House, now the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, in central Virginia (U.S.), where Confederate army commander Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union commander Ulyss ...

, ending the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Twitty first became interested in traditional cooking as a child when he went on a trip to

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location and ...

. He majored in African-American studies and

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

at Howard University, but did not finish due to financial constraints. Twitty went on a

birthright Birthright is the concept of things being due to a person upon or by fact of their birth, or due to the order of their birth. These may include rights of citizenship based on the place where the person was born or the citizenship of their paren ...

trip to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

in 2004.

Career

In 2010, Twitty launched Afroculinaria, a culinary history blog that covers African and African-American foodways. In 2010, Twitty worked with the D. Landreth Seed Company to compile the African American Heritage Collection of heirloom seeds for the company's 225th anniversary. The collection features roughly 30 plants, including the long-handled dipper gourd and the

fish pepper The fish pepper is a small Chili pepper cultivar of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. It is an heirloom variety developed and preserved by African American communities in the Chesapeake. The plant has variegated foliage and its peppers ripen from ...

, showcasing how instrumental they were to African-American survival and independence. In 2011, he began his "Cooking Gene" project, which would form the basis for his 2017 book ''The Cooking Gene''. His second book, ''Koshersoul'', was published in 2022. Twitty founded and oversees the Southern Discomfort Tour, a journey through the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

designed to raise awareness about the impact

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

had on Southern cuisine. As part of this project, Twitty recreates the experiences of his enslaved ancestors, picking cotton, chopping wood, working in fields, and cooking in plantation kitchens. In 2013, Twitty gained greater media attention when he published an open letter to Paula Deen after she was fired from the Food Network. That same year he spoke at the MAD symposium in Copenhagen after being invited by Rene Redzepi, owner of NOMA. In 2016, he traveled to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

to give a

TED TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...

talk entitled "Gastronomy and the social justice reality of food". In 2016, Twitty received the inaugural Culinary Pioneer Award from Tastetalks and won both readers choice and editors choice for his letter to chef Sean Brock on Afroculinaria from Saveur. In January 2017, Colonial Williamsburg named Twitty its first Revolutionary in Residence. In January 2023 airing of ''The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross'', Twitty is interviewed by the creator of the series, Henry Louis Gates.

Personal life

Twitty is openly gay. He was raised nominally Christian and converted to

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

at age 25.

References

External links

Afroculinaria, Michael W. Twitty's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Twitty, Michael W. 1977 births Living people 21st-century American educators 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American writers African-American bloggers 21st-century African-American educators African-American historians African-American Jews African-American non-fiction writers American food writers American male bloggers American bloggers Converts to Judaism Educators from Washington, D.C. Food historians American gay writers James Beard Foundation Award winners Jewish American historians Jewish bloggers African-American LGBT people LGBT Jews LGBT people from Washington, D.C. People from Washington, D.C. Soul food Writers from Washington, D.C. American male non-fiction writers 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American Jews 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics African-American male writers LGBT chefs African-American people American chefs American cookbook writers American people of Akan descent American people of Mende descent American people of Irish descent Howard University alumni 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics