This event is free to attend, but registration will aid us in planning.

Saturday, February 1, 2024

“Theology of Soul Food” Presentation from 1:00-2:00 pm
Worship Service at 2:45 pm | Rev. Kenny Irby, Guest Preacher
Catered Meal to follow

The John E. Culmer Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians, St. James House of Prayer, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, and the Diocese of Southwest Florida invites you to an engaging talk by Adrian Miller tracing how soul food evolved from a cultural term rooted in spirituality to an iconic cuisine, shaped by African American church life. He explores the deep ties between soul food, faith, and African American identity as it spread from the rural South to cities nationwide.

About Adrian Miller

Adrian Miller is a food writer, 2X James Beard Award winner, recovering attorney, and certified barbecue judge who lives in Denver, Colorado. Adrian is featured in the Netflix hit High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.

Miller’s first book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time won the James Beard Foundation Award for Scholarship and Reference in 2014. His second book, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, From the Washingtons to the Obamas was published on President’s Day 2017. It was a finalist for a 2018 NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction,” and the 2018 Colorado Book Award for History. Adrian’s third book, Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue won the 2022 James Beard Award for Reference, History, and Scholarship and is nominated for a Colorado Book Award for History.

Awards

In 2018, Adrian was awarded the Ruth Fertel “Keeper of the Flame Award” by the Southern Foodways Alliance, in recognition of his work on African American foodways.  In 2019, Adrian received the Judge Henry N. and Helen T. Graven award from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, for being “an outstanding layperson, whose life is nurtured and guided by a strong sense of Christian calling, and who is making a significant contribution to community, church, and our society.” In 2022, Adrian received an Honorary Doctorate from the Denver Institute for Urban Studies and Adult College.

Bio

Adrian received an A.B in International Relations from Stanford University in 1991, and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1995.  From 1999 to 2001, Adrian served as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton with his Initiative for One America – the first free-standing office in the White House to address issues of racial, religious and ethnic reconciliation. Adrian went on to serve as a senior policy analyst for Colorado Governor Bill Ritter Jr. From 2004 to 2010, he served on the board for the Southern Foodways Alliance. In June 2019, Adrian lectured in the Masters of Gastronomy program at the Università di Scienze Gastronomiche (nicknamed the “Slow Food University”) in Pollenzo, Italy. He is currently the executive director of the Colorado Council of Churches and, as such, is the first African American, and the first layperson, to hold that position. Adrian is also the co-project director and lead curator for the “Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History” exhibit at the Museum of Boulder, open now through September 2025.

Following the workshop, there will be a worship service to honor the life and legacy of Absalom Jones, the first Black priest in the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Kenny Irby, from Historic Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, is the guest preacher.  The Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida, the Rt. Rev. Doug Scharf, will celebrate Holy Eucharist.

A festive catered meal will follow, featuring a soul food tasting menu catered by local chef Sofia Forte, who believes that “A delicious, warm meal shared around the table with people about which you care can be the catalyst to healing.” The workshop and service will be held at The Cathedral Church of St. Peter, 140 4th Street North St. Petersburg, Florida.

A freewill offering will be collected for Voorhees University and Saint Augustine’s University, two Episcopal Historically Black College and Universities.

Absalom Jones Biography

Absalom Jones (1746-1818) was born enslaved in Delaware. Around the age of 16, he was permitted to attend a night school for Black people operated by the Quakers. Finally, in 1784, he was freed by manumission. Absalom Jones began worshiping at St George’s Methodist Episcopal Church, where he met and befriended Richard Allen. Following a dispute over where black members of the church were allowed to sit, Absalom was asked to provide pastoral leadership for the African Church of Philadelphia, later the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. Absalom Jones was ordained a priest in 1802. 

Absalom Jones was an earnest preacher. He denounced slavery, and warned the oppressors to “clean their hands of slaves.” Known as “the Black Bishop of the Episcopal Church,” he was an example of persistent faith in God and in the Church as God’s instrument.

Adrian Miller’s Books

We’ll have copies of his books on hand to purchase and raffle off as a fundraiser for Episcopal HBCU’s.