Black History Month: Sous Chef Chris Rogers

To kick off this feature, I thought we'd start with one of my culinary mentors. When I served with him at Buechel AB, Germany, I knew him as MSgt Rogers. He has since retired from the Air Force, but his lessons still linger in my life from a personal and professional standpoint. Below is his take on Soul Food and what it means to him.

Sous Chef Christopher Rogers

Black History Month--I never really understood the connection of Black History Month and food, but I always went with it; especially while in the military. To me growing up “Soul Food” or “Food from the Soul” was an everyday occurrence. As families often struggled to make ends meet, no-matter-what put food on the table that was good, filling and cooked from the heart. It was never really intertwined with Black History Month. 
As a kid I enjoyed watching my Grandmother, Mother, Aunts and Uncles cook and I learned so much from them. The times we gathered were on holidays and other special occasions with recipes handed down from the years with very little documented, just measured and cooked from sight, smell and touch, but this to my memory was never in February. 
As the culinary world advances, I personally think “Soul Food” will continually play a part because no matter who you are or where you grew up you and your family has a culinary “Soul.” Whether its Italian, African American, Chinese, Latin or wherever that defines the food you eat and weaves a culinary tale of the struggles your ancestors faced through the years. Black History Month is a time to celebrate people who have paved the way. For me it’s Chefs like Jefferson Evans, Johnny Rivers, Patrick Clark and Edna Lewis all African American Culinary icons who made great strides in the Culinary field and are still relevant today.
-Sous Chef Christopher Rogers