Well, Shut My Mouth! The Sweet Potatoes Restaurant Cookbook, by Chef Stephanie L. Tyson, is not just another soul-food cookbook. Sure, you’ll find the South’s best fried green tomato recipe in those pages, but you’ll also discover the spirit and backbone of the chef and her restaurant, Sweet Potatoes, co-owned by Tyson and Vivián Joiner. “This book is about remembering spirit and food,” says Chef Tyson. “It’s my perspective on Southern cuisine.”
Most recipes include some flavorful commentary from the chef, such as this tip for Spicy Greens: “If you are faint of heart (burn), eliminate the red pepper altogether.” But beyond the lip-smacking recipes like Gullah Shrimp and Crab Pilau, Cheerwine-Glazed Country Ham, and Miss Ora’s Best Fried Chicken in the Entire World, Well, Shut My Mouth! shares the history of the two women who started the locally and nationally acclaimed restaurant (Our State, Southern Living, New York Times).
Thanks to Well, Shut My Mouth! patrons can now recreate the Sweet Potatoes experience in their own kitchens. Readers and home chefs will eat this book right up.
What are people saying:
“Everything about this book is correct except the title. Anyone with a taste bud in their mouth
should follow these recipes and open their mouth.”
Maya Angelou
“From the very first moment I met Vivián and Stephanie and was lifted by the kitchen’s aroma, I was in love. Having produced the film Fried Green Tomatoes, and being something of an expert on their preparation throughout the South, I was enthralled with Stephanie’s delicious recipe. Her FGT are crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. They have full flavor and are the best I have tasted anywhere outside of Idgie and Ruth’s Whistle Stop Café. However, you need to try the Fried Chicken and the Banana Pudding. They are a rustic Cordon Bleu education in themselves—simply amazing. Our family saves them for special occasions.”
Jordan Kerner, dean of the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
“The opening of Sweet Potatoes was a milestone event in the city’s efforts to revitalize Trade Street. Sweet Potatoes acted as a catalyst for the tremendous success of Winston-Salem’s Arts District. In the few short years of its existence, Sweet Potatoes has become an icon for our community and is an attraction known throughout the state.”
Allen Joines, mayor of Winston-Salem since 2001
4 comments:
A group of ladies from the legal system of North Carolina recently ate at Sweet Potatoes in Winston Salem during a conference. One of our ladies tried to order a burger with no bun and no cheese because she was allergic to gluten and dairy products...the first plate came with both...the second plate came with cheese...the third plate came with the cheese scraped off...when she sent the plate back and told them to forget it completely the cook and the manager came to the table and were the most unprofessional group of individuals we had ever seen!!! I would have never expected the management to behave in such a manner. The service was horrible in every manner! I would never recommend this restaurant to any friend of mine.
On Friday, March 30, 2012, a group of my high school friends had lunch at Sweet Potato. The food and the service was wonderful. Our server was from New Orleans and was such a help in choosing our food. Each of us got a different dish and each was unique and very tasteful. Our server could not have been more courteous. Thank you for a great experience. PS We are all in our seventies and the dining experience was both fun and pleasing to us. A Liberty High School Customer.
I am a native of Winston-Salem now residing in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. I have been enjoying the various delicacies of Sweet Potatoes Restaurant since they've opened. Sweet Potatoes has been a pillar of great food and geniune hospitality since its inception. Stephanie and Vivian have taken me back to my childhood summers spent in the Low Country of South Carolina with their culinary creations such as Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Shrimp and Grits, and Fried Okra. Hats off to them both for a job well done!!! I look forward to the Sweet Potatoes experience upon my next visit to Winston-Salem.
Well... Shut My Mouth!!!
Well, you shut my mouth! I drop in each time I’m in the area. That has been twice a year for the Jehovah Witnesses Assemble in the Winston Salem Area. We go to get spiritual feed at our assemble but always enjoy the "sweet" physical food to follow.
I have had to wait each time I go! And my thoughts are..."If you have to wait, you know it’s good!" Stephanie is a phenomenal chef and is gifted in the ability to balance "good old food" with a new age dining experience. It's so nice to see and greet the mind and hands behind scrumptious food that appears before as has been my experience at Sweet Potatoes. The staff has been exceptional as far as to the knowledge of food and operations!
And the nice added touch of Vivian, the warm and delightful hostess who always assures and adds to your dining experience and makes sure it’s the BEST they can give. The only problem I have with Sweet Potatoes is a hour and 45mins away and I can't just drop in for brunch.
I look forward to the next time I can drop in for some Mac & Ham Soufflé. Thank you for cooking!
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