Order Overview

Estimated Total: $

Kwanzaa

Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

With a heritage claiming both French and West African roots, gumbo is a thick stew served over rice and made with a roux (a mixture of butter and flour) and/or gumbo file powder (made from ground dried sassafras leaves), along with a wide variety of ingredients such as celery, peppers, okra, onions chicken, sausage and/or seafood. With so many options, every family has perfected its own treasured recipes, which leads to an impassioned debate on which one is best. Even so, gumbo does more to bring us together than divide us, as queen of Creole cuisine Chef Leah Chase said, “There’ve been a lot of problems solved in that dining room over a bowl of gumbo.” 

Our weekly sale from December 29th – January 4th celebrates the culinary traditions of Kwanzaa (which spans from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, and New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day celebrations. You’ll find Henry & Lisa’s shrimp, organic Bionaturae tomatoes, and bulk long-grain white rice featured in the sale, so it’s a perfect time to whip up a batch of this authentic shrimp and okra gumbo from the award-winning Gumbo Shop in New Orleans, Louisiana! 

Hoppin’ John

The black-eyed pea was first introduced in the New World by Africans who carried the dried legume here with them from West Africa. The U.S. Library of Congress has records of its arrival as early as 1674. James Beard award-winning chef and cookbook author Edna Lewis, known as the First Lady of Southern Cooking, shares in her timeless cookbook In Pursuit of Flavor that in her home state of Virginia, Southern farmers planted them in abundance to supply nitrogen to the soil between cash crops. Before the plants were tilled in, farmers welcomed anyone to go out and pick the peas. Lewis remembers her family storing the dried pods in cotton sacks until “on a cold winter afternoon when there was nothing better to do, we would shell the peas.” Because of its significance in African foodways, dishes with black-eyed peas are commonly made for feast days and other special occasions among members of the African Diaspora, most notably on New Year’s Day to bring good fortune and prosperity, and during Kwanzaa, a celebration of African heritage which runs from December 26th – January 1st. Because Kwanzaa is a nod to harvest celebrations in Africa, when communities honor crops and laborers, food plays an important role — particularly soul-food staples like Hoppin’ John. You’ll find black-eyed peas and rice featured in our Weekly Sale from December 29th – January 4th, so it’s a great time to give this dish a try!

Hoppin’ John

The black-eyed pea was first introduced in the New World by Africans who carried the dried legume here with them from West Africa. The U.S. Library of Congress has records of its arrival as early as 1674. James Beard award-winning chef and cookbook author Edna Lewis, known as the First Lady of Southern Cooking, shares in her timeless cookbook In Pursuit of Flavor that in her home state of Virginia, Southern farmers planted them in abundance to supply nitrogen to the soil between cash crops. Before the plants were tilled in, farmers welcomed anyone to go out and pick the peas. Lewis remembers her family storing the dried pods in cotton sacks until “on a cold winter afternoon when there was nothing better to do, we would shell the peas.” Because of its significance in African foodways, dishes with black-eyed peas are commonly made for feast days and other special occasions among members of the African Diaspora, most notably on New Year’s Day to bring good fortune and prosperity, and during Kwanzaa, a celebration of African heritage which runs from December 26th – January 1st. Because Kwanzaa is a nod to harvest celebrations in Africa, when communities honor crops and laborers, food plays an important role — particularly soul-food staples like Hoppin’ John. You’ll find black-eyed peas and rice featured in our Weekly Sale from December 29th – January 4th, so it’s a great time to give this dish a try!

Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

With a heritage claiming both French and West African roots, gumbo is a thick stew served over rice and made with a roux (a mixture of butter and flour) and/or gumbo file powder (made from ground dried sassafras leaves), along with a wide variety of ingredients such as celery, peppers, okra, onions chicken, sausage and/or seafood. With so many options, every family has perfected its own treasured recipes, which leads to an impassioned debate on which one is best. Even so, gumbo does more to bring us together than divide us, as queen of Creole cuisine Chef Leah Chase said, “There’ve been a lot of problems solved in that dining room over a bowl of gumbo.” 

Our weekly sale from December 29th – January 4th celebrates the culinary traditions of Kwanzaa (which spans from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, and New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day celebrations. You’ll find Henry & Lisa’s shrimp, organic Bionaturae tomatoes, and bulk long-grain white rice featured in the sale, so it’s a perfect time to whip up a batch of this authentic shrimp and okra gumbo from the award-winning Gumbo Shop in New Orleans, Louisiana! 

Hoppin’ John

The black-eyed pea was first introduced in the New World by Africans who carried the dried legume here with them from West Africa. The U.S. Library of Congress has records of its arrival as early as 1674. James Beard award-winning chef and cookbook author Edna Lewis, known as the First Lady of Southern Cooking, shares in her timeless cookbook In Pursuit of Flavor that in her home state of Virginia, Southern farmers planted them in abundance to supply nitrogen to the soil between cash crops. Before the plants were tilled in, farmers welcomed anyone to go out and pick the peas. Lewis remembers her family storing the dried pods in cotton sacks until “on a cold winter afternoon when there was nothing better to do, we would shell the peas.” Because of its significance in African foodways, dishes with black-eyed peas are commonly made for feast days and other special occasions among members of the African Diaspora, most notably on New Year’s Day to bring good fortune and prosperity, and during Kwanzaa, a celebration of African heritage which runs from December 26th – January 1st. Because Kwanzaa is a nod to harvest celebrations in Africa, when communities honor crops and laborers, food plays an important role — particularly soul-food staples like Hoppin’ John. You’ll find black-eyed peas and rice featured in our Weekly Sale from December 23rd – 29th, so it’s a great time to give this dish a try!

Jambalaya

Jambalaya is a dish that brings together West African, French, and Spanish influences all into one colorful, flavorful dish. It’s popular fare during the week-long celebration of African culture and heritage known as Kwanzaa, which runs from December 26th – January 1st. You’ll find many of the ingredients featured in our Weekly Sale from December 23rd – 29th, so it’s a perfect time to give it a try! 

Hoppin’ John

The black-eyed pea was first introduced in the New World by Africans who carried the dried legume here with them from West Africa. The U.S. Library of Congress has records of its arrival as early as 1674. James Beard award-winning chef and cookbook author Edna Lewis, known as the First Lady of Southern Cooking, shares in her timeless cookbook In Pursuit of Flavor that in her home state of Virginia, Southern farmers planted them in abundance to supply nitrogen to the soil between cash crops. Before the plants were tilled in, farmers welcomed anyone to go out and pick the peas. Lewis remembers her family storing the dried pods in cotton sacks until “on a cold winter afternoon when there was nothing better to do, we would shell the peas.” Because of its significance in African foodways, dishes with black-eyed peas are commonly made for feast days and other special occasions among members of the African Diaspora, most notably on New Year’s Day to bring good fortune and prosperity, and during Kwanzaa, a celebration of African heritage which runs from December 26th – January 1st. Because Kwanzaa is a nod to harvest celebrations in Africa, when communities honor crops and laborers, food plays an important role — particularly soul-food staples like Hoppin’ John. You’ll find black-eyed peas and rice featured in our Weekly Sale from December 23rd – 29th, so it’s a great time to give this dish a try!