Food Stories

“Food is so critical to our cultural survival. In the most deliciously powerful ways, Food Stories illustrates how food - as an expression of community practice - helps us battle alienation and fight for justice in higher education. A refreshing and delightfully different flavor of academic writing, Food Stories serves up wonderful examples of how we can love ourselves and each other within institutions that won’t love us back.”

—Wayne Au, Dean and Professor in the University of Washington Bothell School of Educational Studies and longtime "Rethinking Schools" author and editor

“Food Stories is a thoughtful anthology that uses food as a powerful metaphor for connection, reflection, and justice. The book interweaves memories, cultural traditions, and teaching practices, revealing how food nourishes not only the body but also the mind and soul. This collection shares ancestral recipes and heartfelt stories, offering lessons in building kinship, living authentically, and creating spaces of equity through the shared language of food.”

—Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Ph.D. Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University, Author of "Love from the Vortex & Other Poems" and "The Peace Chronicles"

“This volume offers readers a beautiful invitation to the risks and creativity of scholarly and pedagogical work in education through the common lens of food. The parallels these chapters offer between foodways, stories of family and culture, and pedagogical and scholarly practices in the academy, remind us all that at its best, education is a human and humanizing practice that can foster welcoming, mutual understanding, and dignity. I highly recommend this volume, particularly for those who are feeling disaffected from academe. These lovely stories remind readers that we can create hospitality through our creative offerings of food and our professional work.”

—Sue Ellen Henry, Ph.D., Professor at Bucknell University and Immediate Past-President, American Educational Studies Association

“Food Stories: Navigating the Academy with Cultural Lessons from the Kitchen is a compelling anthology that beautifully intertwines the art of cooking with the journey through academia. Edited by T. Jameson Brewer and Cleveland Hayes II, this book offers a rich tapestry of narratives from diverse scholars who share how culinary traditions have shaped their academic paths. Each chapter is a testament to the power of food as a source of resilience, community, and cultural identity. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the profound connections between food, culture, and education. This book is both heartwarming and intellectually nourishing.”

—John P. Broome, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor at Purdue University

“As someone who considers themselves a true “foodie,” always seeking vegan restaurants with my friend and colleague Dr. Kofi Lomotey during conferences like AERA and UCEA, endorsing this book feels natural. Cooking has been a part of my life since I was very young, and despite being a vegetarian, I take pride in being quite handy in the kitchen. Preparing meals often serves as a form of stress relief, a way to center myself amidst the complexities and demands of my role as Provost. After challenging days, I often find solace in a Kalamazoo eatery, savoring the connection between food and community.
 Food Stories weaves together narratives that resonate deeply with these experiences. For example, “The Academic Buffet” explores balancing the complexity of academic life with the lessons learned through cooking, such as portioning and creating meaningful connections, much like perfecting an empanada. Similarly, “Soul/le Credentials” reflects on the power of collard greens as a symbol of cultural resistance and academic participation, a theme that resonates with the intersection of food, identity, and resilience. Another chapter, “Critical Lessons Learned While Making Cinnamon Rolls with My Son,” underscores how cooking fosters patience and builds relationships, lessons that extend to both life and academia.
 Traveling the world has given me the chance to explore diverse culinary traditions, trying new restaurants and dishes that inspire both my palate and my perspective. This book, with its focus on navigating academia through cultural lessons from the kitchen, resonates deeply with my belief that food is not just sustenance—it’s a bridge to culture, creativity, and resilience. For all these reasons, I wholeheartedly recommend this insightful and deliciously reflective work.”

—Julian Vasquez Heilig, Ph.D., Provost, Western Michigan University

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Academic Buffet: Navigating the Balance Between Education and Empanadas
by Mia Furman, Andrea Arce-Trigatti, and Dorota Silber-Furman

Chapter 2. Ordinary Ingredients: Hosting as a Pedagogical Practice
by Mark Stern

Chapter 3. “Stand There and Watch”: Witnessing Cooking Methods in Black Studies
by Bonnie Samantha Maldonado

Chapter 4. Soul/le Credentials: Collards as Resources for Academic Participation
by Maria José Botelho and R. Jamaal Downey

Chapter 5. The Hawaiian Underground Imu: Possibilities Steaming Beneath the Surface of the Academy
by Ka ʻOhana Perry (Kekailoa Perry, Keri Perry, and Makualiʻi Perry)

Chapter 6. Ditching the Pipeline and Living the Curriculum of Bread
by Laura Jewett

Chapter 7. Louisiana Lagniappe
by Anissa Guerin, Kala Burrell-Craft, Jovan T. Thomas, and Kristin Robair

Chapter 8. Sihk jó faahn meih a?: Collectivist Healing Wisdom Lineages Embedded in Asian Foods
by Grace Poon Ghaffari

Chapter 9. The Southern Kitchen: Resistance Epistemologies Cultivated Through “Soul Food.”
by Brandon Beck

Chapter 10. Feeling and Feeding the Immigrant Void in Academia
by Madina Djuraeva, Laura Walls, Ferial Pearson, and Sandra Rodríguez-Arroyo

Chapter 11. Inclusion Is Not a Microwavable Meal: Cooking Up Critical Embrace in Academic Communities
by Dennis L. Rudnick

Chapter 12. Reaching Back to Move Forward: Using Matrilineal Recipes to Create Kinship Within the Academy
by Dasmen Richards, Travon Jefferson, and Grace Tukurah

Chapter 13. Thinking Beyond the Chocolate Chips: A [Comfortable] Baking Journey Toward Scholarly Possibility
by Angela Kraemer-Holland

Chapter 14. Lessons for Hopeful and Hungry Academics: Conviviality, Community, and Rootedness Inspired Through the Sharing of Food and Kitchen Stories
by Joshua Hunter and Cheryl Hunter

Chapter 15. More Than (Just) Something to Eat: Reflections on How Food Invites Shared Learning and Renewed Commitments to Justice
by Sarah B. Shear and Andrea M. Hawkman

Chapter 16. Critical Lessons Learned While Making Cinnamon Rolls with My Son
by Brianne Pitts

Chapter 17. Pedagogies of Maíz: Living Ancestral Saberes and Cultivating Relational Teaching and Learning Practices
by Marial Quezada

Chapter 18. A Cross-Cultural Gastronomy: Feminist Narratives on Boundaries and Bridges
by Mila Zhu

About the Authors

Index

NOTE: Table of Contents subject to change up until publication date.

T. Jameson Brewer

T. Jameson Brewer, Ph.D., is an associate professor of social foundations of education at the University of North Georgia. His teaching experience spans the middle school, high school, undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. Broadly conceptualized, his research focuses on the impact of privatization of public education by way of school vouchers, charter schools, alternative teacher certification, and homeschooling. Additionally, he researches the impacts of Christian nationalism on public schools and democracy. Find more at www.tjamesonbrewer.com.

Cleveland Hayes

Cleveland Hayes is the Associate Dean, Academic Affairs and professor of Education Foundations in the Urban Teacher Education Department at the School of Education at Indiana University-Indianapolis. Dr. Hayes teaches elementary foundations of education, elementary science methods, Critical Race Theory and qualitative research methods. Dr. Hayes’s considers himself an interdisciplinary researcher. His research interest includes the use of Critical Race Theory in Education, Historical and Contemporary Issues in Black Education to include the school to prison pipeline, Teaching and Learning in the Latino Community, Whiteness and the Intersections of Sexuality and Race. He is an active member of the American Education Research Association (AERA) at the Division Level, SIG level and committee level. He has served as the Co-Program Chair for Division G and has served as a section Co-Chair for Division K and a member of the Special Interest Group Executive Committee. He was the 2019 President of the Critical Race Studies in Education Association (CRSEA). He is also on the executive board of the American Education Studies Association (AESA) and the current Division G, Social Context of Education Vice President. Dr. Hayes’s research can be found in Democracy and Education, Qualitative Studies in Education, and Gender and Education, Urban Review, and Power of Education. In addition, he is the co-editor of the books titled: Unhooking from Whiteness: The Key to Dismantling Racism in the United States, Unhooking from Whiteness: Resisting the Esprit de Corps and Unhooking from Whiteness: It’s a Process. Lastly, he is the Co-Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education journal.