Everything You Need To Know About Food Network's The Juneteenth Menu
Food Network's newest web series is "The Juneteenth Menu," hosted by Michiel Perry. On her website, Black Southern Belle, Perry wrote, "I am excited to share with you all The Juneteenth Menu, my new series with Food Network. A few of my favorite chefs stopped by to share their favorite recipes perfect for my outdoor Juneteenth celebration. I talk to them about the history, traditions, and foods associated with Juneteenth."
Food is an important part of Juneteenth celebrations, and it's a tradition to have red foods served. According to Eater, red foods could include hibiscus tea as well as savory and sweet dishes, like ribs and red velvet cake. In the first episode of "The Juneteenth Menu," Perry brings in Taneka Reaves, who made The Red Star, a cocktail that featured hibiscus and whiskey. Reaves is one of the founders of The Cocktail Bandits, and Perry will continue to feature women from the Lowcountry culinary community on the series.
According to the Post and Courier, other chefs on the show include Charlotte Jenkins, Gina Capers, and Emma Cromedy, and they'll be cooking and baking dishes like okra pilau, fried fish, pound cake, and more. New episodes will be posted on Wednesdays and Saturdays leading up to Juneteenth (June 19), and you can watch the first two episodes on the Food Network site.
Michiel Perry hosts 'The Juneteenth Menu'
Michiel Perry is from South Carolina and runs the blog Black Southern Belle, which she started after planning her wedding and decorating her home in Maryland. On the website's about page, she describes the website as "an offline and online resource for lifestyle inspiration for African-American women in the South." Black Southern Belle covers food, home decor, holidays and heritage, HBCUs, and more.
On the importance of "The Juneteenth Menu," Perry told Eater, "I want people to have a greater understanding of the food history and heritage of Juneteenth while also learning about Black women chefs who are passing on the traditions and the food ways to the next generation."
If you want to learn more about food, heritage, and Juneteenth from Perry, Black Southern Belle has a page dedicated to the holiday, and you can watch "The Juneteenth Menu" on Food Network's website as well as its social media channels.