ALEXANDER SMALLSJames Beard Award Winner | Tony Award Winner | Grammy Award Winner
TV Personality | Restaurateur | Author

About Alexander Smalls
Alexander Smalls, James Beard Award winning chef,
author, and raconteur was the visionary co-ownerof renowned restaurants, The Cecil and Minton’s.
Critically acclaimed and located in the heart of historic
Harlem, Minton’s, the birthplace of BeBop in the 1930’s,
harkened back to the Jazz Age evoking a sexy supper
club with live music serving Low Country cuisine
inspired by Smalls’ childhood. His award-winningrestaurant, The Cecil, NYC’s first Afro-Asian-American
restaurant, was named “Best New Restaurant in
America” by Esquire in 2014.
A 2019 recipient of a James Beard Award for his cookbook, Between Harlem and Heaven, Alexander was recently
bestowed the Creative Spirit Award from the Black Alumni of Pratt by the inimitable Ms. Cicely Tyson.
Over the past three decades, the chef and restaurateur has traveled the world studying the cooking techniques andfoodways of the African diaspora. As the former chef-owner of renowned restaurants including Café Beulah, Sweet
Ophelia’s, and Shoebox Café, Smalls has received great acclaim in the restaurant scene, including cooking at the James
Beard House, being named one of Zagat’s “NYC Restaurant Power Players You Need to Know” and being honored with
the Legacy Award in 2014 by The Amsterdam News, one of the oldest African American newspapers in the country.
Smalls has appeared on a wide range of food and culinary platforms, with guest appearances on national TV, magazine
and news programs. He has served as a celebrity chef judge on “Top Chef,” appeared on “The Chew” with Carla Hall and“Extra Virgin” with Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos, and was recently featured in the Hallmark series “The Peete’s.” He
has also appeared on The Food Network on such shows as “Recipe for Success” and “Throwdown!” with Bobby Flay,and NBC’s “The Today Show.”In addition to his success in the culinary world, Smalls’ memoir and cookbook Grace the Table features recipes fromhis upbringing of Southern Revival cuisine. He has another forthcoming book from Flatiron Books Alexander Smalls’
African American Cooking due out in early 2020. Smalls is also a world-renowned opera singer and the winner of botha Grammy Award and a Tony Award for the cast recording of Porgy and Bess, by George Gershwin, with the Houston
Grand Opera.

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Books by Alexander Smalls
Meals, Music, and Muses: Recipes from my Africa America Kitchen by Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers
Flatiron Books, February 2020
NAMED ONE OF THE 10 BEST COOKBOOKS OF 2020 BY ESQUIRE MAGAZINE
Iconic chef and world-renowned opera singer Alexander Smalls marries two of his
greatest passions—food and music—in Meals, Music, and Muses. More than just a
cookbook, Smalls takes readers on a delicious journey through the South to examine
the food that has shaped the region. Each chapter is named for a type of music to help
readers understand the spirit that animates these recipes.
Filled with classic Southern recipes and twists on old favorites, this cookbook includes
starters such as Hoppin’ John Cakes with Sweet Pepper Remoulade and Carolina
Bourbon Barbecue Shrimp and Okra Skewers, and main dishes like Roast Quail in Bourbon Cream Sauce andPrime Rib Roast with Crawfish Onion Gravy.
Complete with anecdotes of Smalls’s childhood in the Low Country and examinations of Southern musical tradition,
Meals, Music, and Muses is a heritage cookbook in the tradition of Edna Lewis’s A Taste of Country Cooking.
Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day by
Alexander Smalls and JJ Johnson
Flatiron Books, February 2018

WINNER OF THE JAMES BEARD AWARD FOR BEST AMERICAN COOKBOOK
Between Harlem and Heaven showcases the Afro-Asian-American cuisine and the uniqueculinary creations of J.J. Johnson and Alexander Smalls, following the culinary trail of the African
diaspora. This book branches far beyond “soul food” to explore the melding of Asian, African,
and American flavors. The Afro Asian flavor profile of Between Harlem and Heaven is a window
into the intersection of the Asian diaspora and the African diaspora. An homage to this cultural
culinary path and the grievances and triumphs along the way, Between Harlem and Heaven isn’t
fusion, but a glimpse into a cuisine that developed in the thick of Harlem’s cultural renaissance.
Heritage food brings together everything we’ve developed a passion for: sustainability, farm totable, eat local, think global. The food in Between Harlem and Heaven is a modern take on heritage
food. People are used to getting strong flavors in hidden hole-in-the wall spots. JJ Johnson andAlexander Smalls bring those flavors and rich cultural history into your home kitchen with recipes for Grilled Watermelon
Salad with Lime Mango Dressing and Cornbread Croutons, Feijoada with Black Beans and Spicy Lamb Sausage, Creamy
Macaroni and Cheese Casserole with Rosemary and Caramelized Shallots, festive punches and flavorful easy sides, sauces,and marinades to incorporate into your everyday cooking life.
Complete with essays on the history of Minton’s Jazz Club, the melting pot that is Harlem, and the Afro-Asian flavor profile
by bestselling coauthor Veronica Chambers, who just published the wildly successful Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson, thiscookbook brings the rich history of the Harlem food scene back to the home cook.
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Grace The Table: Stories and Recipes from My Southern Revival by Alexander Smalls
HarperCollins, October 1997

In Grace the Table, Smalls combines his storytelling talent with his love for food in a memoir of his
journey from his hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina, to Europe and eventually to Manhattan.
“Growing, buying, preparing, serving, eating food­—the whole tasty subject—captured and framedso many of my memories that in a curious way it has not only sustained me but given me life,”
writes Smalls, and his unabashed passion is readily apparent as he regales readers with such
recollections as the first meal he ever prepared (when he was six), his accidental but rewarding
encounter with Joan Sutherland, and his adventures, culinary and otherwise, while touring Europe
as one of the stars of the Houston Grand Opera production of Porgy and Bess.
“Alexander Smalls dances and sings and cooks his way through a brilliant and fascinating portraitof Southern comfort.”—Cicely Tyson

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February/March 2020 edition of Garden & Gun.
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February/March 2020 edition of Garden & Gun.
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February/March 2020 edition of Garden & Gun.
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2020

FALL WINEOCTOBER 2020

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B L AC K R I C E P. 9 9October 2020 edition of Food & Wine.
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TO DINE,
WITH LOVEAt his Harlem residence,
renowned chef andauthor Alexander Smalls
entertains like no one else.

B Y O S AY I E N D O LY N
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
K E L LY M A R S H A L L

Smalls is the ultimate host, even when gathering guests on
the stoop for cocktails and pie at a social distance.
opposite: Photos on Smalls’ refrigerator, with cameos fromMichael Michele, Jane Fonda, Oprah Winfrey, Eartha Kitt,
and Quincy Jones.

92

OCTOBER 2020

October 2020 edition of Food & Wine.
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October 2020 edition of Food & Wine.
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Notable Press
Food & Wine—September 18, 2020
Alexander Smalls Hosts the Best Dinner Parties in New York“At his Harlem residence, renowned chef and author Alexander Smalls entertains like no one else—
even when ‘entertaining’ means gathering guests on the stoop outside for cocktails and pie at a social
distance.”
Read the full article here: https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/alexander-smalls-harlem-dinnerparty

Alexander Smalls on the Today Show with Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker

WABE—September 8, 2020
Opera Singer Turned Restaurateur Alexander Smalls Discusses New Book
“Alexander Smalls is a classically trained musician who became a renowned, professional opera
singer. He’s also a James Beard Award-winning chef, a restaurateur, and cookbook author.
He will be appearing at the Decatur Book Festival to discuss his new volume, Meals, Music, andMuses: Recipes from My African American Kitchen. Smalls will discuss his book virtually with ‘Local
Palate’ editor, Lia Grabowski Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.”
Listen to the full interview here: https://www.wabe.org/renown-opera-singer-turned-restaurateuralexander-smalls-discusses-new-book-meals-music-and-muses-recipes-from-my-africanamerican-kitchen/
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The Washington Post—August 19, 2020Black restaurateurs have always had a tough road. The pandemic has made money even more scarce.
“Coming into 2020, African American chefs were growing in numbers and expertise. Some were evencreating a golden age of refined Black heritage cooking and excellence.
No longer held hostage by a hierarchy that dismissed the foodways of the African diaspora, such
Black chefs as Mashama Bailey, Kwame Onwuachi, Adrienne Cheatham and Eric Adjepong have given
themselves permission to move away from European gastronomy as the only acceptable fare worthyof being deemed ‘cuisine.’ At the same time, they have reengaged the history and traditions of theAfrican American kitchen and reinvented the pride and dignity of family recipes through the lens ofmodern cooking.”
The entire article can be found here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/
wp/2020/08/19/black-restaurateurs-have-always-had-a-tough-road-the-pandemic-has-mademoney-even-more-scarce

Pictured with Veronica Chambers and Chef JJ Johnson

Deep South Dining—August 17, 2020
Deep South Dining | Alexander Smalls“Chef Alexander Smalls began his life in the South Carolina low country, but has traveled the world
as a world class opera singer, opened some of Americas finest restaurants, and has the awards toprove it. His new cookbook, Meals, Music, and Muses: Recipes from My African American Kitchen
bridges his two passions and presents them as binding forces of culture and history. Malcolm andCarol talk with Alexander about this new book, his South Carolina roots, and also hear from a show
favorite about the elusive Hoover Sauce. Let’s eat y’all!”Listen to the interview here: https://shows.acast.com/deep-south-dining/episodes/deep-southdining-alexander-smalls
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The New York Times Book Review—May 21, 2020
Summer Reading“Smalls, a chef and classically trained opera singer, grew up in South Carolina, where he learned to
cut out biscuits with his mother and smuggled bags of fried okra into the movies as ‘my better-thanpopcorn snack.’ The premise of his warm, ebullient and nostalgic book is to offer a ‘playlist’ of AfricanAmerican dishes — ‘the very best of what I have eaten, cooked and imagined.’”Read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/books/cookbooks-summer.html
Los Angeles Times—April 30, 202012 cookbooks that refresh the spirit and inspire in the kitchen“These are Smalls’ takes on classics, the dishes forged by the hands and minds of black cooks thatare the backbone of American cooking. Fried okra, creamed corn, succotash with fresh mint, peach
shortcakes: His recipes have me missing the South and yearning for summertime.”
Read the full article here: https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-04-30/12-cookbooks-cookinginspiration-shelter-in-place

Pictured with chefs J.J. Johnson and Mame Sow

The New York Times—April 20, 2020
11 New Cookbooks Worth Buying, Even in Quarantine“A classically trained opera singer and chef, Alexander Smalls describes his Meals, Music and Muses:
Recipes From My African-American Kitchen (Flatiron Books, $35) as a playlist of African-American
dishes. Chapters are loosely grouped by musical genre, to varying success: I’m not quite sure how
deviled eggs are jazz, but I love that large-format, showstopping dishes are divas.”
Read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/dining/best-cookbooks-coronavirus.
html
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Chowhound—April 8, 2020
You’re Probably Throwing Out the Secret to Perfect, Flavorful Grits“Alexander Smalls, a James Beard Award-winning chef and famous opera singer, unites his two favorite
things in life—food and music—in his cookbook Meals, Music, and Muses: My African American Kitchen.
The Southern chef showcases just how influential both food and music have been in his life, infusing
this book with recipes, anecdotes from a childhood spent in Low Country, and the genres of music that
help influence his cooking.”
Read the full article here: https://www.chowhound.com/food-news/261192/how-to-make-perfectgrits-secret-ingredient
Modern Farmer—April 3, 2020
What Top Chefs Are Making in Self-Isolation“Bourbon Pecan Pie. I just can’t stop making this pie. Made my first one when I was seven years old—
all by myself. As time went by, I began to experiment with the recipe: added and expanded the flavor
profile with fresh cinnamon, grated lemon zest, fresh ginger and vanilla bean. Every now and then I put
a pinch of cayenne to balance the sweetness with heat. Easy, quick and simple with a great shelf life–
the perfect dessert. My god, I love this pie so much!”
The full article can be found here: https://modernfarmer.com/2020/04/what-top-chefs-are-makingin-self-isolation/

Cooking demo at the New York Times Food Festival

The New York Times—March 13, 2020
How a Harlem Chef Spends His Sundays“Alexander Smalls, who introduced New Yorkers to Afro-Asian-American cuisine when he opened the
Cecil in 2013, has always loved Sunday. ‘I give myself permission to do anything and everything andnothing,’ he said.”
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Read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/nyregion/alexander-smalls.html
Esquire—March 3, 2020
The 10 Best Cookbooks of 2020 (So Far)
“Smalls began his adult life by tearing it up onstage as an opera singer (a baritone) and then pivoting
to an illustrious career as a chef and restaurateur in New York. Quite the journey, no? His newest
cookbook reflects it, leaning on stories and recipes from his early years in the South, as well as hismusical heritage. Put more plainly, each chapter’s recipes, from okra skewers to roast quail in bourbon
cream sauce, is themed around a genre of music and the tales Smalls can tell about it—gospel forgreens and serenades for dessert, for example.”
Read the full article here: https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/food/g31206127/best-cookbooks-2020/

Alexander Smalls in his Harlem home

BookPage—February 18, 2020
Starred review of Meals, Music, and Muses“‘Cooking without a song—in your heart, if nothing else—is like cooking without salt and pepper,’ writes
chef Alexander Smalls in Meals, Music, and Muses. Here, recipes grounded in the culinary traditions of
the African American South are grouped according to the ‘seven styles of African American music that
set the bass line for this medley of meals.’ Fried sweet white corn and a salad of field greens and blackeyed peas are among the ‘green things’ that Smalls associates with gospel music; rice, pasta and grits
are the stuff of spirituals. Roast quail, pan-fried rabbit, pork loin roasts? Divas, all. There are biscuits
and beans and pie to the tune of jazz, opera, jukebox music and serenades (sweet endings), with thepleasure of Smalls’ storytelling along the way to deepen the flavor.”
The full review can be found here: https://bookpage.com/features/24862-lifestyles-march-2020lifestyles#.Xk1cA4pKjcv

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Esquire—December 27, 2019
The 40 Most Important Restaurants of the Decade“Harlem Renaissance redux: In a way, the widespread and long-overdue ascent of African American
chefs during this decade can be traced back to a single spot in Harlem, The Cecil, where Alexander
Smalls and JJ Johnson pioneered such a fresh approach to cooking and hospitality that Esquire’s
Joshua Ozersky named it the #1 Best New Restaurant of 2014.”
Read the full article here: https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/a30316839/bestrestaurants-decade-2010s/

Panel at the New York Times Food Festival

The New York Times—October 7, 2019
Highlights From The New York Times Food Festival
Delve into the business and culture of hospitality with Will Guidara, Nicole Ponseca and Alexander
Smalls, in conversation with Frank Bruni.
Watch the full panel discussion here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/dining/nyt-food-festivaltalks.html
NBC News—September 6, 2019
Dismissed for too long, black chefs are seizing their moment“[A]s Smalls noted, too often these days white media and critics are congratulating themselves for
singling out and promoting black chefs as if they didn’t exist before. [...] ‘It becomes vogue every now
and then for these little white writers to run into the bowels of America and flush out unique things,’
Smalls said. ‘Everybody is tripping over themselves to make up for things that didn’t happen, and they
have the audacity, organizations like James Beard, The New York Times, all of them, to suggest that
there are black chefs on the scene who are capable and we all know it’s absurd; they have always been
here.’”
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Alexander Smalls speaks about the unequal recognition in today’s food industry.
Read the full article here: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-culinary-staple-or-specialsauce-n1050621
Pratt—May 13, 2019
The Black Alumni of Pratt Celebrates the Creative Spirit at 2019 Scholarship Benefit Gala
“The Black Alumni of Pratt (BAP) honored visionaries in art and design at the ‘2019 Celebration of theCreative Spirit’ Scholarship Benefit Gala held on May 7 at the Park Hyatt New York in Manhattan...
Alexander Smalls, restaurateur, chef, and author, also received the Creative Spirit Award, presented byactress Cicely Tyson.”
Read the full article here: https://www.pratt.edu/news/view/the-black-alumni-of-pratt-celebratesthe-creative-spirit-at-2019-scholarshi
GrubStreet—April 27, 2019
Here Are the Winners of the 2019 James Beard Foundation Media Awards“Last night, Champagne was drank, speeches were given, and medals were doled out at the James
Beard Foundation’s media awards. Among the night’s honorees were JJ Johnson and Alexander Smallsfor Between Harlem and Heaven.”
Read the full article here: http://www.grubstreet.com/2019/04/james-beard-media-awards-2019.html
James Beard Foundation—March 27, 2019
The 2019 James Beard Award Nominees
Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day
by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls, with Veronica Chambers was nominated for a 2019 James Beard
Foundation Book Awards.
See the full list of nominees here.
The Chew—April 27, 2018
Cooked from the Headlines!
“Chef Carla Hall stopped by Alexander Smalls’ house, a Harlem culinary legend, for a tasty dinner party!
Plus, a special appearance from Cicely Tyson!”
Watch a clip here: https://www.facebook.com/thechewonabc/videos/1786487611410877/

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Heritage Radio Network—February 13, 2018
Recommended Reading—Episode 30: We Go “Between Harlem & Heaven” with Alexander Smalls“We welcome the inimitable Alexander Smalls: self-described ‘social minister,’ chef, restaurateur,
opera singer, and creator of Minton’s Supper Club and The Cecil in Harlem. Most recently, alongside
JJ Johnson and Veronica Chambers, he’s the co-author of ‘Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian
American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights and Every Day.’”
Listen to the full interview here: http://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/we-go-between-harlemheaven-with-alexander-smalls/
The Breakfast Club—February 9, 2018
Chefs JJ Johnson & Alexander Smalls Discuss Their Book ‘Between Harlem & Heaven’“One likes opera. The other, hip-hop. And together, iconic chef and former opera singer Alexander Smalls
and James Beard nominated chef JJ Johnson have created their first ever cookbook, ‘Between Harlemand Heaven’ (Flatiron Books; $37.50), as an homage to the food and cultural significance of Harlem andthe Afro-Asian diaspora.”
Watch the full interview here: http://www.phillytrib.com/chefs-jj-johnson-alexander-smalls-discusstheir-book-between-harlem/youtube_911bce39-5af9-500d-bd18-968131661afa.html

Garden & Gun—January 23, 2018
A Harlem Renaissance

Guest judge appearance on Top Chef

“A new cookbook from Harlem restaurateur Alexander Smalls and chef JJ Johnson seasons the pot
with history—from Senegal to South Carolina.”
Read the full article here: https://gardenandgun.com/articles/between-harlem-heaven/

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Advertisement in the July 19, 2019 edition of The Week.
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