The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Plant-forward dishes, rooted in memories of growing up Southern
Author draws from rich experiences with her mom.
Michelle Braxton recalls her mother’s response when she told her she was giving up pork. “How in the world are we going to make collards without ham hocks?” she asked.
Given the close bond mother and daughter shared at mealtimes, Braxton understood that this lifestyle change would impact them both. So she figured out how to emulate those familiar flavors with onions, garlic, spices, tamari and liquid smoke — as outlined in the recipe for Smokin’ Braised Collard Greens in her debut cookbook, “Supper with Love: Vibrant, Delicious, and Comforting Plant-Forward and Pescatarian Recipes for Every Day” (Harvest, $37.50).
Braxton changed her eating habits in 1991 after attending a lecture by rapper and vegan activist KRS-One. But it was her mom who instilled in her a love for food and sense of community.
Over lattes at a coffee shop in Decatur, not far from the close-knit neighborhood where she grew up, Braxton told me how her mother, who was white, became involved in the Civil Rights Movement in Chicago in the 1960s, and migrated to Atlanta to continue that work. That’s where she met Braxton’s father, who was Black. The couple divorced when Braxton was a small child. “A single mom raising a biracial child wasn’t well received in many places,” she said. “But she always felt most comfortable living in predominantly Black communities.”
Braxton learned to prepare meals while her mom was at work, sometimes with help from neighbors. On weekends she and her mom cooked together for fun and explored different cuisines in restaurants. That openness to new flavors inspired her creativity in coming up with new dishes with more plants and occasionally seafood. In 2014, she began sharing those recipes on a blog called Supper with Michelle, and drawing legions of followers.
In 2019, her mom passed away unexpectedly. Overwhelmed with grief, Braxton lost interest in cooking for months. COVID19 brought her back to the stove. Homebound from her job in human resources, she rediscovered the joy of cooking favorites such as Kitchen Sink Lasagna Casserole, Smoky Salmon Chowder and her mom’s Alphabet Soup to share with her partner, neighbors and “unhoused members of our community who may need a warm meal.” A book deal followed. “I
was typing and crying, crying and typing, reliving experiences and childhood memories,” she said. She reminded herself it was her mom who had encouraged her to write a cookbook and “I know it would have made her so freaking happy and tremendously proud.”