Laverte Mathis and Tyrone Goodwyn

Washington, D.C. native Laverte Mathis and longtime resident Tyrone Goodwyn were interviewed together at a site closely tied to their shared sense of home and history. Both men reflected on their Southern roots—Mathis’s family from Georgia and Goodwyn’s from North Carolina and Tidewater, Virginia—and the deep culinary traditions that have shaped their lives. Mathis spoke of being raised by a matriarchal aunt who lovingly prepared fish and spaghetti every Friday, mashing the fish for the children. He also recalled his deep love for chitlins and the trust and care required to prepare them properly. Goodwyn shared how cooking is a spiritual and healing act for him, and that returning to his hometown to purchase Carolina sausage remains a must-do tradition. He also described healing himself through making lentils with smoked pig parts on a cold, gray week. The two friends discussed family recipes—Mathis’s precise potato salad and Goodwyn’s rare, grated sweet potato pudding—as well as their shared reverence for prayer and ancestral presence before meals.