Tag: Foodways

  • Laverte Mathis and Tyrone Goodwyn

    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 Read more

  • Stamford “Fred” Hoston

    Stamford “Fred” Hoston

    Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Stamford “Fred” Hoston is a lifelong resident of the city with deep family roots in the DMV area. Fred was interviewed at Saints Paradise Church, where he shared stories from his upbringing in a large, religious family of eight children. His parents, originally from West Virginia, worked as a Read more

  • Group Interview: Harold Little, Joyce Robinson-Paul, and Mac-Arthur Mills

    Group Interview: Harold Little, Joyce Robinson-Paul, and Mac-Arthur Mills

    Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Joyce Robinson-Paul, Harold Little, and Mac-Arthur Mills share deep roots in the city’s Black communities, including Shaw, Takoma, and Foggy Bottom. The three were interviewed at a church central to their lives, where annual gospel concerts, soul food, and fellowship continue to bring people together. Joyce, a native Washingtonian, Read more

  • Glen Pittman

    Glen Pittman

    Glen Pittman was born and raised in Virginia and currently works in Washington, D.C., commuting daily from Fredericksburg. He has worked as a Food and Beverage Director at the Holiday Inn in NW DC for over two years. Though his physical home is in Virginia, D.C. plays a central role in his daily life and Read more

  • Jennifer Rickerby

    Jennifer Rickerby

    Jennifer Rickerby shared heartfelt memories of learning to cook from her mother, who taught her and her siblings cherished family recipes like curry chicken, oxtail, rice and peas with grated coconut, and rum cake. Cooking was a long process of observation and patience—Jennifer joked that she was “in training for 100 years” before being allowed Read more

  • Sheila Jones

    Sheila Jones

    Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Sheila Louis Jones is a lifelong resident whose family moved from Virginia nearly 70 years ago when her father was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base. Sheila spoke about growing up in Capitol Hill and later in public housing, where she said she learned a lot and had fun Read more

  • Juanita Witherspoon

    Juanita Witherspoon

    Juanita Witherspoon was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where she still lives, worships, and raised her family. A longtime member of the church connected to Saints Paradise Cafeteria, she’s been attending for over 58 years and regularly eats there with her husband after services. Juanita values flavor and consistency and sticks to places she Read more