When we were finishing up this week’s interview, I said to our guest, “this is even more fun than we knew it would be,” or something along those lines. Said guest is chef and opera singer and just all around great guy Alexander Smalls, whose new book is The Contemporary African Kitchen: Home Cooking Recipes from the Leading Chefs of Africa, a collection of more than 100 home cook friendly recipes from some of the most talented culinary voices working in Africa – from a wide variety of backgrounds, from all five regions of the continent.
Somehow, neither Kate nor I had met Alexander before, but we were both really excited to finally do so, and he is just so much fun, and so positive. His background is so interesting — he is a world-renowned opera singer and the winner of both a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, but sort of informally left opera after a bad, and unfair, experience, not missing a beat as he moved along to cooking and opening NYC restaurants.
Alexander is a champion of other human beings, and his personality both takes up a room and is incredibly inclusive. We’re so glad to have him with us today.
Plus, he’s shared two recipes with us: Wild Greens and Cheese Pap and Peanut Butter Porridge with Fruit.
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