A Sweet Potato Collaboration: Farm-to-Table Dinner

Delta Dirt Distillery and Gimbia's Kitchen explore the culinary history of sweet potatoes in W. Africa and the South.
About this Event

This Farm-to-Table dinner is focused on sweet potatoes and their long history in the South and West Africa. We will be joined by Delta Dirt Distillery, who will tell their story of sharecropping in Mississippi and Arkansas, to building the only black-owned distillery using ingredients grown on their land.

We will gather at Gnarled Oak Farm, a regenerative livestock farm in Hernando, MS. Chefs Halima Salazar and Dria Price, will focus each dish around sweet potatoes and Delta Dirt bourbon. Through this dinner we will continue to explore the deep culinary and cultural roots of West African cuisine and its powerful influence on Southern food traditions.

Menu

Grazing board

Sweet potato chips, sweet potato jam, sweet potato fries tossed in curry, herbed goat cheese, brie drizzled in honey, candied pecans, fresh fruits.

Course 1

Kale and sweet potato dirty whiskey salad

A bed of kale, served with grilled whiskey-glazed sweet potatoes and grilled chicken seasoned with yaji, then drizzled with a peanut whiskey vinaigrette

Course 2

Sweet  Potato au Gratin

Sweet potatoes soaked in a rich cream whiskey sauce that includes heavy cream and sour cream. Seasoned with West African nutmeg and lathered with Gruyère cheese. Served on a buttery crust.

Course 3

Gnarled Oak Burger

Brioche with Gnarled Oak ground beef, herbed cream cheese, tomatoes, and shiitake mushrooms sautéed in Delta Dirt Sweet Roots whiskey. Partnered with a plantain and sweet potato frita.

Palate Cleanser

Orange miso mocktail

Course 4 

Sweet potato whiskey cake served with butter pecan ice cream and a drizzle of caramel

More about Delta Dirt Distillery

Delta Dirt Distillery is a black-owned, family-owned, farm-to-bottle distillery located in the Arkansas Delta. This means the ingredients used in the distillation process are grown on their own farm. The Williams family has been farming the land since the late 1800’s but did not own the land until it was purchased out of sharecropping in 1949. The uniqueness of being able to grow their own ingredients makes them the ONLY black-owned distillery to do so in America. Delta Dirt Distillery is deeply rooted into the richest soil in the country that produces some of the finest sweet potatoes in the country, leading to creation of a truly one-of-a-kind spirits…Sweet Blend Vodka and their own take on bourbon, Arkansas Brown- distilled from sweet potatoes. Since opening their doors in 2021, Delta Dirt Distillery has won some of the highest awards possible both in and out of the spirits industry including Arkansas Tourist Attraction of the Year, back-to-back-to-back Double Gold’s at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), 2023 Top 4 Finalist “Best in Class” in the Vodka category at the SFWSC, Triple Gold Award at the MLSA Competition, Gold and “Best in Class” at the ACSA Competition.

Chef Halima Salazar

Halima Salazar was born in Nigeria, where herbs are an essential part of the wellbeing of the people.  She grew up watching the elders in her community use herbs in various ways. Her grandfather was the local community herbalist and farmer and a chief, known for using herbs to heal members of the community. She grew up learning to enjoy the simple pleasures of turning herbs into tea and using it as means to have people gather together to enjoy the essence of community. She has an undergraduate degree in political Science and a minor in Business from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas and a certificate from Chef’s Academy in Abuja, Nigeria. She currently resides in Hernando , Mississippi where she grows her own herbs, similar to her grandfather.

Chef Dria Price

Dria Price is originally from Chicago but has lived in Oxford long enough to claim it. She is currently farming in Oxford after successfully obtaining her master’s degree from the University of Mississippi and becoming a Registered Dietitian. Her interests include food insecurity, making comfort foods healthy, and making kids eat their veggies. She is the pastry chef of Gimbia’s Kitchen, co-founder of Justevia, a doula in her free time, and just about everything else.

Gnarled Oak Farm

Gnarled Oak Farm is a small family-run, regenerative farm located in Hernando, Mississippi, within the Mississippi Hill country. Established in 2017, it focuses on raising pasture-fed heritage livestock—including Belted Galloway cattle, sheep, pigs, turkeys, and chickens—using systems to grow the cleanest meat, naturally.