Tasty Holidays with Vivian Howard

WALTER filmed an exclusive video with award-winning chef Vivian Howard in Kinston.
by Ayn-Monique Klahre

On October 15, the WALTER team ventured out to Kinston to catch up with one of our favorite North Carolina chefs, Vivian Howard.

The award-winning chef had recently released her latest book, This Will Make it Taste Good. It’s half cookbook, half memoir, a collection of her favorite Flavor Heros, sauces and bases that work with a range of different recipes. Along with the team at Workshop Media, and with the support of sponsor Fink’s Jewelers, we filmed a cooking demonstration and interview with Howard.

The cooking demonstration showed off Howard’s Community Organizer, a sofrito-style, tomato-and-pepper base than can add depth to casseroles, stews, tacos and more. Howard shared the origin of the recipe (a delicious gift from a stranger!), why it works and how to use it for different styles of cooking.

In her interview, Howard was candid about the origins of her book. While her first book, Deep Run Roots, delves into the traditions of Eastern North Carolina cooking, This Will Make it Taste Good is all about Howard: how she cooks at home, the balance of working motherhood (or lack of it) and the way her cooking has —and continues to — evolve. She spoke with WALTER editor Ayn-Monique Klahre about this and more in her intimate living space inside her Kinston test kitchen.

The exclusive video was released just before Thanksgiving to WALTER readers to inspire them to get creative with their cooking over the holidays. It was fun to see the notes and photos from home cooks who used her recipes!

In case you missed it, you can now view the video here.